Hydrogen and Infrastucture
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory develops technologies for the Department of Energy for cost-effective production of hydrogen and utilization as a safe and clean energy carrier. Hydrogen is the simplest element and most plentiful gas in the universe. Yet hydrogen never occurs by itself in nature—it always combines with other elements such as oxygen and carbon. Once it has been separated, hydrogen is the ultimate clean energy carrier.
Hydrogen is an obvious alternative to hydrocarbon fuels, such as gasoline. It has many potential uses, is safe to manufacture, and is environmentally friendly. Today, many technologies exist that can use hydrogen to power cars, trucks, electrical plants, and buildings—yet the absence of an infrastructure for producing, transporting, and storing large quantities of hydrogen prevents its practical use.
PNNL's role includes developing technologies for cost effective production of hydrogen and utilization as a safe and clean energy carrier, gasoline reforming for PEM applications using microchannel fuel reforming and auxiliary power units for trucks based on SOFC technology and PNNL also is the hydrogen safety program lead lab.