Hydrogen Energy

Why use hydrogen, and for what?

• Hydrogen energy and hydrogen-powered fuel cell has shown great promise, particularly in the transportation sector, as a clean replacement for petrol fuels and the internal combustion engine (ICE).
• Petrol-fueled ICE vehicles are one of the largest contributors to global climate change, and by replacing them with hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, we could eliminate the pollutants created by transportation.

What is a fuel cell?

• A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that can efficiently capture and use the power of hydrogen
• It functions like a battery in that an electro-chemical reaction is used to create electric current
• However, the reactants in fuel cells are gases (hydrogen and oxygen) rather than solids and are combined in a catalytic process
• The only by-products of this reaction are heat and water

Advantages of the Hydrogen Powered-Fuel Cell (HPFC) over the ICE

• As HPFCs produce electricity without combustion, the usual products of combustion (like CO2 and other greenhouse gases) are not present
• Additionally, HPFCs are far more efficient than the combustion engine that uses gasoline or diesel, delivering electrical conversion efficiencies from 40% to 60%, whereas the conversion efficiency in a conventional car’s combustion engine is less than 20%
• This reduces fuel consumption by more than a 50%

Why use a Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Vehicle instead of a Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle?

• Since the gas reactants fed into the fuel cell are constantly replenished, the unit will never run down like a battery.
• Because hydrogen-powered fuel cells don’t run down or need to be replaced like batteries, using them in vehicles provides a huge advantage over “plug-in” electric vehicles
• This results in reduced production of waste, creating a cleaner environment.

Problems with HPFC Vehicles

• HPFC technology is currently too expensive compared to the typical cost of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine
• The average HPFC vehicle costs approximately $1 million, while a typical car cost approximately $25,000.
• While the HPFC vehicle prices may come down to $84,000 by 2018 (even more if the fuel cell technologies were standardized and mass-produced) the average American would still not be able to afford one.

Hydrogen for Fuel

• Hydrogen is an energy carrier, not an energy source, meaning that it stores and delivers energy in a usable form
• Because hydrogen is portable and can be quickly replenished like gasoline, this makes it ideal as a replacement for gasoline and other petroleum-based fuels
• Hydrogen can be produced from clean, domestic renewable energy resources, minimizing harmful environmental impacts
• Since hydrogen can be produced from other renewable sources there is an unlimited supply

Energy Independence with Hydrogen Fueled Transportation

• As hydrogen can be produced locally, using it for our transportation needs would allow the United States to be completely energy independent
• The US could control the prices and amount of production, as opposed to being at the mercy of OPEC nations
• Because the production and sale of hydrogen is on a local level, the profits are recycled back into the local economy
• Overall, switching to hydrogen fuel in transportation would increase the US’s economic and national security

Challenges in Hydrogen Fuel Storage

• Because hydrogen gas is incredibly flammable, it can only be compressed to 10,000 pounds per square inch in storage to avoid combustion
• Hydrogen can be stored as a liquid, but it must be cryogenically maintained at -423°F, typically requires about one-third of its energy content to liquefy it, is difficult to insulate, and some of the hydrogen is often lost due to evaporation

Obstacles in Hydrogen Transportation

• A hydrogen delivery infrastructure that provides the same level of safety, convenience, and functionality as the existing gasoline delivery infrastructure still needs to be created and will be very costly to put in place
• Hydrogen corrodes the steel currently used in pipes and trucks, which make up the bulk of current conventional delivery systems

Problems With the Cost-Effectiveness Of Hydrogen Fuel

• The cost of hydrogen is still high, costing over $5 per kilogram or $40 per gallon compared to the current average of $1.85 per gallon of gasoline
• This is due to the energy cost to produce the hydrogen. Steam methane reforming (SMR), the most cost effective production method, uses 20.41 MJ of energy to produce of 1 kg of hydrogen. Essentially, through this process, 75% of the energy that was initially available was wasted just to create the hydrogen fuel.
• It only takes 50% on the energy initially available in oil to produce gasoline fuel

Will Using Hydrogen and the HPFC Vehicle Ever be Feasible?

• YES!
• Scientists estimate that the production of oil, our primary fuel, will peak sometime between now and 2040, which could lead to rapid increases in oil prices
• Because of the resulting increase in cost and scarcity of oil, using energy resources and technology like hydrogen and HPFC vehicles will be more appealing to consumers
• Additionally, as technology improves, the cost of hydrogen production and HPFC vehicles will decrease, making them even more attractive