HIGH HOPES FOR HYDROGEN

摘要

The solution to finding a cleaner alternative to natural gas,or methane,is all around us.Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe,making up 90 per cent of all atoms.But while it's present in nearly all molecules in living things,on Earth,as a gas,it's very scarce-less than one part per million by volume.Instead it's found in the greatest quantities as water and in other familiar substances such as methane.For many years,we've used methane to heat our homes and businesses,and for power stations to generate electricity;currently 85 per cent of homes and 40 per cent of the UK's electricity relies on gas.The reason we've continued to use methane is because it's a readily available resource,it's cost effective and a cleaner alternative to the coal that we historically relied on for heating and to generate electricity.However,when methane burns it still gives off carbon,which contributes to climate change.