Moving Toward a Hydrogen Economy
Originally Published in R&D Magazine
As researchers make progress in the field of fuel cell research, developing safe ways to produce hydrogen becomes their next challenge.
The race is on to find the most efficient means for supplying electricity to the upcoming lines of new fuel cell vehicles, which are anticipated to only gain in popularity. According to a report published by the Business Communications Co., Inc. (BCC), Norwalk, Conn., "in 2004, the fuel cell module represented about 28.6% of those advanced components that are needed for a fuel cell vehicle. In five years, the fuel cell module will be about 43% of the total value of the components" necessary. The report credits this rise to the improvement of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell modules and price reductions of additional components.
Members of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, Washington, D.C.; Fuel Cell Europe, Frankfurt, Germany; and the Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan, Tokyo, were recently asked by PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York City, to voluntarily report on their fuel cell activities in a variety of areas. The survey found that PEM technology dominated the industry, with 56% of respondents reporting it as their key focus. Solid oxide technology was next at 18%, followed by direct methanol at 10%. The BCC report reflects the same trend: the PEM fuel cell will be the engine used in the next generation of fuel cell vehicles. Other indications showed that stationary markets (i.e. portable consumer electronics) were a focus of almost half the respondents, while a quarter of respondents reported a market focus on mobile applications: vehicle drive and auxiliary power units for vehicles.
The chemistry of a fuel cell
A fuel cell will produce electricity as long as fuel, such as hydrogen, is supplied, never losing its charge. While hydrogen could be used to run an internal combustion engine, fuel cells are typically two to three times more efficient, translating into two to three times more mileage.
Through reforming—the cheapest way to make hydrogen today—natural gas is made to react with steam, producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen can also be made from coal in a similar process where the coal reacts with steam; however, both processes release carbon dioxide. To make the process pollution free and sustainable, the idea is to use a renewable source—such as solar, wind, hydro, or biomass power—to create the electrical current that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Heat or electricity generated by a nuclear power plant could be used to separate water, but the American public, by most accounts, is not ready to embrace a nuclear energy future.
Getting the show on the road
Cost is holding up wide-scale hydrogen adoption since electricity is needed for the majority of many hydrogen production methods: it becomes more expensive than the fuels it would potentially replace.
"The only way the hydrogen economy will come about is if local communities, government, energy companies, and automotive companies work together," says Larry Burns, General Motors (GM) Corp.'s VP of research and development and planning.
This message seems to be trickling down to manufacturers. Since Shell Hydrogen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and GM, Detroit, Mich., have collaborated to offer a hydrogen dispenser at a gasoline station in Washington, D.C., consumers may begin to see that hydrogen is available as a fuel and perhaps reconsider their next vehicle purchase. We can also trust that with the Middle East geopolitical unrest and the resulting oil production ups and downs, the fuel cell vehicle's development will move forward.
—Lorraine Joyce
Resources
Business Communications Co., Inc., 203-853-4266, www.buscom.com
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 303-275-3000, www.nrel.gov
Shell Hydrogen, + 31-20-630-9111, www.shell.com
U.S. Fuel Cell Council, 202-293-5500, www.usfcc.com
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