Energy Sources
Hydrogen
Facts
Although using hydrogen to generate power is clean, carbon dioxide and other pollutants are emitted if fossil fuels are reformed to produce hydrogen. Today, most hydrogen is produced by reforming natural gas (a process in which natural gas is reacted with water vapor to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen). However, research is underway into methods to produce hydrogen without reforming fossil fuels. Germany has instituted a program to use excess wind energy (generated when there is more wind than the grid can handle) to manufacture hydrogen.
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory; available: http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_wind_hydrogen.html
Hydrogen does not exist as an element naturally on Earth and is not an actual energy source, but rather an energy carrier like electricity. From a safety standpoint, hydrogen is relatively safe, burning 7% cooler than petrol with a non-luminous flame. Furthermore, hydrogen is two to three times more efficient than traditional combustion engines. The great obstacle to hydrogen is that it is expensive to produce, and an expensive new distribution infrastructure must be developed. Hydrogen must be stored and distributed in a much different manner than petrol.
Source: "Winning the Oil Endgame," Amory B. Lovins, September 2004
Source: “Aviation First: Airplane Flies on Hydrogen Fuel Cells”; MSNBC; available: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23936802/
Approximately 11,000 service stations costing around $35 billion would be necessary in order to get hydrogen cars on the road in the United States. This is roughly the same price as a proposed pipeline project to bring natural gas from Alaska to the North American market.
Source: “Hydrogen Vehicles: Fuel of the Future?” Nature. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100428/full/4641262a.html
Overview
Test vehicles have demonstrated a range of 430 miles (693 kilometers) on a single tank of hydrogen, equivalent to most petroleum-fueled cars today. While both hydrogen and electric cars are powered by electric motors, most estimates show that hydrogen powered cars have far greater range than electric (lithium-ion battery powered) cars.
Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100428/full/4641262a.html
Hydrogen-fueled vehicles could significantly limit overall GHG emissions. Even when produced from natural gas, hydrogen used in a fuel cell vehicle reduces GHG emissions by more than 50% compared with conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. If hydrogen fuel cells are produced from renewable sources of energy, they could power near-zero emissions vehicles.
Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100428/full/4641262a.html
Critics of hydrogen-powered vehicles claim that it will take decades of developing the technology and the infrastructure before the vehicles are practical, meanwhile diverting resources from more promising technologies such as electric vehicles.
Source: “Hydrogen Cars Won’t Make a Difference for 40 Years”; Wired; available: http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/05/hydrogen
In coordination with hydrogen car manufacturers, Germany is planning to construct nearly 1,000 hydrogen fuel stations throughout the country by 2020, covering all major cities and highways. This would eliminate a major barrier to hydrogen growth, as currently no countries have the infrastructure in place to support hydrogen cars. The U.S. currently has a few dozen hydrogen fuelling stations.
Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100428/full/4641262a.html
Hydrogen fuel cells may one day routinely power emission-free buses and cars, and several experimental hydrogen-fuelled aircraft have been built. The aircraft company Airbus is currently investigating the possibility of using hydrogen fuel cells to provide auxiliary power in commercial airplanes.
Source: “Boeing Hydrogen Plane First Fuel Cell Aircraft to Fly”; Hydrogen Cars and Vehicles; http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/hydrogen-vehicles/boeing-hydrogen-plane-first-manned-fuel-cell-aircraft-to-fly/
Source: “Airbus Preps In-flight Fuel Cell for Take-off”; Businessgreen; available: http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2251063/airbus-preps-flight-fuel-cell
Hydrogen fuel cell prices are expected to decline rapidly in the coming decade, with the amount of precious metals needed to construct a fuel cell falling to less than one-eighth of the current requirements.
Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100428/full/4641262a.html
Hydrogen requires an enormous investment in infrastructure for production, storage and distribution. Some experts state that the total investment in infrastructure for each stage could reach into the tens of billions of dollars.
Source: “The Hydrogen Car Fights Back”; Wall Street Journal; available: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/13/technology/hydrogen_car.fortune/
Hydrogen: Opportunity
Hydrogen can provide a clean alternative to petroleum.
In vehicles, fuel cells produce no direct harmful emissions and are up to three times as efficient as a traditional internal combustion engine. (Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels does produce emissions; however these can be largely mitigated through carbon capture and storage.)
Hydrogen: Challenge
Major investment needed
In order to become commercially viable, hydrogen will require major investments in research & development and infrastructure for production, storage and distribution.