The US hydrogen agriculture trend is growing, and it’s not as weird as it might sound

Hydrogen offers the nation’s growers an eco-friendlier way to farm.

The pursuit of renewable energies to power farming is nothing new in the United States, and hydrogen agriculture has recently been gaining ground. Today, it is a growing trend in sustainable faming.

What is hydrogen agriculture?

It uses hydrogen gas and fuel cell tech to power different agricultural processes. The versatile gas has shown potential to revolutionize farming practices by making them more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

There’s long been concern over the negative impact conventional agriculture practices have on the environment. Hydrogen agriculture is a clean and sustainable fuel that can provide a greener way to farm, including growing crops and raising livestock. Many pilot projects and commercial implementations, including those in the United States and around the world, have been showing just how viable hydrogen-based practices and equipment can be on actual farms.

How is hydrogen being used to contribute to cleaner agricultural processes?

Currently, there are various uses for hydrogen agriculture. Among these include:

• Farming machinery – Essential machinery like tractors are used for plowing, planting, harvesting and hauling. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered tractors are an ideal zero-emission alternative to conventional diesel-powered ones. John Deere and other major manufacturers of tractors have developed hydrogen-powered prototypes.

• Fertilizer – Green hydrogen fertilizers produced via electrolysis and renewable power can offer the same crop nutrition as traditional fertilizes, but without the greenhouse gas emissions. A number of researchers are working on developing methods to produce ammonia fertilizers using green H2 and nitrogen separated from air.
• Post-harvest purposes – Hydrogen generators can offer an efficient and reliable source of heat for activities like grain drying and cooling.

Hydrogen agriculture and the future.

Current hydrogen agriculture applications show hydrogen’s incredible potential as a viable and efficient solution for decarbonizing farming and the agricultural sector, allowing for a greener and more sustainable future.
Speaking of the future, as hydrogen agriculture technology continues to advance, other ways it may be used down the road include hydrogen-powered harvesters, irrigation systems, greenhouses, and even autonomous farming machinery.

Ready to test your knowledge on the most abundant element in the universe? Take our fun and engaging Hydrogen Quiz now! [forminator_quiz id=”58712″]