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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is green hydrogen a viable alternative fuel?

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

By Austin Tannenbaum

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YES

“Green” hydrogen is already being produced today in a process called electrolysis that uses electricity generated by sustainable power sources to separate out hydrogen from water molecules.

Currently, most hydrogen is obtained by subjecting natural gas to high-temperature steam, separating out hydrogen but also causing the isolated carbon to combine with oxygen in the air to form carbon dixoide. To encourage production of more green hydrogen, the International Energy Agency recommends government actions to build more hydrogen production facilities and develop renewable energy sources to power them.

Hydrogen is considered an important part of the sustainable energy transition due to its ability to substitute for natural gas and its transportability. Hydrogen is also energy dense—highly valued in industries such as aviation, shipping and concrete and steel manufacturing, which are difficult to decarbonize due to their requirements for high energy-density fuels.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US Energy Information Administration Hydrogen explained

International Energy Agency Executive summary – Global Hydrogen Review 2021 – Analysis

Columbia Climate School Why we need green hydrogen

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.