Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen is emerging as a low-carbon energy carrier in the 21st century. Currently hydrogen is produced commercially from natural gas, but historically this has been associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions. Alternatively, hydrogen can be produced from water using electricity or directly using high-temperature processes. If renewable electricity is used then the resulting hydrogen has a very low emissions impact and it is known as 'green hydrogen'. If the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of hydrogen from natural gas can be captured and safely stored then this also has the potential to yield hydrogen with a small environmental impact. Today this is known as 'blue hydrogen'.  A hydrogen economy will require further advances in production, purification, distribution, storage, together with new disruptive end-use technologies. Hydrogen has the potential to assist in reducing emissions from several hard-to-decarbonise sectors including steel-making and aviation.  

The Open University has interests in hydrogen including policy issues, sustainable transport applications, and fundamental science associated with production, purification, and storage. The Open University is considering how hydrogen will be treated as a future commodity, how markets for such technologies may operate and their impacts and synergies with other energy industries.

Further Information

For further information on OU hydrogen energy research, please contact Professor William Nuttall (Professor of Energy):

Telephone: 01908 655113
URL: 

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