why isn't hydrogen used as a fuel for generating power?

Answer 1

Hydrogen isn't used as a primary fuel because we have no direct source of hydrogen. Most hydrogen is extracted from hydrocarbons, (e.g. natural gas) but it takes energy to do so. You get more energy just burning the hydrocarbons directly. You can also separate hydrogen out of water, but that takes as much energy to extract as you get in burning the hydrogen, as it goes back to water after you burn it.

Hydrogen's utility is that it is a clean burning fuel, producing only water as a combustion product. If we could use hydrogen as a fuel for our cars, we could eliminate a lot of air pollution from our cities. The problem is that so far no one has come up with a way to produce the hydrogen cheaply enough to compete with gasoline.

Answer 2

Because the only way to get hydrogen is to get it from water, and that takes a LOT of energy. So you'd have to generate power to get the fuel to generate the power.

Answer 3

There are plans to use hydrogen in Scotland and California as the fuel for generating power. The byproduct in the production of the hydrogen, carbon dioxide, will be sequestered in underground oil reservoirs and enhance oil production.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7019791

Answer 4

It short - it takes more power to generate Hydrogen than you can produce by burning it. Burning Hydrogen for power would be excellent, and all safety aspects could be managed.

We just need to find a way to produce it cost effectively and without consumption of a lot of power.

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Answer 5

i think it's cause if the explosion power of hydrogen, and it gets fire in a very short time just cause of a little mistake, and the explosion may be really so big and damagable....

Answer 6

I think there's a big fear of it exploding or not being stable enough, which may be true, but I think its more of a public mental thing...or an assumed publci mental issue.

Answer 7

It is. (Fuel cells, rockets, etc.)