The future of the world’s energy usage is predicted to rely heavily on hydrogen with estimates that as much as a quarter of the world’s energy could be supplied by this greener fuel in 2050. By that time the cost of renewable energy is projected to fall by half making it much more viable as a source of energy. For places like Europe, clean energy is becoming highly important and governments are implementing financial incentives to make hydrogen use more common. As much as $150 billion will be invested in renewable hydrogen in the European Union by 2030 as part of an initiative started in 2020.



With all these developments in hydrogen use the consumer demand for clean energy also continues to rise. However, this demand is not being met by what is available on the market, as much of the hydrogen fuel technologies are aimed at large scale commercial applications. A company called Alkaline Fuel Cell Power aims to fill this gap with an innovative solution with a hydrogen fuel cell made for use specifically in the residential markets. Alkaline Fuel Cell Power is currently in the process of developing and prototyping this fuel cell and plans to make it available for purchase in 2027.



Hydrogen fuel cells, like those being developed by Alkaline Fuel Cell Power can serve to replace a connection to the electric grid during peak hours or outages, or to replace it outright. In general, hydrogen fuel cells, like those being developed by Alkaline Fuel Cell Power, are much like small power stations, converting fuel into heat and energy. Current energy storage technology solutions are too expensive for residential adoption, while the design of Alkaline Fuel Cell Power micro-CHPs has lower material cost, driving the overall cost down to a reasonable level and allowing for a high volume of production.



Hydrogen fuel cells are entirely clean and produce no harmful emissions, as they do not use combustion in their operation. This also makes them free of noise or vibration. In fact, using hydrogen produced by using renewable energy, like wind or solar, results in a net-zero effect on the environment.



Although the current adoption of hydrogen as an alternative energy source is low, there are big plans for its future, as it is the optimal solution for storing green energy for use in most applications. In 2020 the global market for hydrogen was valued at over $120 billion and world governments, especially in Europe are determined to make hydrogen a viable greener fuel alternative. Between €180 and €470 billion are estimated to be invested into renewable hydrogen by 2050.