Hydrogen, the most abundant chemical element, is a clean alternative to natural gas, or methane. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of resources, such as natural gas, nuclear power, biogas and renewable power like solar and wind.
Will natural gas be replaced by hydrogen?
At the moment, most hydrogen is made from natural gas via a process called steam reforming. This is energy-intensive and it takes more natural gas to produce the hydrogen using this process than would be required if we just kept using natural gas. Emissions would actually go up by switching to hydrogen!
Is there a replacement for natural gas?
Propane, which comes from both natural gas processing and crude oil refining, is the most common alternative to natural gas. Propane is abundant, and also, when compared to natural gas, is a more cost-effective and efficient option.