Abstract
The rapid depletion of fossil fuels has prompted the upcoming generations to adopt alternative resources which are similarly efficient and could meet the soaring energy demand. Furthermore, being non-renewable in nature, having an adverse effect on the environment while burning and mining, the replacement of this outdated means of energy supplies will be the future challenge in addressing the environmental and economic issues in a sustainable manner. However, among the practiced alternative sources, the most popular sources are renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, biomass energy), nuclear energy, or hybrid nuclear energy. Although the energy demand is somehow getting fulfilled, these are not able to contribute enough to fulfilling energy demand for having some drawbacks and inconsistencies. For instance, the insufficient power generation capacity, relatively lower efficiency, necessitating the huge upfront capital, and dependency on geographical conditions and locations impede their potential in covering the energy demand on a large scale. Besides, nuclear energy poses a security risk and generates radioactive waste. Similarly, biomass energy sources can lead to serious deforestation. On the contrary, hydrogen is getting popularity as an alternative fuel because of its cleaner production, non-toxicity, economic feasibility, and having a satisfactory efficiency than most other energy sources. It’s nonpolluting production from electrolysis and renewable sources, and wide range of flammability implies its scalability and greener solution for transportation. Considering these aspects, hydrogen as fuel may be a promising solution in the future. In this study the evaluation of hydrogen as a fuel over other alternative energy resources has been evaluated in terms of performance and emission characterization. Moreover, the economical assessment carried out in this chapter will make a comprehensive demonstration of the feasibility and prospect of hydrogen over the other sources. Further, this study also identifies some challenges and limitations and their possible solutions regarding the production and use of hydrogen.