Hydrogen has long been hyped as the “Swiss army knife” of the energy transition, but today – despite billions in investment – it largely remains limited to niche industrial applications.
In a new review article, published in Nature Reviews Clean Technology, we look at where hydrogen could plausibly become competitive – and the applications where it is unlikely to ever be a viable solution.
For each use case, the review looks at the cost and carbon emissions of using hydrogen relative to alternative solutions, identifying the barriers which stand in the way of uptake.
For example, high-profile applications, such as home heating and fuelling cars, are still widely promoted, but are failing to take off.
Fundamentally, this is because hydrogen is an inefficient and costly option in these cases, with Ferraris globally outselling all makes of hydrogen fuel-cell cars combined.
Finally, the review looks at the current state of government hydrogen policy around the world, plus the ways that its potential could be maximised in the future.