Hydrogen has the potential to be emissions free but only if we understand how the hydrogen is generated / manufactured or whether it occurs naturally. Several new terms have been used recently in the press, and this article explains them.

Gold hydrogen refers to naturally occurring deposits of the gas trapped underground in a way similar to how natural gas and oil deposits are found under the Earth’s surface. This type of H2 is different from White in that White now typically refers to the gas when it is above the surface, such as in the atmosphere, but Gold refers specifically to the gas found in underground deposits.

Yellow hydrogen refers to the type of H2 produced using solar energy. Clear Hydrogen is not yet a specific category on the list of hydrogen colors, but it is a term popping up more frequently this year. It is being used by companies looking for a new designation for their clean methods of H2 production.   

Source: Hydrogen Fuel News: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: While using colors to denote the way hydrogen is manufactured, I wonder if this is going too far. Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable energy, so why do we need Yellow as a classification, and using Clear as a definition seems pointless.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research