But if we make hydrogen from the wrong fuel source, such as gasoline, we will have squandered a crucial opportunity to address global warming and air pollution. Up to now, there has been virtually no public discussion of those differences. To be truly pollution-free, the hydrogen must come from solar or wind or some other form of renewable energy, but hydrogen from these sources is not yet available commercially. Currently, hydrogen is created by passing a heavy electric current through water or by stripping it out of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, methanol or gasoline. The cleanest option available today is to strip hydrogen from natural gas, says the report, which would cut emissions of carbon dioxide by about 70 percent.
Carbon is the major greenhouse gas linked with global warming.
By choosing natural gas to make hydrogen, we will cut pollution dramatically now, as well as build the framework for completely clean power - hydrogen generated from renewable energy sources. Pembina's Life-Cycle Value Assessment calculates the greenhouse gas emissions that are related to extracting raw materials to produce the hydrogen, processing and refining it, transporting and distributing it, as well as operating fuel cell vehicles with it. As fuel cell options develop we will need to further refine our understanding of their full-cycle implications. The study shows that stripping hydrogen from gasoline would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 20 percent. With the production and marketing of fuel-cell vehicles just over the horizon, the decisions we make today are critical.