Fuel cells are very costly because they are complex and require expensive materials such as platinum. Current hydrogen vehicles use fuel cells to convert the chemical energy to power. Hydrogen in vehicles must be compressed in expensive high-pressure tanks, which requires - you guessed it - energy. Hydrogen is only as clean as the energy used to produce it. That could change if solar-based electricity is ramped up in the future. Since solar provides only a fraction of the total electricity generated in the U.S., diverting solar-based electricity to make hydrogen doesn’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar-based electricity can be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. Can hydrogen be made without creating greenhouse gases? To get that, we’re back to burning fossil fuels. Hydrogen can also be made from water using electrolysis, but that requires electrical energy. Most hydrogen is made from methane in a process that produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. There’s virtually no pure hydrogen on Earth because it’s so reactive. Hydrogen-fueled cars sound squeaky clean. and many large cities in India and China. They don’t emit greenhouse gases from the tailpipe, so they can reduce pollution in urban areas with poor air circulation, like Southern California in the U.S. What benefits do hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars offer? Here, he brings us up to speed on the role of hydrogen in the field of alternative fuels. He is studying what it would take to overcome some of them. Paul Ronney, a USC Viterbi School of Engineering professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering who studies combustion and propulsion, says hydrogen has some barriers before it, including efficiency and cost. So why hasn’t hydrogen gone mainstream as an alternative to gasoline-powered engines? But if you have yet to see one on the road, you’re not alone. Here on Earth, the first cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells hit the market in 2015, promising cleaner air and a healthier planet. The hydrogen fuel that launches NASA rockets into space and provides electrical power via fuel cells produces only one waste product: water so pure the astronaut crew can drink it.
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