HYDROGEN FUEL

Hydrogen—nature’s bounty, which is available in abundance—has the potential to help resolve the global energy crisis. India has already joined the global quest to find ways to harness this valuable resource for large-scale commercial application.

The advantages of Hydrogen fuel are many

• Its available in plenty.It is present in water.So no chances of its scarcity or being exhausted like fossil fuels.It is the most abundant element in the universe, constituting about 93% of all atoms.
• When combusted with Oxygen, it is converted into water.So no chances of pollution and other curses like Global Warming
  
• It can be used in running motors,producing electricity or in domestic uses.It is used in space programmes as well
• It yields three times more energy than ordinary fossil fuels.
• The fuel cells are compact and lightweight--not overly bulky or heavy,thus light weight vehicles may be produced

The other side of the coin

• High Cost:Initial technology involved is costly.It costs around $1 million to produce a Hydrogen fulled car.
• Lack of a hydrogen refueling network:The refueling option is difficult due to scarcity of Hydrogen fuel stations
• Initial response:It is difficult for the manufacturers to convince the consumers to switch over to this newly developed technology.
  

There have been several demonstration and pilot projects around the world that have proved the efficacy of hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies, but most of these are suitable for small-scale operations. The challenge before the world is to harness this natural bounty for commercially viable large-scale operations, which includes production, safe storage, transportation and delivery etc.