Introduction
Hydrogen as a clean energy source has been the subject of increasing debate, with critics often citing the water consumption required for its production. While it is true that electrolysis—the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen—requires water, the broader conversation about water usage is often neglected. Many of the same people who argue against hydrogen production due to its water needs fail to examine the far greater consumption of water in everyday industries such as agriculture, bottled water production, and oil refining. This myopic focus on hydrogen ignores the vast amounts of water used—and often wasted—by processes that society accepts without question. A closer look at the numbers reveals that hydrogen production is a relatively minor player in global water consumption and, in many cases, a more sustainable alternative to existing industrial practices.
Thesis Statement
Despite widespread concern about water consumption for hydrogen production, a comprehensive analysis shows that hydrogen’s water use is minimal compared to everyday activities such as agriculture, energy production, and commercial industries. While critics argue that water-intensive hydrogen production is unsustainable, they often overlook industries that consume or degrade significantly larger quantities of water with far less benefit to sustainability. When placed in context, hydrogen emerges as a responsible and efficient use of water—especially when it remains within its watershed, making the process fully renewable.
Hydrogen Production and Water Usage
One of the most common objections to hydrogen production is the fact that it requires water. Electrolysis, the process by which water is split into hydrogen and oxygen, consumes about nine liters of water for every kilogram of hydrogen produced. This hydrogen, when used in fuel cells, can power vehicles and generate electricity while emitting only water vapor as a byproduct. A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, for example, can travel 60 to 80 miles on just one kilogram of hydrogen, meaning that a full tank (about five kilograms) requires approximately 45 liters of water—roughly the amount used for a single load of laundry.
What is often overlooked is that hydrogen production does not inherently destroy water. When hydrogen is used in a fuel cell, it recombines with oxygen to produce water, essentially returning it to the environment. Furthermore, hydrogen can be produced using non-potable water sources, including seawater, wastewater, and brackish water, meaning it does not necessarily compete with drinking water supplies. Advanced technologies are also emerging to make hydrogen production even more water-efficient, further reducing its environmental footprint.
Agriculture’s Water Consumption
While hydrogen production is frequently criticized for its water usage, agriculture is one of the most significant consumers of water worldwide. Crop irrigation alone accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. Producing one kilogram of almonds, for example, requires about 4,000 liters of water, while rice cultivation demands around 2,500 liters per kilogram. Corn farming, a staple in biofuel production, uses around 450 liters per kilogram—far exceeding the amount needed to produce an equivalent quantity of hydrogen.
Meat production is even more water-intensive. Producing one kilogram of beef requires approximately 15,000 liters of water, mostly due to the water needed for growing feed crops. Even poultry, considered a more water-efficient meat, still consumes about 4,300 liters of water per kilogram. The sheer scale of agricultural water use dwarfs that of hydrogen production, yet it rarely faces the same level of scrutiny.

Bottled Water and Beverage Industry Waste
Another often-overlooked consumer of water is the bottled water industry. Producing just one liter of bottled water requires approximately three liters of total water input, factoring in purification, packaging, and transportation. In the U.S. alone, bottled water production wastes an estimated 100-150 billion liters of water annually. Similarly, the beverage industry as a whole consumes enormous amounts of water. Producing one liter of soda takes two to four liters of water, beer production requires four to seven liters per liter, and wine production can use up to 1,000 liters per liter of wine.
Industrial and Energy Sector Water Use
Traditional energy production is another major contributor to water consumption. Oil refining requires between 120 and 300 gallons of water per barrel of crude oil processed. Producing one gallon of gasoline can consume between three and seven gallons of water, with much of it lost in cooling processes. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells require minimal water input beyond their initial production process and do not result in water contamination, unlike fossil fuel extraction and refining.
The semiconductor industry, which produces the chips found in smartphones, computers, and countless other devices, is also a major consumer of water. A single semiconductor fabrication plant can use between two and four million gallons of water per day, primarily for cleaning silicon wafers. Producing just one smartphone can require over 12,000 liters of water, significantly more than what is needed to produce a substantial amount of hydrogen.
Turning the Tide: A Facility That Produces Water Instead of Consuming It
Amidst discussions about water consumption in energy production, it’s important to highlight innovations that do the opposite—producing water as a byproduct. One such example is Toyota’s Tri-Gen facility at the Port of Long Beach, California (shown in this post’s feature image). Developed in partnership with FuelCell Energy, this first-of-its-kind hydrogen production plant utilizes renewable biogas from agricultural waste to generate hydrogen, electricity, and water, all while maintaining net-zero emissions. Unlike traditional energy systems that drain water resources, this facility actually contributes usable water to its operations.
Tri-Gen’s hydrogen production process generates up to 1,400 gallons of water per day, a significant volume that Toyota repurposes for vehicle washing and other logistical needs. Over the course of a year, this equates to roughly 500,000 gallons of water—a stark contrast to industries that consume vast amounts of freshwater without replenishing it. By integrating this self-sustaining water cycle, Tri-Gen not only fuels Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell vehicles and heavy-duty hydrogen trucks but also mitigates the local demand for fresh water—something particularly valuable in drought-prone California.
Beyond Toyota’s operations, this model presents a compelling case for the broader hydrogen economy. If scaled, such facilities could serve as regional hubs that generate clean hydrogen while simultaneously offsetting water use in industrial processes. In contrast to battery production, which depletes water at nearly every stage of mining, refining, and manufacturing, hydrogen-from-biogas systems demonstrate how clean energy can give back to the environment rather than take from it.
Final Conclusion
While hydrogen production does require water, the level of concern it receives is disproportionate when compared to other industries that consume vastly more water with far less public scrutiny. Agriculture, meat production, bottled water, oil refining, and semiconductor manufacturing all use orders of magnitude more water than hydrogen production. Unlike many of these industries, hydrogen production has the potential to be fully sustainable, utilizing non-potable water sources and returning water to the environment in its final use.
Critics of hydrogen energy who focus solely on its water consumption fail to acknowledge the broader context of water use in everyday industries. Rather than condemning hydrogen, a technology that holds promise for decarbonization, attention should be directed toward truly unsustainable water practices that provide fewer environmental benefits. If society is serious about water conservation, it should start by questioning industries that waste trillions of liters of water each year rather than singling out an energy source that offers a sustainable path forward and creates domestic jobs.
And finally—if you’re truly worried about water use, maybe rethink that almond milk latte before you criticize hydrogen. Just saying.
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