Hydrogen is at our disposal, so it seems, in many colors: black, grey, green, blue, turquoise, purple, aquamarine, pink, red, blue, yellow, orange, white, … [1, 2, 7]. Some colors are relatively new, like pink or purple for hydrogen from nuclear power stations, and white or orange for hydrogen originating from some rock formations. But the story about the colors is mixed up with fairy tales and advertisement.
A division on the basis of real differences may make hydrogen production more understandable than all those colors. In reality, hydrogen is colorless. And the chosen colors indicate rather than describe, which is misleading. We can produce hydrogen from water, methane (natural gas) or both. ‘Lightning hydrogen’ from natural gas may be the best option. But that has not yet come through to policy makers and the public at large.
Continue reading “The surprise of lightning hydrogen”