The author, Joseph J. Romm, uses clear, jargon-free language to explain the barriers encountered with hydrogen, from its inefficiency as an energy carrier to the “chicken-and-egg” problem in infrastructure development. The latest edition (April 2025) of the book breaks down the latest methods of production, including “green” hydrogen, hydrogen made with nuclear power, geologic hydrogen, and “blue” hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS), laying out the challenges with each.
After providing the necessary technical concepts, Romm explores the limitations of suggested applications of hydrogen, including e-fuels made with direct air capture of CO2, hydrogen cars, and heating in buildings and industry. He concludes the book with a summary of the advances in renewables and battery technology, electrification that he believes offers us a cleaner, safer path forward—and can be implemented today.
One significant criticism of the book is that it doesn’t explore the role that “green” hydrogen (produced by electrolysis, or other processes that don’t extract it from oil, gas, or coal) will play in sharply reducing the carbon footprint of many industrial processes. Specifically, such processes would involve those used to make steel, fertilizers, ammonia, cement, and other materials essential to the global economy.
Fortunately, I’ve found several relatively trustworthy sources for information about how green hydrogen makes economic and environmental sense in these applications. I’ll include them, and information about several new technologies for generating hydrogen without using hydrocarbons, as a feedstock in my upcoming article, so stay tuned…
