Implementation of Hydrogen Gas as a Transport Fuel

Abstract

There are high expectations for the use of hydrogen as a transport fuel in the future. However, as this chapter will show, sometimes these expectations are unrealistic, and are based on industrial actors' own agendas and strategies. The implementation of hydrogen energy in Norway has been heavily supported with governmental and industrial funding through the Hydrogen-road HyNor, but without expected advances in fuel cell technology and carbon capture and storage (CCS), the implementation has been rather limited. Residential opposition of hydrogen filling stations, because of health and safety concerns thwarted a pilot scheme in London, as will be shown. The life cycle GHG emissions from today's hydrogen fuels are high, in addition, the consequences from leakage of hydrogen gas from future production and distribution systems are potentially damaging to the stratospheric ozone layer. © Springer-Verlag London 2013.