1st Edition

Hydrogen Energy in a Sustainable Future Phantom or Panacea?

By Mark Glucina, Kozo Mayumi Copyright 2026
226 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

226 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

226 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

Hydrogen — the first element, clean burning and packed with energy — has been hailed as the fuel of the future for generations. Today it is cast as a linchpin of decarbonisation and backed by billions in subsidies. But is hydrogen really the net-zero breakthrough we’ve been waiting for, or a costly distraction? This book cuts through the hype, unpacking the science, economics, and politics of the... Read more

Foreword

 

Preface

 

Acknowledgements

 

DISCOVERY: UNDERSTANDING HYDROGEN’S PROMISE - AND ITS PROBLEMS

 

The Essential Hydrogen

A Brief History

The Nature of Hydrogen

Well or Pail?

Feedstock or Fuel?

 

Making Hydrogen

The Hydrogen Colour Wheel

Fossil-Fuelled Hydrogen

Carbon Capture Blues

Hydrogen from Water

Production Cost Comparison

 

Transporting Hydrogen

The Volume Problem

The Options

Hydrogen Smuggling on the High Seas

 

Hydrogen Derivatives

The Ammonia Alternative

Electrofuel

HEFA

 

DEPLOYMENT: WHERE HYDROGEN FITS (AND WHERE IT SLIPS)

 

Hydrogen for Industry

Grey to Green

Industrial Process Heat

Steel

 

Hydrogen for Heat and Power

Domestic Heat

Storing Sun and Wind

Power from Ammonia

 

Hydrogen in Transport

Hydrogen on the Move

Automotive

Rail

Aviation

Shipping

 

The Scale Challenge

Triage

The Big Buildout

 

DIRECTION: AMBITIONS AND ACTIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

 

Making the Rules

 

The Buyers

Team Europe

Japan and the Republic of Korea

A Costly Strategy?

 

The Sellers

High-Income Nations

Low and Middle-Income Nations

 

Do It Yourself

The United States

China

The United Kingdom

India

 

Phantom or Panacea?

 

References

 

Index

 

Endorsements

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography

Mark Glucina holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Auckland, and has held research, teaching, and consultancy roles in New Zealand and Japan. With a focus on sustainable process engineering, decarbonisation, and the energy transition, he is known for making complex technical ideas clear and compelling for diverse audiences.

 

Kozo Mayumi holds a PhD from Kyoto University. He has worked in the fields of energy analysis, ecological economics, complex hierarchy theory, and alternative money theory. In 2013, he became the first recipient of the Georgescu-Roegen Award (Unconventional Thinking Category) at the 13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. He is currently a professor at the Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics, following his retirement from Tokushima University in March 2020.