 Reduction of emissions Whilst it is not expected that the reduction in emissions now proposed by governments will alone resolve the problem caused by increased quantities of greenhouse gases. But if we used hydrogen in very high efficiency fuel cells for our transportation and to generate power, we could significantly reduce the Greenhouse emissions - especially if the hydrogen is produced using renewable resources or clean fossil technologies. The combustion of fossil fuels by electric power plants, vehicles and other sources is responsible for most of the smog and harmful particulates in the air. Fuel cells powered by pure hydrogen emit no harmful pollutants. Equally important, weaning the world away from a fossil-fuel energy regime will limit CO2 emissions and reduce the effects of global warming. Efficiency In addition, the available energy is used more efficiently. Fuel cells are significantly more energy-efficient than combustion-based power generation technologies. Vehicles using electric engines powered by hydrogen fuel cells use 40- 60% of the fuel's energy compared to the 30% efficiency of internal combustion engines. At this stage, Shell is focused on learning as much as possible about hydrogen refuelling and how to meet future customer needs as demand increases in the next 10 to 15 years. This means that hydrogen will initially be obtained mainly from natural gas; ultimately we expect hydrogen to come increasingly from renewables, such as wind and solar. The wide introduction of hydrogen technology based on natural gas will already substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Where hydrogen is produced from renewable sources it will truly lead to zero emission power. Hydrogen is a fuel of the future that delivers environmental benefits today.
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