Hydrogen Energy in a Sustainable Future

Phantom or Panacea?

Authors

Mark Glucina, Kozo Mayumi

• ISBN: 9781032421476
• Published: January 22, 2026
• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Publisher: CRC Press

Description

Hydrogen — the first element, clean burning and packed with energy — has long been hailed as the fuel of the future. But is it truly the breakthrough technology needed for decarbonisation, or an expensive diversion? In Hydrogen Energy in a Sustainable Future: Phantom or Panacea?, Mark Glucina and Kozo Mayumi cut through the hype with a clear, rigorous analysis of the science, economics, logistics, and politics of hydrogen. Drawing on decades of research, the book explains where hydrogen may genuinely deliver value, where it may fall short, and what role it can realistically play in the global energy transition.

Key Features

Critically examines hydrogen as a decarbonisation tool rather than treating it as a universal solution.

Explains the science, production methods, transport challenges, and economics of hydrogen.

Assesses hydrogen use across industry, power, heat, transport, and international markets.

Discusses hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia and electrofuels.

Provides a global perspective on policy, regulation, buyers, sellers, and national strategies.

Written in an accessible style that makes complex technical and economic issues clear.

Coverage

The book covers the fundamentals of hydrogen, including its history, physical nature, feedstock and fuel roles, production pathways, hydrogen colour classifications, fossil-fuelled hydrogen, hydrogen from water, production cost comparisons, storage and transport issues, hydrogen derivatives, industrial applications, heat and power uses, transport applications, scale-up challenges, public policy, regulation, and international hydrogen strategies in Europe, Japan, Korea, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and India.

About the Authors

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.

Table of Contents

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

Why buy this book?

This book is a sharp and timely resource for professionals trying to separate hydrogen opportunity from hydrogen mythology. It is especially valuable for readers working in energy policy, engineering, sustainability, environmental economics, and industrial decarbonisation. Rather than selling a miracle, it offers a sober, intelligent framework for understanding where hydrogen fits in the real world. In a market full of noise, that alone is worth money.

Keywords

hydrogen energy, sustainable future, decarbonisation, clean energy, renewable energy, hydrogen production, hydrogen transport, ammonia fuel, electrofuels, ecological economics, energy transition, industrial decarbonisation

Target Audience

energy professionals, sustainability specialists, chemical engineers, environmental economists, policy makers, researchers, academics, postgraduate students, clean technology professionals, industrial decarbonisation specialists

Genre

Energy, Sustainability, Environmental Economics, Chemical Engineering, Clean Technology

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