April 29, 2009

Renewable Energy and Fossil Fuel - by Brian Spiegel

Recent debates have loomed over costs and viability of renewable energy.  The debates have moved to whether or not there will be enough fossil fuel to continue on the path that we are on.  Many experts agree that the fossil fuel industry has approximately thirty years of reserves left, and failure to do anything about an alternate solution may be detrimental to us as a species. 

There are many scientist and engineers who agree with the theory of global warming, and a few that disagree.  A debate rages on as to whether or not there is even an argument about saving the planet; and if is even viable.  I like to believe that the best bit of advice regarding this particular argument was given by the late and great comedian George Carlin.  He stated that the planet does not need us to save it. He further stated that the planet has been around for millions of years, and has survived ice ages, meteor strikes, volcanic eruptions, and even massive plate tectonic movements isn’t going anywhere – we are.  George Carlin had a great way of getting his point across.  He implied that the earth was like “a dog” and we (humans) are like “fleas”.   The earth would shake itself free of us when we became too much of a threat.  Therefore, “saving the planet”, although it sounds nice and politically correct – what we actually should be saying is save the human race.  So for the sake of this article I will not touch upon this particular subject any further.

Over the past year it has amazed me how some of the biggest fossil fuel companies, i.e.; BP Global and others have made a public relations campaign to impress upon the average consumer, (especially those in the United States), their concern is the progress of renewable energy.  What they don’t speak about in these ads and commercials is how --although they are showing a lot of concern and attention toward renewable energy -- companies involved in fossil fuels had some of the highest profits their companies ever made last year.  The only difference between the fossil fuel companies and Philip Morris is that Philip Morris was court ordered to make believe they actually care about people not smoking, and put out anti-smoking ads and commercials.  To my knowledge, fossil fuel companies have not been court ordered to do anything of the sort, but do you actually believe that fossil fuel companies want produce other methods of energy prior to draining the one they have?  Their goal is to make money; it’s another department that handles responsibility to the human race. This reminds me of the cartoons I used to watch as a child.  The person walks up to the window to ask a question, and the attendant says, “I am sorry that’s another department; please go to the other window”.  Of course, the attendant the character was just speaking to in the window, then proceeds to shut down his window, and steps into the other booth that he directed the person to and says, “How may I help you”? 

Years ago there was an ad in a local newspaper, which read something to the effect of, “Pull the wool of your own eyes, dial 555-555-5555, just 99 cents a call”.  When the person called the number, the line was immediately disconnected, and the company earned its money.  The point of this example is that sometimes I feel like these big fossil fuel companies treat us like the person written about above.  As if we cannot tell the difference between a truth and non-truth.  This is not to imply that these fossil fuel companies are lying to us.  Heavens no!  They are simply using extracted portions of the truth to barrage us into believing their message.  Before long, people forget what actually happened and take on rhetoric as truth.  Today, I want to discuss the possibilities of combined renewable energy methods, and help people remember the message in recent times from the fossil fuel companies.  Believe me, the fossil companies are not ready to give up their fight to hold onto power and make more money.

I will refer to the big three renewable energies as being hydrogen, solar and wind power.  Although solar power is a viable energy resource, and there is no sign of the sun burning out anytime soon, we can harness its’ power to energize our appliances, cars and many other necessities too.  The one problem is that solar power is intermittent due to the sun’s position at certain times of the day, the seasons, the location of solar panels, as well as several other reasons. 

Wind power, is also a viable option, but it too is susceptible to environmental conditions and location.  Wind turbines are still very costly, and the price tag needs to yield better results (like all of the other renewable technologies).  However, for a success story about wind power, all one has to do is drive through the wind turbine fields in the state of California, in the U.S.  Bravo for the wind power experts!

Hydrogen fuel cells have weaknesses too.  The price of the platinum catalyst and manufacturing the stacks are costly, and needs to be reduced in price.  Like solar and wind, the potential of this system is very promising too.

All three methods have a common theme, they are eco-friendly for those that actually care (I do), and they can all be harnessed in our own respective nations.  In some instances, consumers can produce their own renewable energy systems for their homes and pay nothing after that -- other than maintenance on their system, owing nothing to anyone but themselves. 

The best way for the renewable energy big three to battle the giant fossil fuel companies is to stop competing against each other. They need to come together, and support each other to provide a low-cost, viable solution. Working together, the big three (David) have a chance in defeating the fossil fuel (Goliath) industries immense power.

An example of the big three working together is shown below:  The source of the article is from: www.phschool.com/.../solar_hydrogen.html

 


SUNNY OUTLOOK. Future consumers may produce their own hydrogen thanks to materials that use the sun's energy to strip hydrogen from water. A rooftop array of water-splitting panels might produce enough hydrogen, routed to a garage tank, to power a fuel cell car. 
Hydrogen Solar Ltd.
In his 1874 science fiction tale The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne predicted, "Water will be the coal of the future." It is a vision of infinite clean energy available for people to use. More than 30 years ago, Japanese scientists took a seminal step in that direction. With a piece of titanium dioxide and some sunlight, they split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Although researchers have tried to refine the process over the years, nobody has come up with a system that is both efficient and inexpensive enough to produce sufficient hydrogen for use as a clean-burning fuel on the roads, in industry, and at home. Recently, however, researchers have picked up the pace of their pursuit of the ultimate water-splitting system.
With rising oil prices and the specter of climate change that's due to the burning of fossil fuel, the vision of a hydrogen economy looms ever larger in people's minds. After all, it's a fuel for which the only by-product is water. And hydrogen packs more energy per unit mass than any fossil fuel does.
"The conversion to hydrogen has already started. It's inevitable," says Nejat Veziroglu, director of the Clean Energy Research Institute at the University of Miami.
But the main source of hydrogen today is natural gas, a non-renewable resource. And the steam-based process for extracting hydrogen from the gas generates carbon dioxide—one of the primary global warming gases. To circumvent these problems, scientists are exploring alternative strategies. Among them are photosynthetic microbes that churn out hydrogen (SN: 10/12/02, p. 235: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021012/bob11.asp) and electromechanical systems that use the electricity from wind turbines to make hydrogen from water (SN: 7/21/01, p. 45: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20010721/bob14.asp).
However, many scientists contend that catalytic materials that use sunlight to split water on the spot, a process known as direct solar-hydrogen production, could be the most promising strategy. In solar-hydrogen systems, when photons strike the catalytic material, they excite electrons, which then roam about freely until they meet a water molecule at the material's surface. The extra electrons strip the two hydrogen atoms away from water's one oxygen atom, producing hydrogen fuel. The oxygen atom simultaneously hooks up with another oxygen atom, forming an oxygen molecule.

 

The solar panels that split the hydrogen from the water could be used and plugged into your home to power up your entire residence.  Let’s look at another person who actually produced the first self-powered, renewable energy system for his residence in the state of New Jersey, in the U.S. the source of this information comes from: http://blog.nj.com/iamnj/2009/04/mike_strizki.html

Story by NYIER ABDOU / Photo by MATT RAINEY
"You want to see the solar-hydrogen home? Here, I'll show you."
Mike Strizki, the affable, unstoppable, alternative-energy pioneer behind the nation's first solar-hydrogen home, types furiously into his computer and calls up a computer-generated sketch model designed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an arm of the U.S. Department of Energy.
"There!" he says, swinging the monitor around. "Look at it. It's a cartoon!"
In fact, this home already exists. It belongs to Strizki and his wife, Ann, in rural East Amwell, and it's powered year-round by a zero-emission system of solar panels and plug-and-play hydrogen fuel cells.
"What's different about this home is that I'm living in it. It's not an experiment," says Strizki, a compact 52-year-old civil engineer who used to build racecars. "All the technology exists now."
It's no eco-shack either. The 3,000-square-foot colonial has computers, laundry machines, a pool and hot tub. "I'm not eating tree bark inside," says Strizki, a guy who is more street-smart gearhead than tree-hugging dreamer.
To those who think eco-engineering can create jobs, cut America's umbilical cord to foreign oil and save the planet on the way, Strizki is an environmental superhero. The no-nonsense techie who worked 16 years at the state Department of Transportation is living proof that alternative energy can power a real person's life -- and his giant, plasma-screen television.
Nothing gets Strizki more steamed up than the idea that homes and cars powered by solar and hydrogen energy only exist in some science-fiction version of the future where we are all wearing unitards.
"They want it to remain an urban legend," says Strizki, who is quietly developing a business selling his custom-made system to wealthy early adopters enamored of life off the grid. "My source of energy is the big, red ball in the sky that has no waste, is there every day and needs no maintenance." …….

 

What would happen if we were actually able to accomplish this task?  Well, for starters fossil fuel corporate piracy would come to an end; many wars for the control over the oil fields would also end. The ability to economically survive without being a slave to the electric companies and vehicle fuel prices would actually liberate people in a way we have not yet fully understood.  It would remove the invisible shackles worn by the average consumer by making life much more affordable and eco-friendly.

The time has come to rid ourselves from the big energy companies and to say goodbye to the fossil fuels giants.  Who’s with me?

If you have any comments, please post them publicly. Brian can be emailed directly at brian@cleanfuelcellenergy.com

Posted by Colleen at 02:35 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

March 03, 2009

A renewable energy plan for 2030

A Renewable Energy Plan for 2030
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite all of the recent negative publicity surrounding fossil fuels, crude oil and natural gas has been beneficial for the growth of our modern world. It has helped the population have life after dark, transportation of goods all over the world, and allowed technology to advance. However, the use of fossil fuels has also resulted in many negative consequences: it has created severe pollution, political conflict, economic control and total dependence of countries that lack this natural resource.

The supply of fossil fuels is limited, and it is only located in certain areas of the world. The demand for fossil fuels creates conflicts which threaten peace. Countries that have adequate fossil fuel supplies could potentially threaten the security and economy of countries that are dependent upon these countries. In addition, there have been many estimates made about the amount of fossil fuels left in the world. These estimates are dependent upon the population growth, and how much the actual fossil fuel consumption increases in the near future. These estimates state that there is enough for approximately another 35 years of oil, 37 years of natural gas, and 107 years of coal [1]. In addition to the negative environmental consequences of using these fuels, there is a finite supply of fossil fuels that will force the use of another form of energy. This limited supply and large demand will cause inevitable price increases. Therefore, the end of low-cost oil is rapidly approaching.

The use of fossil fuels to fulfill the world's energy needs is causing harmful side-effects for people, plants and animals. Waste products from these fuels heat the earth's atmosphere and pollute the earth's air, water, and ground. This results in decreased living conditions for all species of the earth. In addition to being hazardous to our ecosystem, and the health of many species, the pollution is also changing the atmosphere of the world. This trend is called global warming, and will continue to become worse due to the increase in the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity due to the growing world population. In the process of burning the gasoline, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere. The catalytic converters reduce a large portion of the pollution, but they are not perfect. Many cities currently have dangerous levels of ozone in the air. The world needs a power source that has low pollutant emissions, is energy-efficient, and has an unlimited supply of fuel for a rising world population.

Many alternative energy technologies have been researched and developed. These include solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal energy as well as many others. Solar cells use the sun to generate electricity, wind power is obtained from the kinetic energy of the wind, bioenergy is extracted from plants and geothermal energy is energy from the earth. Each of these alternative energy sources has its advantages and disadvantages and all are in varying stages of development.

For most countries around the world, if the supply of fossil fuels were cut off -- the entire economy would come to a halt. There would not be a way for people to drive to work, or use electricity in their homes or workplaces. The global population consumes petroleum products at a rate 100,000 times greater than the rate that they are formed. The United States currently imports 70% of the oil, and it is still increasing. About 80% of the total energy in the world is provided by fossil energy sources [2]. The International Energy Agency [3] estimates that the primary world demand for energy is expected to grow by about 45% by 2030. The cost of meeting this energy demand is estimated to be $20 trillion U. S. dollars [2, 3]. Therefore, since so much money needs to be spent on the investment in energy infrastructure in the upcoming years, this enables an opportunity for replacing the fossil fuel infrastructure with a renewable energy infrastructure. U.S. coal and fossil fuel plants are already fairly old because at least half of the plants were built before 1970. If the oldest plants are retired first, it may be an easy progression to transfer the energy production to alternative energy without retiring the plant's prematurely.

Although the demand for oil is increasing, the world's oil production peaked in 2005 [1]. In 2006, countries that had a significant percentage of their power from renewable energy was Canada (16%), followed by France (6%), Italy (6.5%), Germany (5.6%), United States (4.8%), and the United Kingdom (1.7%) [8]. The global community has reached a point where future energy demands need to be balanced with future economic and environmental needs. We currently have a real opportunity to transform the way that our economy utilizes energy, prevent further pollution, and we can help to insure a safer and more secure future.

About Global Warming

For all you global warming naysayers - please keep reading!

Everyone is aware that the definition of global warming is a significant increase in the Earth's temperature over a short period of time due to the result of human activities. An increase in temperature of 0.4° Celsius is significant over a century, and an increase of 1° Celsius is considered global warming. Although 1° or 2° Celsius may not seem like a lot, small temperature changes can have significant effects. When you hear the term "ice age," you probably think of the world covered in snow and ice. Ice ages occur every 50,000 to 100,000 years, and the average global temperature was only 5 °C cooler than they currently are [4, 5, 6].

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a group of over 2,500 scientists from countries across the world that met in 2007 to advance climate research. One of the conclusions of this meeting was that the last 15 years have been the warmest since 1850. Some of their observations were that glaciers and snow have decreased in the northern and southern hemispheres, and average arctic temperatures have increased by twice the global average during the last 100 years. Rain has increased in the Americas, northern Europe and parts of Asia, and South Africa and the Mediterranean have been experiencing drying trends. Overall, hot days globally have become more frequent, and cold days have become less frequent and severe [4 - 7].

Natural changes in climate such as heating due to volcanic activity, radiation from the sun, and changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere sometimes take thousands of years to change only 1 °C. The current carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) determined from the ice cores (180 to 300 ppm) is far greater than the natural range found over the last 650,000 years. If the CO2 concentration rises to 400 - 440 ppm and stays there, the eventual rise in temperature would be around 2.4 - 2.8 °C [4 - 7].

In order to stabilize the CO2 level, it needs to peak, and then decline. The more quickly that this occurs, the lower the peak stabilization level. According to the IPCC, in order to stabilize the CO2-equivalent concentrations around 445 to 490 ppm, CO2 emissions would need to peak by 2015 (at the latest), and then fall to between 50 - 85% below the year 2000 levels by 2050. A later peak and higher concentrations would lead to larger increases in temperature.

A Future Vision

There is many ways to create a "bright future" with renewable energy. There is no single answer for our future energy system. The future energy economy will consist of many renewable energy technologies used in combination -- wind, solar, geothermal and fuel cell energy. The technology to accomplish this is either available, or already being developed. Some of the tasks that we need to accomplish include:

  • Build an industry based upon alternative energy technologies
  • Reduce energy costs
  • Reduce climate change
  • Increase energy security
  • Help to create conditions for long-term prosperity

In order to accomplish these tasks, we will have to:

  • Use a combination of wind power (both on and off-shore)
  • Use both concentrating and standard PV power systems
  • Use geothermal systems
  • Use fuel cell systems that generate hydrogen using electrolysis
  • Use biomass and municipal waste

In order to successfully have a society based upon renewable energy, there has to be a way to store energy because renewable energy (solar and wind power) is intermittent. Solar and wind energy are both excellent methods of obtaining energy from natural resources, however, the levels of sunshine, and the intensity of wind varies. When these sources are not available - electricity cannot be generated. When a large amounts of energy is being produced, hydrogen can be created from water. The hydrogen can then be stored for later use.

As far as fuels are concerned, hydrogen is one of the most powerful fuels. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe; however, it does not exist in its pure form on earth. Therefore, it has to be extracted from common fuel types or water. The process that is used most frequently for extracting hydrogen is the steam reforming of natural gas. It can also be extracted from coal, nuclear power, biofuels or even waste products. Hydrogen can also be produced using water through the process of electrolysis. Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. Renewable forms of energy such as photovoltaic cells, wind, hydro and geothermal are increasingly being used to produce electricity, and excess electricity can be used for the electrolysis process. The hydrogen can be used, or stored to generate electricity at a later time.

Electricity for Residential and Business Use

Electricity for residential and business use can be produced using a combination of wind, solar, and hydrogen fuel cells. There will also have to be intermediate solutions and cooperation between corporations, utility companies, and individuals in order to successfully transition to a renewable, hydrogen, and energy-efficient economy. Corporations will have to manufacture energy-efficient electronics and appliances, which minimize energy consumption, and automatically turn themselves off when not in use. Utilities and governments need to give incentives for people to use less energy, and individuals need to be more aware of the amount of energy that they are using. There is significant proof that the growth in the electricity demand can be decreased through the use of creating appliances and devices that are more energy-efficient, implementing building codes, financial incentives and helping individuals to voluntarily decrease energy use.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently conducted a study that investigated wind power, and found that implementing 600 GW by 2030 was feasible. If this actually occurred, this would be an estimated 50% of the United States predicted power use in 2030. One advantage of wind power is that it does not take a lot of space -- the towers can be placed on farmland, (and just about anywhere else), without really getting in the way.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are a technology that can be used immediately, and sales have been growing very strongly during the last decade. However, it still has a small market share due to the high costs of the solar panels. Concentrating solar power may be accepted faster than conventional solar technology because the costs are beginning to be competitive with traditional energy technologies. Concentrating solar power systems allow power plants to produce electricity from the sun on a larger scale, which in turn allows consumers to take advantage of solar power without making the investment in personal solar technology systems. Geothermal energy can also provide a significant amount of energy if it can be proven within the next few years.

Fuel cells have already been used for decades for business and residential use. Stationary fuel cells can produce enough electricity and heat to power an entire house or business, which can result in significant savings - and they also can make enough power to sell some of it back to the grid. Fuel cells can also help provide electricity by working with large power plants to become more decentralized and increase efficiency. Most electricity produced by large fossil-fuel burning power plants are distributed through high voltage transmission wires over long distances. These power plants seem to be highly efficient because of their large size; however, a 7 to 8 percent electric energy loss in Europe, and a 10 percent energy loss in the United States occurs during long distance transmission. One of the main issues with these transmission lines is that they do not function properly all the time. It would be safer for the population if electricity generation did not occur in several large plants, but is generated where the energy is needed. Fuel cells can be used wherever energy is required without the use of large transmission lines.

Fuel cells can power residences and businesses where no electricity is available. Sometimes it can be extremely expensive for a house that is not on the grid to have the grid connected to it. Fuel cells are also more reliable than other commercial generators used to power houses and businesses. This can benefit many companies, given how much money they can lose if the power goes down for even a short time.

In the future energy economy, individual households will be able to produce their own energy. This will help to redistribute power from global oil companies and governments to the people. Individual households can share their energy with the grid to help distribute energy to areas that may have less due to weather conditions.

Personal Vehicles

The Energy Information Administration [2] states that vehicles use 70% of the liquid fuels consumed by the U.S. The average fuel efficiency of current vehicles is about 22 miles per gallon. However, it should not be unrealistic for the average fuel efficiency to increase to about 45 miles per gallon by 2030. Hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles would all provide either lower or no oil consumption, and each can be useful in transforming to a hydrogen and renewable energy- based economy. All of the major automakers have already invested heavily in hydrogen fuel cell technology vehicles.

Many factors are contributing to the fuel cell push in the automotive market. The availability of fossil fuels is limited, and due to this, an inevitable price increase will occur. In addition, legislation is becoming stricter about controlling environmental emissions. One of the new pieces of legislation that will help introduce the fuel cell automobile market in the U.S. is the Californian zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires that a certain number of vehicles be sold annually in California. Fuel cell vehicles also have the ability to be more fuel-efficient than vehicles powered by other fuels. This power technology allows a new range of power use in small two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles, boats, scooters, unmanned vehicles, and other utility vehicles.

In the future, automobiles will be plugged into an outlet in homes and offices to help generate electricity for both the vehicles and the houses. Houses only require an average of 10 kW to power everything. And since automobiles can generate 40 kW of power, a car can become a power plant for the house or office. Cars can also be plugged into a pole when individuals go to work to power the building. This transition to a hydrogen economy provides an important challenge, and great opportunity of the 21st century.

Portable Energy

Portable electronics such as laptops, cameras and cellular phones can last 10 - 20 times longer by using hydrogen. In coming years, portable devices-such as laptops, cell phones, video recorders, and others- will need greater amounts of power for longer periods of time. Fuel cells are very scalable and have easy recharging capabilities compared to batteries. Cell phone technology is advancing rapidly, but the limiting factor for the new technology is the power. More power is required to provide consumers with all of the functions in devices they require and want. The military also has a need for long-term portable power for new soldier's equipment. In addition, fuel cells operate silently, and have low heat signatures, which are clear advantages for the military.

The Creation of Jobs with the New Renewable Energy Industry

The building of the alternative energy industry would easily create millions jobs during the next 10 years. These jobs would include construction and operation of new power plants, manufacturing of renewable energy technology (such as solar and wind power), R&D for new renewable energy technologies, and jobs that are created due to the money spent on these technologies.

In order to transform our oil economy, we need to make an investment in changing it. We need to make sure that we are planning how to power our world during the next 20 years and beyond.

It would be great if you could post your comments publicly at:
Clean Fuel Cell Energy Facebook Group
Clean Fuel Cell Energy Blog
Linked In Group

Or you can email the author directly at colleen@cleanfuelcellenergy.com  

To view the sources, please click the link for the Adobe .pdf version of this article:
Renewable Energy Plan for 2030

Posted by Colleen at 12:38 AM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

February 17, 2009

More about the hydrogen economy

Although most people think that that “hydrogen economy” only includes fuel cells -- that is not quite true. The future hydrogen economy will consist of many types of renewable energy technologies used together to fulfill the world’s energy needs.

When you do a comparison of fuels, hydrogen is one of the most powerful.  Hydrogen has a high energy content by weight. Even NASA uses hydrogen as their primary fuel.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it does not exist in adequate amounts on earth. Therefore, it has to be extracted from common fuel types or water. The process that is used most frequently for extracting hydrogen is by steam reforming natural gas. It can also be extracted from coal, nuclear power, biofuels or even waste products.

Hydrogen can also be produced without fossil fuels through electrolysis. Renewable forms of energy such as photovoltaic cells, wind, hydro and geothermal are increasingly being used to produce electricity. Electricity can be used for electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. After the hydrogen has been used, it can be stored to generate electricity. In order to successful have a society based upon renewable energy, there has to be a way to store energy because renewable energy is intermittent. Solar and wind energy are both excellent methods of obtaining energy from natural resources, however, the levels of sun shine, and the intensity of wind varies. When these sources are not available – electricity cannot be generated. When a large amount of energy is being produced, hydrogen can be created from water, which can then be stored for later use.

Fuel cells have already been used for decades for stationary uses (for business and residential use). Portable electronics such as laptops, cameras and cellular phones can last many times longer by using hydrogen. All of the major automakers have already invested heavily in hydrogen fuel cell technology vehicles.

Although the cost of renewable energy systems is still very high, technological breakthroughs and larger quantities produced are dramatically reducing costs every year. In addition, the costs of fossil fuels will continue to increase in the near future. Once the cost of renewable energy technologies becomes competitive with the rising oil costs, the fossil-fuel based economy will be replaced with the new renewable energy economy.

In the future energy economy, individual households could produce their own energy. This will help to redistribute power because global oil companies will not control so much wealth and resources. Individual households can share their energy with the grid to help distribute energy to areas that may have less due to weather conditions.

 

Future automobiles can be plugged into their home, office, and the vehicle can help to generate electricity for the house. This transition to a hydrogen economy provides an important challenge, and great opportunity of the 21st century.

 

Posted by Colleen at 04:39 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 02, 2009

What’s So Good About Hydrogen?

Hydrogen fuel cells are becoming increasingly well known, and if you haven’t heard of them you’re getting a bit left behind. But does it even matter if you do get left behind?

Fuel cells are set to be the replacement for combustion engines when the oil stops flowing -- but that’s not expected to happen for at least another 30 years. (even if we keep using it at our current rate) -- so why are we bothering to get so excited about hydrogen fuel cells now?

Even if you know nothing about fuel cells -- you’ve never even heard of them, and you’re totally uninterested, so what?

You’ll still be able to go to the gas station tomorrow, and fill up your car, in fact, you will be able to do this for at least another 30 years -- and let’s face it, that’s more than enough time for anyone to fill up their car.

Fuel Cells Are Important Now

So just what is so great about fuel cells, and why do we need them now?

Well, in developed countries, the average life expectancy is a few years lower in urban areas than in rural areas, and this is in part due to the toxic fumes that we breathe in when we walk around cities. These fumes come from vehicles.

Hydrogen fuel cells provide the possibility of living in a world where the only thing leaving vehicles is water vapor. Imagine taking a drink out your exhaust pipe. It sounds crazy, but it’s becoming a reality, as the only thing coming out the exhaust of a hydrogen car is water vapor, not the endless list of toxic fumes that get blasted the exhaust of every engine.

Cities will clean up, acid rain will be reduced, and it will help to combat global warming, in fact, 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions would be completely taken away if the world were to use hydrogen fuel cells. So driving on hydrogen will make you feel ethical -- since you will be helping the environment -- but how does hydrogen help you?

The Benefits For You

We’d all like to help save the planet, but at the end of the day, if it’s not benefitting us directly, none of us want to put our money where our mouth is, so how does hydrogen help the average consumer?

To start with, hydrogen gets you many more miles per volumetric energy input. A standard internal combustion engine is incredibly inefficient, and most of the fuel you spend your hard earned cash on is wasted.

And if you don’t believe me -- just think about it -- you want all your fuel to be converted into kinetic energy (driving the car forward) -- so what creates all that noise and heat? That’s wasted energy. Then you also consider the amount of unburnt fuel which goes out the exhaust pipe, and the force needed to push gases through the catalytic converter (up to 10% of engine power) – then you realize just how little of your gas is actually driving your car.

Efficiency and Reliability

A hydrogen fuel cell on the other hand doesn’t have these problems. They do produce noise and heat, but a smaller quantity since there are far fewer moving parts. They also do not have an exhaust system to force gases through. By comparison, an average engine running on petroleum with give you about 0.25 km per MJ (mega joule) of energy, while a fuel cell will give you 0.4 km per MJ.

But there is also another benefit to having less moving parts. Fuel cell cars break down less, since there are fewer parts to break. This means lower maintenance bills, and less time spent sitting at the side of the road (which has got to be the biggest dread of any driver). In fact, they are not just more reliable than normal vehicles; they have close to 100% reliability proven in many tests.

The Cost Factor

So before you rush out to your nearest showroom in a flurry of excitement and slap your credit card down just to get inside a hydrogen powered car -- you ought to know the downsides. The cars themselves are vastly expensive, you’re looking at upwards of $100,000 for a standard family saloon, and a kilo of hydrogen will cost you about $20; by comparison this is like paying $25 for a gallon of gas, and governments haven’t even began taxing it yet. Oh, and you might have to drive thousands of miles to the nearest filling station.

However, when the first motor cars were being built and sold, the world wasn’t full of filling stations, and only the richest people could afford them, but it wasn’t long before the price started droping -- and cars became a fully integrated part of society. Hydrogen cars will also become the same way soon -- and they’re set to work out comparably cheaper than the cars we drive now, as well as having all the other added benefits.

Once the technology is available to the masses, prices will fall, and further research will allow the materials to be produced more efficiently, or even substituted for other components. The most expensive part of a fuel cell is the platinum plate that allows the chemical processes to take place within the cell -- if an alternative to platinum could be found, the cost would be greatly reduced.

Explosive Capabilities

The other complaint many people have with hydrogen is that it’s flammable, and point to events such as the Hindenburg disaster as evidence. But so is oil -- you wouldn’t stick a lit match in your fuel tank, and the flames with petrol last for much longer. While hydrogen is slightly more volatile, the force is quickly dissipated, and therefore, if it is carefully stored --  the flammability argument is almost pointless.

Overall, hydrogen is a far better option than the internal combustion engines we use now, we just need to wait for it to become mainstream, like the original motor cars did over 100 years ago. When that time comes, we’ll never want to look back.

Posted by Colleen at 11:31 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

July 30, 2008

Why Do We Need Fuel Cells?

The word "need" is perhaps a bit strong --  

Because we would all be able to survive in a world without fuel cells --

But if the world is to continue operating in the way it does -- then fuel cells are quickly becoming one of the few options that we have left.

Every time that there is a documentary on TV -- or a conference is held to discuss oil -- a new figure is given out -- and if we were to trust this wide spread of seemingly random numbers --  we have anywhere between 1 year and 100 years left before oil completely runs out. The trouble is, no one knows how long oil supplies are going to last for, but the official (scientific) estimates put it at about 35 years from now – not long.

An alternative to oil is required.

Our cars run on it, our machinery runs on it, and many of our power stations run on it.

Many things have been tried, several of which, such as wind power, have been successful and are being rolled out on an industrial level. However, wind alone could never power an entire country, nor could any other alternative green energy, such as that created by waves or water. Hydrogen is the only solution provided so far which has the potential to be useful on a huge scale.

However, that’s not the only reason why we need fuel cells.

Everyone is aware of the idea of global warming --  and regardless of whether you believe it’s caused by human influences --  you’ll surely agree that pollution from vehicles and power stations is a bad thing.

Hydrogen power solves the problem of pollution, and is entirely environmentally friendly. The only products coming from a fuel cell are electricity and water. If mostly hydrogen fuel cell cars were traveling around cities (instead of petrol cars), you wouldn’t have to walk through a constant smog --  the only byproduct is pure water.

If we don’t begin to use fuel cells soon, it may well be too late, as oil technology is currently required to research and build these cells, so if oil runs out --  we’re left in limbo.

 Hydrogen is almost certainly the fuel of the future.

Posted by Colleen at 10:18 AM | | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

June 28, 2008

Comments about the hydrogen economy

Yes, we can convert to a hydrogen economy.

Don't roll your eyes at me... It's true!

A total conversion to a hydrogen economy is possible in the near future.

How is that (you may ask)?

Well, we need an interim solution.

I'm sure most of you already know how fuel cells work, but for those who don't, let me explain very quickly…

There are many types of fuel cells, but the most common one is called a proton exchange membrane or PEM fuel cell. This type of fuel cell usually uses hydrogen, but other fuel types can also be used (such as methanol, ethanol etc). When methanol or ethanol is used, the name of the fuel cell changes to “direct methanol fuel cell” or “direct ethanol fuel cell”.

Now, hydrogen is fed into the fuel cell, and a platinum/carbon catalyst breaks the hydrogen into protons and electrons. Since protons and electrons are charged species, they cannot exist for very long in nature because they are unstable.

Everything in nature moves toward neutralization or a balance of energies. For example, if something is very hot in nature, the heat is distributed to its surroundings, and eventually the temperature of the very hot object equals the temperature of the environment. In the case of ions, positively and negatively charged molecules cannot survive for very long without combining with another molecule to make it more stable.

Now let's get back to the discussion at hand --

So in the fuel cell, the hydrogen is broken into protons and electrons.

Normally protons and electrons would not be able to stay in the ionic form very long, but because the platinum/carbon catalyst layer is connected to the persulfonic acid membrane layer, the hydrogen protons are able to travel through the membrane to the cathode side of the fuel cell. In the meantime, the electrons are attracted to the hydrogen flow field plate, which is also pressed against the fuel cell layer and is highly conductive. The electrons are then drawn from the fuel cell catalyst layer to power the load. The protons that traveled over to the cathode through the membrane then combine with oxygen coming into the fuel cell and create water.

Interesting stuff, eh?

So, I know ... you're going to say -- "Colleen, that's interesting --but how are we going to convert over to the hydrogen economy?

Well, that's a good question!

First I had to explain how the hydrogen is actually used -- and now I will get into how our current economy can be converted into a hydrogen one. Smile

So, do you know where hydrogen currently comes from? There is a lot of information out there on how fuel cells work, the benefits of fuel cells, and how we would be much better off using them. But, rarely do these articles get into the sticky situation of discussing where the hydrogen comes from.

Well, as many of you probably know, hydrogen is not available on this planet in a purely gaseous form. It's found everywhere in nature, but it is combined with other elements to form other types of molecules. Therefore, the hydrogen has to be manufactured.

Many of you will not like to hear this (and I even cringe at saying it), but most of the hydrogen gas currently produced is created from petroleum-based fuels.

Aha (you say)!!!! I knew there was a catch to this!!

Okay, okay, okay I admit -- it does seem to be a sticky situation. But, at least we currently have a way that hydrogen is manufactured. At first glance -- it seems like this may not be any better than our current solution -- but it is. The reason why this is a better solution is because hydrogen can be manufactured using many different methods. The interim solution for converting to a hydrogen economy would be to use petroleum-based fuels and coal.

Now you're probably thinking -- this she is totally out of whack!

Well, speaking from an engineer's perspective, coal is not that bad of an interim solution. There are many reasons why I say this:
1. Experts estimate that there is only 30 years of petroleum-based fuels left on this planet.

2. In the United States alone, it is estimated that we have 300 years of fuel from coal that can be utilized.

3. Countries that tap into their coal resources can be more independent, stronger and richer than countries that rely on petroleum-based fuels.

4. The Clean Coal Technologies program in the United States (instituted in 1986), has commercialized numerous technologies for preventing pollution caused by coal processing. Coal is no longer the “dirty fuel” that it used to be.

5. There are already numerous coal processing plants across the United States and many parts of the world. In the United States, half of the electricity is generated by coal. Therefore, new plants may not need to be constructed. We can have plants that generate electricity and hydrogen. A current project that's utilizing this concept is the FutureGen project, which is funded by the United States government and private industry.

Okay, you say “that's nice.” Why would we go through all this trouble to generate hydrogen from petroleum-based fuels and coal?

Well, it's a good question. Our petroleum and coal resources are limited. A much better solution for future generations would be using pure hydrogen.

So, you may ask, what are the other manufacturing methods for producing hydrogen? Well, there are many different fuels and methods that can be used to produce hydrogen. Some of these include:
1. Nuclear energy

2. Biomass

3. Biofuels

4. Water electrolysis

Preliminary studies have shown that it is more expensive to use hydrogen from petroleum-based fuels, coal, biomass and biofuels because of the cost of producing hydrogen. The cost can be decreased. Current estimates are based upon small quantities of hydrogen produced. And there have not been many studies conducted with biomass, biofuels or water electrolysis.

The best solution for hydrogen production is water electrolysis. You will not hear about this much, because large corporations are a factor in determining the outcome of the fuel cell industry. If they had their way, we would only use fuel cells that are gasoline-fed or all of the hydrogen would be generated from petroleum-based fuels. But there are better solutions.

Now let's get back to creating the hydrogen economy --> 

Okay, so you say that there are many ways to produce hydrogen? Yes.

Okay, so how does this translate into a hydrogen economy?

I've heard that the cost to change the current infrastructure to hydrogen would be so tremendous that it wouldn't even be worth doing??!

I'm not going to lie to you -- it will be costly to change the infrastructure. But, we'll have to do it at some point. There are many countries that are racing to get to this point sooner rather than later. For example, Japan has the tightest timeline to convert to a hydrogen economy. Their goal is to have a hydrogen economy in place by the year 2020. This is definitely within all of our lifetimes. So, additional factors to think about are hydrogen storage and transport. There are many types of hydrogen storage that are already used, and can be cheaply manufactured if mass-produced. The transport may be more of a challenge. One solution is to have many plants (as mentioned earlier) that produce electricity and hydrogen all over the country, therefore, making the transport costs low.

Perhaps the best option, (or perhaps the one that I favor the most), is using solar panels to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then directly feeding the hydrogen into the fuel cell. There are a few hydrogen gas stations in California that utilize this concept. The solar panels are actually built onto the gas station roof to supply hydrogen to the pumps. Imagine using this concept by having solar panels on everyone's house or car to generate all of electricity required! There are numerous ways that hydrogen can be generated, and there are countless configurations for hydrogen storage and use.

Yes, the transition from a petroleum-based to a hydrogen-based economy will be expensive, but what's more costly in the long run?

Isn't it more costly to use petroleum-based fuels whose resources are limited, to be a slave to the rising gas prices, to be dependent on other countries for fuel, and spend billions of dollars for wars that are most likely due (on some level) to our dependence on petroleum?

What is actually more costly?

Posted by Colleen at 03:39 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)