With the increasing world population and thus the energy demand worldwide, it is necessary to switch to an eco-friendly source of energy. Since, fossil fuel consumption is driving global warming toward the next level at an alarming scale, hence there is a need to explore green energy alternatives. Hydrogen-fueled energy is one such promising alternative for providing cleaner energy while controlling the rise in global temperatures. The focal element in synthesizing hydrogen is the process economy for its production. Currently, most of the hydrogen production is fossil fuel-based by employing the steam reforming technique. However, the current study reviews renewable feedstocks and alternative techniques such as hydrogen production from water electrolysis, biological, photochemical, and biomass utilization. The diminished efficiency of solar to hydrogen system and the towering economy for photovoltaic cells pose the limitations for its commercialization. Nevertheless, there is a lot of scope for the above-mentioned emerging H2 synthesis techniques to nullify the existing research gap and surface the economic and clean energy future. © The Author(s), 2021. All rights reserved.