2005 energy bill signed by President Bush gave the OK for building a new type of nuclear reactor that, in theory, will reach temperatures high enough to make hydrogen production more efficient.
Hydrogen is the most abundant substance on earth, but it's never found alone and likes to bind with other substances. Right now it can be isolated using hydrolysis or several other methods, such as mixing natural gas with steam, and a nuclear reactor isn't essential to make that happen.
But most of the processes use giant amounts of heat, and since nuclear plants happen to have lots of heat on hand, producing hydrogen nearby is a logical choice.
The current problem is that today's reactors can reach temperatures of only about 572 F. That's more than enough to cook your steak, but can be grossly inefficient for producing hydrogen.
The next-generation nuclear plant should be able to reach temperatures of 1,292 F to 1,652 F. Nuclear reactors aren't needed to reach those temps, but they do make the process of producing hydrogen more environmentally friendly.
Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory are working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy on the new reactor's development. They've set a 2021 deadline.
Paradoxically, much of the hydrogen produced in the U.S. is used to sweeten heavy crude oil for the transportation sector, or for other chemical uses. Less than 1 percent of the produced hydrogen is used for fuel.