There have been many stories in the newspapers, on TV and on the radio about the state that our planet is in, and most of the time they are not too positive. We hear about pollution, and global warming most frequently, which are both caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. Because of this, organizations and governments have started to invest money in researching alternate forms of energy that are less polluting and that do not contribute to global warming. One of the main sources of energy being looked into is hydrogen, which is used in fuel cells to produce electrical energy. Very little pollution is formed by hydrogen and absolutely no greenhouse gases are formed. In this paper both pros and cons of using hydrogen as an energy source will be discussed, as well as what kind of research is being done, how hydrogen is already being used as an energy source, and if there are any safety concerns.

In the past few years many problems concerning our energy resources and our environment have arisen and need to dealt with. Our planet’s temperature has increased by approximately one degree in the past century and many scientists believe this change is accelerating at a dizzyi

III) Wilbraham, Antony C. (Ed.) Chemistry. Don Mills, Ontario: Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd., 1993.

IV) DiChristina, Mariette. “What Really Downed the Hindenburg.” Popular Mechanics. Nov. 1997: 70-76.

In fact the only foreseen draw back of fuel cells is that, the hydrogen must be very pure, making it hard to use hydrogen extracted from natural gas due to the possibility of contamination. (Esselstyn 2)

It is because of the economic, environmental and moral advantages that the National Hydrogen Association (NHA), a non-profit organization made up of industrial companies, small businesses, universities, research institutions and individual citizens, who are all interested in developing hydrogen technologies and uses, (Esselstyn 6), has derived a “hydrogen commercialization plan”. (Esselstyn 1) They felt that the key to this plan is the partnership of the government and industries who have their own strengths and weaknesses and must work together to accentuate the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses. An example of this is how industries have the expertise to bring new products to the marketplace, whereas, the government has the financial resources to fund such advancements, as well as protect them with new laws. (Esselstyn 1)

II) Hydrogen and its Compounds. Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 9. (1974). Chicago: Helen Hemingway Benton.

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Approximate Word count = 1598
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)