Review on the controversies surrounding hydrogen together with its leakage and escape throughout the full lifecycle

Abstract

With the introduction of carbon emission policies in various countries around the world, the development of new energy sources has become a focus of attention. Among the numerous new energy sources, hydrogen energy (HE) has emerged as one of the most sought-after energy sources due to its zero-emission feature in fuel cell applications. Currently, governments, research institutions, investment institutions, and enterprises around the world are conducting various scientific research and promoting applications related to the production, storage, and utilization of hydrogen. Meanwhile, controversies surrounding the development of hydrogen remains, and many urgent problems remain to be solved throughout its entire lifecycle. This article objectively summarizes the current situation and controversial issues in the development of HE, elaborates on previously overlooked issues, such as hydrogen escape throughout its entire lifecycle, provides more perspectives for experts and scholars to analyze and judge the future direction of hydrogen development, and offers potential solutions to the hydrogen escape/leakage problem.