What Green Hydrogen Actually Is and Why It's Hard to Scale
Green hydrogen shows up in a lot of climate plans. Here's what it actually is and why it's not everywhere yet.
Green hydrogen is hydrogen fuel produced by splitting water using electricity from renewable sources, rather than the more common method that relies on fossil fuels and produces significant emissions in the process.
What it's actually good for
Hydrogen is particularly useful for the parts of industry that are hard to electrify directly, like heavy manufacturing and certain forms of shipping and aviation, where batteries are impractical due to weight or energy density limitations.
Why it's expensive and inefficient today
The process of making, storing, and transporting hydrogen loses a significant portion of the original renewable energy at each step, and the specialized infrastructure required is still expensive, which is why green hydrogen remains a small, costly niche rather than a mainstream fuel today.