Green Business Profile Wednesday: Shell’s Hydrogen Fuel

This week, I was lucky enough to go to a Shell hydrogen plant and learn about a new, effective way to power cars.

You don’t have to be a chemist to know that eliminating green house gases is top priority to the new administration. What we use today in our cars will only worsen this problem.

For the past few years, Shell has partnered with GM to develop hydrogen-fueled cars and fueling stations. Why hydrogen? According to the tour guide, hydrogen is the most plentiful element on earth. Our water, for example, contains hydrogen.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User kseast

One of the ways in which Shell produces hydrogen is through electrolysis (using electricity to separate hydrogen molecules).  Usually, hydrogen is compressed into a liquid form and pumped into the car. Through much R&D over the past few years, companies have been able to turn chemical energy to mechanical energy.

One of the key benefits of using hydrogen is that there is little to zero carbon dioxide emission. It’s a shame that since May 2009, the administration has decided to cut funding for these cars. It’s true that it is costly to create hydrogen, but I would love to see clearer blue skies!