Hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table, is the lightest and most abundant element in the entire universe. It is approximately one-fourteenth as heavy as air. Hydrogen exists as a gas in its natural form and features one electron as well as one proton. Its atomic weight is 1.0079 and atomic symbol on the periodic table is H.
Two pounds of hydrogen can provide about as much power as 1 gallon of gasoline. Approximately 2.2 gallons of water holds the amount of hydrogen needed to replace a gallon of gas. Hydrogen can be used in an internal combustion engine to increase efficiency. The introduction of hydrogen into this type of engine system can increase the engine's efficiency by between 2 and 20 percent, reduce pollutant output and even increase mileage. Hydrogen offers around 2.6 times the energy offered by gasoline per unit of mass.
Hydrogen energy offers many applications. Hydrogen-powered vehicles can be designed to offer similar performance levels as many of today's vehicles that feature internal combustion engines. The potential energy offered by hydrogen can be harnessed to cool and heat homes and businesses. NASA has been using hydrogen in the production of rocket fuel since the program began in the late 1950s.
Hydrogen is such an abundant element that any country across the globe with the proper funding can develop facilities to utilize the power of hydrogen. The world's first large-scale hydrogen power plant was constructed near Venice, Italy in 2010. This facility was designed to provide power for over 20,000 homes. The United States produces over 100 billion cubic feet of hydrogen for various programs each year.
Using hydrogen energy opposed to energy derived from traditional fossil fuels can have a dramatic effect on the environment. Hydrogen is non-polluting; burning hydrogen produces water vapor. Using hydrogen fuel cells instead of burning fossil fuels can greatly reduce the amount of pollutants that enter the atmosphere. Offering hydrogen power produced from the facility near Venice spares an estimated 17,000 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere annually.