Hydrogen

=Hydrogen=

**Definition:**
Hydrogen is the "simplest" element known. Hydrogen has only one proton and no neutrons! It is also the most plentiful gas in the universe.

Hydrogen is usually described as being an energy carrier. Pure hydrogen does not occur naturally in quantities worth harnessing to meet human energy needs: the main naturally occurring forms of hydrogen are tied up in chemical compounds. These include such compounds as water molecules (H2O) and hydrocarbons such as coal, oil and methane.

**What is its source? (where does it come from or how is/was it formed?)**
Hydrogen is not found by itself on earth. It is found only in **compound** form with other elements. Hydrogen combined with oxygen, is water (H2O). Hydrogen combined with carbon forms different compounds such as methane (CH4), coal, and petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in all growing things (biomass.) It is also an abundant element in the earth's crust.

How is this source used to make energy?

 * Hydrogen and oxygen flow into opposite sides of the cell, separated by a barrier that only allows positively charged ions to pass through.
 * An anode (negatively charged pole) strips electrons from the hydrogen atoms, converting them to positively-charged ions that pass through the barrier. The negatively charged electrons flow around the outside of the cell toward the cathode (positively-charged pole), creating an electrical current. Catalysts speed the reactions at each electrode.
 * Oxygen enters the cell near the cathode and combines with the hydrogen ions and electrons to form water, which is removed through an exhaust system.

What equipment do you need to convert the “raw material” into energy?

 * A Fuel Cell**

**Disadvantages:**
1) Obtaining hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels or by splitting water using electricity or heat is not technically difficult, but in any of these approaches, **//more electricity or primary-fuel energy//** is used than the resulting hydrogen contains.

2) It takes seven times as much hydrogen on a volume basis to produce the same amount of energy in a gallon of gasoline. This could be problematic for automobile manufacturers.

**Advantages:**
1) No pollution.....for example, if an automobile was burning hydrogen as its fuel, it would only have water coming out of the tail pipe.

2) Hydrogen can be transported by pipelines similar to those used to transport natural gas. (The infrastructure is there)

The most unusual fact I learned was…….
By 2050, Iceland plans to run its entire economy on renewable hydropower, geothermal energy, and wind and then use these sources to produce hydrogen for running all of it motor vehicles and ships.