Close to 80% of the world's hydrogen production is derived from natural gas (gray hydrogen), 20% from coal or lignite (black or brown hydrogen), the remainder from electrolysis of water (green hydrogen if renewable power is used).

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Add carbon capture to steam methane reforming or gasification and you get blue hydrogen. In a decarbonized world, the future of hydrogen will be blue or green. Energy companies are racing to commercialize these processes. It's early days and the costs are high, but the potential prize is a material slice of future fuel, chemical and industrial feedstock markets.

Related story: Potential for electrolysis-based hydrogen small in medium term: Platts Analytics

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