Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on the planet. It is found in water and almost every other natural material and in every living thing. Algae, plants, and composting material are all rich sources of hydrogen. The abundance of hydrogen means that it is viewed as a potential source of fuel for many man-made machines. For instance, hydrogen gas fuel can theoretically replace fossil fuels in most of their uses without being concerned with depleting the resource considerably. Separating hydrogen from its chemical bond to these elements produces hydrogen gas fuel. Heat and water are the only emissions produced when mixing this purest form of hydrogen gas fuel with pure oxygen and igniting it, which is as environmentally friendly as you can get.

There are pros and cons involved with each of the different methods of distilling hydrogen to its purest form, which include emissions created from the refining process, and finding an efficient and cost-effective way to produce hydrogen gas fuel. In the United States, steam methane reforming is the method most commonly used at this time and involves heating natural gas at varying temperatures to extract the hydrogen.

Producing enough hydrogen gas fuel to support mainstream use would likely require new infrastructure, making start-up costs an expensive proposition. Current technology such as electrolysis (passing of electrical current through water in an ionic transfer device) can be adapted on a larger scale by using electricity generated through methods such as windmills or solar panels. In addition, geographic concerns will play a major role in location choices for any hydrogen production facility as ideally any such facility requires a large expanse of open space and should be located away from densely populated areas. However, zero greenhouse gas emissions in the electrolysis method make this a worthwhile, long-term venture.

Hydrogen is very flexible and suitable as fuel since it can be stored and easily transported in the form of gas or liquid. Hydrogen fuel can be transported in vapor form from its refinery site to up to a distance of 200 miles. For longer distances up to 1000 miles, hydrogen is transported in super-insulated tanks in liquid form.

Hydrogen gas fuel has the greatest energy to weight ratio of all known and commercially available fuels. When compared to gasoline, hydrogen gas fuel produces roughly three times the amount of energy we obtain from gasoline (with no carbon dioxide or sulfur emissions) and over six times the amount of energy we obtain from coal.

Hydrogen gas keeps its efficiency through differing ranges of air fuel mixtures than gas, making it more efficient combustion-wise. The rating of hydrogen gas fuel is equal to that of an octane rating of 130, much greater than the highest octane gas that is available to the consumer at the gas station.

Just about anything from cell phones, scooters, spacecraft and even entire cities can be powered by hydrogen gas fuel. Vehicles for every day use can be produced or retrofitted to utilize this fuel. As gas prices rise, hydrogen gas fuel as an alternative fuel may soon become a reality. With the right infrastructure in place and it's abundance on the planet, it may solve one of the most vexing problems that the planet faces, producing an environmentally friendly fuel.