Good News: The device that could create green hydrogen from the atmosphere
BY READERS DIGEST
10th Nov 2022 Good News
Researchers have created a prototype device that can create green hydrogen from the atmosphere, limiting carbon emissions and water use
Researchers in Australia have created a new solar-powered device that produces hydrogen fuel from moisture in the air.
Why does this matter?
Green hydrogen is hydrogen fuel that is created by water splitting using renewable energy, and most experts agree that it is essential to meeting the climate change goals of the Paris Agreement.
However, the production of green hydrogen faces a challenge: is there enough water to support it? To address this challenge, a study led by University of Melbourne lecturer, Dr Gang Kevin Li, demonstrates a method of direct hydrogen production from the air.
"This would allow hydrogen to be produced without carbon emissions even in places where water is scarce"
Researchers created a prototype that produces hydrogen with greater than 99 per cent purity and can work in air as dry as four per cent relative humidity. This would allow hydrogen to be produced without carbon emissions even in places where water is scarce.
Is green hydrogen the future?
Many experts suggest that green hydrogen will play an essential role in creating a sustainable future. The idea of a “hydrogen economy” has been put forward, in which energy consumption and emissions are reduced.
Is a "hydrogen economy" the future?
It’s important not to oversimplify the situation. Talking to The Guardian, Dr Kim Beasy of Swinburne University’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub, called hydrogen “one piece of the puzzle” but noted that we need “more government support and subsidies in bringing down the cost of getting this technology on the ground.”
Nonetheless, it’s good to know that progress is being made!
Read more: 10 Ways to improve the environment locally
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