Everything You Wanted to Know About Hydrogen Power (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Recently, I’ve noticed the emergence of a surprisingly large number of energy technology startups dedicated to jump-starting the so-called “Hydrogen Economy.” Many of these H2-entrepreneurs’ business plans focus on developing technologies that will make electric vehicles obsolete, while others want to use hydrogen as a medium for grid-scale energy storage.
But how many of these ambitious goals and optimistic business plans should we believe? Are these companies the vanguard of a transformative energy revolution, a community of dreamers and hucksters pursuing what will most likely turn out to be a technological dead end? And how much of this activity is being encouraged by fossil-fuel advocates to delay the adoption of proven sustainable-energy technologies?
These questions led me to begin research for an article for Electronic Design on the complex realities of hydrogen technology. Although it will still be a few months before the story is finished, I’d like to suggest a book on the topic. It can provide anyone interested in this complex issue with some valuable insights and analysis.
Despite its edgy title, “The Hype About Hydrogen: False Promises and Real Solutions in the Race to Save the Climate” provides a relatively objective analysis of what H2 power can do, can’t do, and shouldn’t do, based primarily on the physics and economics of the technology.
The author, Joseph J. Romm, uses clear, jargon-free language to explain the barriers encountered with hydrogen, from its inefficiency as an energy carrier to the “chicken-and-egg” problem in infrastructure development. The latest edition (April 2025) of the book breaks down the latest methods of production, including "green" hydrogen, hydrogen made with nuclear power, geologic hydrogen, and “blue” hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS), laying out the challenges with each.
After providing the necessary technical concepts, Romm explores the limitations of suggested applications of hydrogen, including e-fuels made with direct air capture of CO2, hydrogen cars, and heating in buildings and industry. He concludes the book with a summary of the advances in renewables and battery technology, electrification that he believes offers us a cleaner, safer path forward—and can be implemented today.
One significant criticism of the book is that it doesn’t explore the role that “green” hydrogen (produced by electrolysis, or other processes that don’t extract it from oil, gas, or coal) will play in sharply reducing the carbon footprint of many industrial processes. Specifically, such processes would involve those used to make steel, fertilizers, ammonia, cement, and other materials essential to the global economy.
Fortunately, I’ve found several relatively trustworthy sources for information about how green hydrogen makes economic and environmental sense in these applications. I’ll include them, and information about several new technologies for generating hydrogen without using hydrocarbons, as a feedstock in my upcoming article, so stay tuned...
