Editor's note: The University of Delaware is joining the more than 1 billion people, governments, institutions, and businesses who participate in Earth Day — Saturday, April 22 — to recognize our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to a brighter, greener, and more equitable future for generations to come.

As we approach Earth Day, four University of Delaware researchers explain how their work addresses some of the greatest challenges facing the planet.

Today, Yushan Yan answers a question posed by Bradie Crandall, doctoral candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering and a Delaware Environmental Institute Fellow, about the critical role hydrogen — the most abundant element on the planet — can play in the future of energy.

Yan is the Henry Belin du Pont Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and director of the new Center for Clean Hydrogen, a partnership between the University of Delaware, Chemours and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory that aims to accelerate the transition to clean energy by reducing the cost of hydrogen and hydrogen-related technologies.

Bradie is a Graduate Student Government senator and Sustainability Committee chair.