The Hydrogen Revolution: A Blueprint for the Future of Clean Energy

Current efforts to mitigate climate change are “way off track,” argues Alverà, CEO of Italian energy company Snam, in his accessible debut. Catastrophic flooding, rising waters, and hotter-than-usual temperatures continue to wreak havoc globally, and as Alverà bemoans the damage, he looks at the promise of hydrogen, weighs its pros and cons, and explains the steps that businesses, policymakers, and consumers need to take to unlock its full potential. He offers a primer on the element, “the simplest and most abundant... in the universe,” and highlights its early uses—it played a part in creating the first battery in 1792, for example, and was crucial in the development of Zeppelins. Alverà also digs into the tech behind extraction methods and breaks down different “colors” of hydrogen (there’s pink hydrogen, which is made with electrolysis and nuclear power, and turquoise, which comes from pyrolysis). Plenty of time is dedicated to the role that industry, governments, and the general public can play—countries can impose a carbon tax, for example, which makes clean energy more competitive, and there’s the Green Hydrogen Catapult, a coalition of companies, Snam among them, working to bridge gaps between supply and demand. Part manifesto, part handbook, Alverà’s volume should be of interest to science buffs and environmentalists alike. (Nov.)