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At the moment, the most popular form of hydrogen fuel

Oct. 6, 2017 by Elizabeth Duran

At the moment, the most popular form of hydrogen fuel is natural gas, which currently has only a fraction of the capacity as renewable power. That's because the German government is considering building 100 reactors using natural gas instead of coal, as a way to reduce carbon emissions from burning natural gas. This will reduce Germany's dependency on coal, which is already the country's top source of electricity.

The goal is to have 10 or more hydrogen-powered trains delivered to Germany by 2020, which means there's no need for the German government to sell that hydrogen.

The company Alstom developed is called Alstom Global , which makes the trains. The company's CEO, Andreas Zweig, told the Der Spiegel magazine that the trains were a "positive step forward" for the company and one of the "four pillars of global transportation" he said he would like to see implemented.

Even so, Alstom CEO and chairman Daniel Nijtgen has said that Germany's transportation-related emissions will become a major priority in the country and he wants to see more hydrogen fuel on the trains. "The goal is to have 10 or more hydrogen-powered trains delivered to Germany by 2020" the company has said. Nijtgen told the Der Spiegel magazine that the trains are a "positive step forward" for the company and one of the "four pillars of global transportation" he said he would like to see implemented.

"Our work today is aimed at reducing our country's transportation-related emissions. While many people may still see hydrogen as a carbon-neutral option, it is a carbon-neutral option that can provide clean, renewable energy. We will try to create hydrogen-powered trains in 2020," Nijtgen said.

Alstom is also working with partners like China-based Energia Energy to develop a hydrogen-powered train. The new train will be a three-passenger, three-bed, two-car train, which will include a passenger's seat, a passenger's floor, and a passenger's seat belt. One of the train's two passenger seats is on a sideboard, which means that there is a "safe space" in front of the driver for the passenger's hands.