Hydrogen is a molecule with a diverse set of energy applications. Hydrogen plays a critical role in advancing a comprehensive energy portfolio for the United States. The use of hydrogen resources can promote energy security and resilience, as well as provide value and economic benefits for diverse applications across multiple sectors of the economy.
Today, most hydrogen is derived from natural gas or coal, primarily for industrial use in oil refining or the production of ammonia and other chemicals. With continued advances in production technologies and expansion of supporting infrastructure, hydrogen has tremendous potential as lower-emission fuel or feedstock in many industrial, transportation and energy applications. Various forecasts predict that lower-emissions hydrogen could account for between 6 and 15 percent of emissions reductions, and up to 12 percent of global primary energy demand by 2050.