I have basic idea of working of hydrogen fuel cell but why just hydrogen? Isn’t there any better or maybe cheaper alternative?
(I know it’s bit complex for but I would appreciate your answers)
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The endgame for power might be nuclear fusion. We are still a few breakthroughs away though, but once we have efficient nuclear fusion, we can make huge amounts of power anywhere, removing the geographical limitations of green power sources (solar, wind, hydro) and also the radioactive waste issue of nuclear fission.
Hydrogen can be generated cleanly from water with electrolysis using a clean power source to be green hydrogen. However, the efficiency of converting electrical power to hydrogen chemical power, and then back into electricity, is much lower than simply charging a battery. Therefore, in most cases, it makes more sense to use BEVs, or mass rail transit system directly hooked to the power grid. However in the case of airplanes and long distance freight trucks, batteries aren’t all that practical, so some amount of hydrogen can be produced for those use cases to replace kerosene and diesel. Spaceships will also be in need of hydrogen to provide the amount of lift power needed to escape into orbit and beyond.
As long as hydrogen was produced from clean electricity, the only byproduct of consuming it is water. If it was also made from water, then everything remains in balance, no new greenhouse gas is added to the atmosphere.
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