Say hello to the big “H”
Hydrogen, that is. If we’re looking for energy independence, element number one could be our number one choice.
It was a couple of years ago that reading Fueling the Future taught me to see hydrogen as a battery instead of a fuel. In contrast to fossil hydrocarbons whose supply is limited and whose burning a source of CO2 and other pollutants, burning the big H yields H20, i.e., pure water. Apply electrical current to the water and bingo, you’ve got the big H back again. That makes it a perfect way to store energy from other sources, solar, wind, tide, nuclear or, for the time being, even existing fossil-fuel powered generators.
Now says Alternet, economically viable big H could be just around the corner. The technologies already exist and are being rapidly improved, and the hydrogen business is already a $150 billion operation. That means that ramping up production as we phase out fossil fuels won’t be as big a problem as Big Oil would like us to believe it will be. Imagine big H being sold for $2.50 a kilogram in a world where the equivalent gallon of gasoline is four bucks or more. How sweet this could be!
UPDATE:Reading CNET’s review of auto technology stories in 2007 pointed me to a story about Hydratus, that “generates hydrogen fuel, from a reaction between magnesium and water, as it’s needed by a vehicle’s fuel cell.” Another story on the hydrogen energy chain covers other “chemical processes that produce hydrogen in a closed, looped system–where chemicals are not completely consumed or denatured.” Implications include no need for an expensive retrofit of existing gas station networks to handle compressed hydrogen.
Posted: December 28th, 2007 under Economics, Oil, Uncategorized.
Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from Sasha
Time: December 28, 2007, 7:58 am
It would be very sweet. You don’t think the oil companies or the corporatists in government will let that happen, do you?
Comment from Bob
Time: December 28, 2007, 12:25 pm
As much as I would like it to be so, there is no hope for hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels, especially where transportation is concerned. It is an impossibility, a red herring….as much as I hate having to admit this, it’s just the way it is.
Comment from Max
Time: December 28, 2007, 5:03 pm
As I said in my post about oil, it is going back up, $96.62 at my last check. I have seen articles in The Japan Times that say two weeks of $100+ could shove the US into recession.
And this still does not address the Global Warming issue. If this is possible, I would be happy if they got working on it pronto.
Bob, what makes you say impossible?
Comment from John McCreery
Time: December 28, 2007, 5:24 pm
I think what Bob has in mind is the difficulties of transporting and handling compressed hydrogen. According to the Alternet piece these have been exaggerated–the now $150 billion hydrogen industry has a superb safety record and the danger of fire or explosion from hydrogen is less than that for gasoline. The really good news is that with the catalyst-based systems like Hydratus, there is no need for compressed hydrogen at all.
Comment from Bob
Time: December 29, 2007, 8:50 am
Actually I would prefer if hydrogen could be used as fuel for transportation however it is virtually impossible. The costs would be over $100 trillion to convert, even if we had the resources (platinum, copper etc.) to build fuel cells - which we don’t. A hydrogen based fuel source which can replace oil is a myth - totally unattainable. In the U.S. roughly 65% of all oil consumed (13 million barrel per day) is for transportation (gasoline, diesel, aviation, bunker fuel etc.). There is nothing on the books right now that even comes close to a viable alternative. You will see some hydrogen fuel cell activity - but very spotty and very expensive.
Comment from John McCreery
Time: December 29, 2007, 5:03 pm
Could we have a source for your figures, please?
Comment from Bob
Time: December 30, 2007, 7:49 am
Actually there are tons of sources. Bear in mind pricing is at today’s dollars and prices. The over $100 trillion is actually low to convert a fossil fuel based transportation sector to a hydrogen one. Just the costs of the vehicles alone is mammoth, never mind an infrastructure, pipelines etc. The fossil fuel expended to convert is horrendous.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see hydrogen replace fossil fuels, it’s just not going to happen. The link I’ve put below is a great refernce point for looking at our energy problems. Hydrogen is dicussed on page 2, a third of the way down - with additional links provided. To get to page 2, scroll down to the bottom of the opening page and click on page 2. Once you have checked out the hydrogen area, all of page 1 & 2 are worth a read.
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net
Write a comment