Hydrogen

As an element, hydrogen is the simplest and the most plentiful, but it must be derived from other substances like water, coal, biomass, and natural gas. It is not found as a gas in nature. Currently 95% of hydrogen is obtained from natural gas (a fossil fuel) through a steam reformation process that releases carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. The use of dirty fossil fuels to produce hydrogen, a clean energy, only redistributes pollution concerns. One hydrogen gas molecule (H2) contains two hydrogen atoms. Each hydrogen atom contains one negatively charged electron (e-) and one positively charged hydrogen proton (H+).