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After decades of doubts the gas is coming of age
在数十年的怀疑之后，天然气终于成熟了
Hydrogen has been controversial ever since the tragedy of the Hindenburg, an airship filled with it that went down in flames in 1937. Boosters say that the gas is a low-carbon miracle which can power cars and homes. The hydrogen economy, they hope, will redraw the energy map. Sceptics note that several hydrogen investment drives since the 1970s have ended in tears as the gas’s shortcomings were exposed. As we explain, the reality lies in between. Hydrogen technologies could eliminate perhaps a tenth of today’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. That is a sliver—but, considering the scale of the energy transition, a crucial and lucrative one.
自1937年兴登堡号的悲剧以来，氢一直备受争议。兴登堡号是一艘充满氢的飞艇，在火焰中坠落。支持者说，这种气体是一个低碳的奇迹，可以为汽车和家庭提供动力。他们希望，氢经济将重新绘制能源地图。持怀疑态度的人则提到，自从20世纪70年代以来，随着氢气的缺点暴露出来，几次对氢气的投资都以失败告终。正如我们所解释的，现实介于两者之间。到2050年，氢技术可能会减少目前十分之一的温室气体排放。这只是一小部分，但考虑到能源转型的规模，这是一个至关重要且有利可图的转型。
Hydrogen is not a primary source of energy like oil or coal. It is best thought of as an energy carrier, akin to electricity, and as a means of storage, like a battery. It has to be manufactured. Low-carbon energy sources such as renewables and nuclear power can be used to separate water (H2O) into its constituents of oxygen and hydrogen. This is inefficient and expensive, but costs are falling.
氢不像石油或煤炭那样是主要能源。它被认为是一种能量载体，类似于电力，也是一种存储手段，就像电池一样。它必须被制造出来。可再生能源和核能等低碳能源可以用来将水(H2O)分离成氧和氢的成分。这既低效又昂贵，不过它的成本正在下降。
Hydrogen can also be made from dirty fossil fuels but this emits a lot of pollution unless it is coupled with technologies that capture carbon and sequester it. Hydrogen is flammable and bulky compared with many fuels. The implacable laws of thermodynamics mean that converting primary energy into hydrogen and then hydrogen into usable power leads to waste.
氢也可以从肮脏的化石燃料中提炼出来，但这将产生大量的污染，除非与碳捕获和封存技术相结合。与许多燃料相比，氢易燃且体积庞大。不可调和的热力学定律意味着，将一次能源转化为氢气，再将氢气转化为可用的动力，会导致浪费。
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