BY: MYLES CHOWN AND GABRIELLE DEGOOYER

HOW HYDROGEN IS USED TO CREATE ELECTRICITY OR POWER: BY BURNING HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, HEAT AND WATER ARE MADE. JUST LIKE IN A NORMAL GENERATOR, WATER IS BOILED WITH HEAT WHICH PRODUCES STEAM WHERE PRESSURE IS PRODUCED TO TURN THE TURBINE. FUEL CELLS ARE VERY MUCH LIKE BATTERIES. THEY BOTH PRODUCE A USEABLE ELECTRIC POWER FROM A CHEMICAL REACTION.

ADVANTAGES OVER FOSSIL FUEL: 1. READILY AVAILABLE: NO ELEMENT IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS AS ABUNDANT THEN HYDROGEN. 2. NO HARMFUL EMISSIONS: WHEN BURNT, LEAVES ALMOST NO HARMFUL BYPRODUCTS. 3. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY : HYDROGEN IS NON-TOXIC. 4. USED AS FUEL IN ROCKETS : HYDROGEN ENERGY IS ALSO VERY POWERFUL AND VERY EFFICIENT. IN FACT, HYDROGEN IS THREE TIMES AS POWERFUL AS GASOLINE AND SIMILAR FOSSIL FUELS, MEANING IT TAKES LESS OF IT TO ACCOMPLISH MORE. 5. FUEL EFFICIENT: HYDROGEN PRODUCES MORE ENERGY PER POUND OF FUEL, WHERE IT IS A VERY EFFICIENT FUEL SOURCE. 6. RENEWABLE : UNLIKE NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY HYDROGEN ENERGY CAN BE PRODUCED ON DEMAND. HYDROGEN IS AVAILABLE IN PLENTY.

DISADVANTAGES 1. EXPENSIVE : HYDROGEN GAS REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK TO FREE IF FROM OTHER ELEMENTS. 2. STORAGE : HYDROGEN IS ALSO HARD TO MOVE AROUND., SUPER-LIGHT HYDROGEN IS HARD TO TRANSPORT IN A REASONABLE FASHION. 3. NOT EASY TO REPLACE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE : AS EXPENSIVE AS HYDROGEN IS TO PRODUCE AND TRANSPORT, IT BECOMES EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE WHEN YOU CONSIDER TRYING TO USE IT TO REPLACE GASOLINE. 4. HIGHLY FLAMMABLE : IT’S HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE AND ALWAYS IN NEWS FOR THE POTENTIAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IT 5. DEPENDENCY ON FOSSIL FUELS : THOUGH HYDROGEN IS RENEWABLE IT STILL NEEDS OTHER NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES LIKE COAL, OIL AND NATURAL GAS TO SEPARATE IT FROM OXYGEN.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: FUTURE.COM/ADVANTAGES_DISADVANTAGES_HYDROGENENERGY.PHP FUTURE.COM/ADVANTAGES_DISADVANTAGES_HYDROGENENERGY.PHP