Energy will be one of the defining issues of this century. One thing is clear: the era of easy oil is over. What we do next will determine how well we meet the energy needs of the entire world in this century and beyond.
Hydrogen is abundant. It's non-polluting. It's not a greenhouse gas, nor does its burning generate greenhouse gases. Hydrogen has shown great promise in meeting the world's growing energy demand. But many challenges still remain:
- While advances are made every day, the production, storage and transport of hydrogen is not yet cost-effective.
- It takes energy to free hydrogen—it's almost always bound to another substance—and concerns still remain about its safety and practicality.
- Without an established customer base, there's little incentive for businesses to invest in a hydrogen distribution system. And without a distribution system, customers won't purchase vehicles which run on hydrogen.
Governments, energy companies and automakers continue to do research and launch pilot projects in the hopes of solving some difficult issues. We hope you'll voice your opinion on how to meet the world's future energy demands.
In a recent poll, respondents were asked:
When do you think hydrogen will become a viable part of the solution?
The Results:
- 38% chose 10 years
- 28% chose 25 years
- 11% chose 50 years
- 23% chose never
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