The hydrogen economy : opportunities, costs, barriers, and R&D needs / Committee on Alternatives and Strategies for Future Hydrogen Production and Use, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies.

Includes bibliographical references.

Cover -- Acknowledgments -- Table of Contents -- Tables and Figures -- Executive Summary -- 1 Introduction -- Origin of the Study -- Department of Energy Offices Involved in Work on Hydrogen -- Scope, Organization, and Focus of This Report -- 2 A Framework for Thinking About the Hydrogen Economy -- Overview of National Energy Supply and Use -- Energy Transitions -- Motivation and Policy Context: Public Benefits of a Hydrogen Energy System -- Scope of the Transition to a Hydrogen Energy System -- Competitive Challenges -- Energy Use in the Transportation Sector -- Four Pivotal Questions -- 3 The Demand Side: Hydrogen End-Use Technologies -- Transportation -- Stationary Power: Utilities and Residential Uses -- Industrial Sector -- Summary of Research, Development, and Demonstration Challenges for Fuel Cells -- Findings and Recommendations -- 4 Transportation, Distribution, and Storage of Hydrogen -- Introduction -- Molecular Hydrogen as Fuel -- The Department of Energy's Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Plan -- Findings and Recommendations -- 5 Supply Chains for Hydrogen and Estimated Costs of Hydrogen Supply -- Hydrogen Production Pathways -- Consideration of Hydrogen Program Goals -- Cost Estimation Methods -- Unit Cost Estimates: Current and Possible Future Technologies -- Comparisons of Current and Future Technology Costs -- Unit Atmospheric Carbon Releases: Current and Possible Future Technologies -- Well-to-Wheels Energy-Use Estimates -- Findings -- 6 Implications of a Transition to Hydrogen in Vehicles for the U.S. Energy System -- Hydrogen for Light-Duty Passenger Cars and Trucks: A Vision of the Penetration of Hydrogen Technologies -- Carbon Dioxide Emissions as Estimated in the Committee's Vision -- Some Energy Security Impacts of the Committee's Vision -- Other Domestic Resource Impacts Based on the Committee's Vision -- Impacts of the Committee's Vision for Total Fuel Costs for Light-Duty Vehicles -- Summary -- Findings -- 7 Carbon Capture and Storage -- The Rationale of Carbon Capture and Storage from Hydrogen Production -- Findings and Recommendations -- 8 Hydrogen Production Technologies -- Hydrogen from Natural Gas -- Hydrogen from Coal -- Hydrogen from Nuclear Energy -- Hydrogen from Electrolysis -- Hydrogen Produced from Wind Energy -- Hydrogen Production from Biomass and by Photobiological Processes -- Hydrogen from Solar Energy -- 9 Crosscutting Issues -- Program Management and Systems Analysis -- Hydrogen Safety -- Exploratory Research -- International Partnerships -- Study of Environmental Impacts -- Department of Energy Program -- 10 Major Messages of This Report -- Basic Conclusions -- Major Recommendations -- References -- Appendixes -- Appendix A Biographies of Committee Members -- Appendix B Letter Report -- Appendix C DOE Hydrogen Program Budget -- Appendix D Presentations and Committee Meetings -- Appendix E Spreadsheet Data from Hydrogen Supply Chain Cost Analyses -- Appendix F U.S. Energy Systems -- Appendix G Hydrogen Production Technologies: Additional Discussion