Hydrogen Economy
Travis Bayer
Energy Law,
2010
Overview
• Hydrocarbon Economy vs. Hydrogen
Economy
• Past excitement vs. Current focus
• Hydrogen Basics
• How we produce it
• How we can use it
• Costs
• The future?
Current Hydrocarbon Economy
Fossil Fuels
• Pollution
–Local
–Global
• Energy Dependent
• Cost
– Supply
What about a different solution?
Benefits of Hydrogen
• Replace a limited fuel supply
• Security
• Clean?
• Possible safety from cyber-attacks?
Excitement in early 2000s
• President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative in
2003
• EPAct of 2005
• 2006 Advanced Energy Initiative
• EISA
But…
Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu:
“We asked ourselves, ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years
that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?
The answer, we felt, was ‘No.’”
Hydrogen Basics
• Most Abundant Element
• Almost always found in compounds
– E.g. H20
• High specific energy
• An energy carrier, not a form of primary
energy
What we use it for today
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Producing Ammonia for crop fertilizers – 60%
Hydrocracking – 23%
Methanol – 9%
Miscellaneous
– Includes space programs!
How do we produce Hydrogen?
• Breaking down compounds
– Fossil Fuels
– Water Electrolysis
Production: Fossil Fuels
• 48% Natural Gas, 30% Oil, 18% Coal
– Natural Gas Steam Reforming:
• CH4 + H2O + Energy → CO + 3 H2
• CO + H2O → CO2 + H2
– Kvaener-process:
• CnHm + Energy → nC + 1/2mH2
Steam Reforming
Production: Water Electrolysis
Electrical power sources are connected to two
electrodes which are placed in water:
– Anode (oxidation): 2 H2O(l) → O2(g) + 4 H+(aq) + 4e−
– Cathode (reduction): 2 H+(aq) + 2e− → H2(g)
Most of the 4% produced by electrolysis is a
side product in the production of industrial
chlorine
Electrolysis Efficiency
• Consumes about 50kWh of electricity per kg
of Hydrogen produced
– Energy efficiency is in the range of 50-80%
Renewable Sources and Electrolysis:
The Carbon Free Solution?
• Solar
– E.g., Daniel Nocera
• Wind
– E.g., Xcel and NREL
Green Dream
Solar
• Under the Recovery Act, Sun Catalytix
received $4 million through ARPA-E
– Claims near 100%efficicency
Wind
Approval Granted in 2007, already making fact
findings
Hydrogen’s role in our energy
system
• Hydrogen Fuel Cells
• Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
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Basics
Different Varieties
Efficiency
Possible Uses
– Vehicles
– Stationary Sources
Fuel Cell: Basics
• Electrochemical energy production
– Not exactly like batteries
• Reliable
– 99.999% reliable in ideal conditions
Basic Design:
Fuel Cell: Varieties
• Fuel Cells are defined by the electrolyte used
– Mobile: Proton exchange membrane fuel cell
– Stationary: PAFC
– Many others
PEMFC & PAFC Diagram
Fuel Cell: Efficiency
• High Theoretical Electrical Output Efficiency
• In practice, about 40-50% efficient
• Compare to practical efficiencies of:
– Internal Combustion Engines: about 20%
– Lithium-ion battery: about 90%
• Still, a Hydrogen fuel cell requires about 2.5x
more energy to make it than it provides in its
service life.
Fuel Cell: Possible Uses
• Vehicles
– No longer US administrations target, but:
– Ford Airstream Concept car:
– 2008 Honda FCX Clarity:
Fuel Cell: Possible Uses
• Stationary Sources
– Cogeneration in Homes and Offices
• Don’t need pure hydrogen, and don’t use platinum in
anode
• PAFC fuel cells can provide efficiencies close to 80%
• New focus on SOFC
– Mixed Source plants – Renewable + Fuel Cell
– Distributed Generation?
Hydrogen ICE
• Possible, but recall that fuel cells are more
efficient than combustion engines.
Costs
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Storage
Hydrogen Production
Cell Production
Distribution
Bottom line
Costs: Storage
• Liquid H
– Too expensive
• Compressed Gas
– Container issues
• Stored as a chemical hydride
• Absorb in a solid storage material
– Nanotubes?
Costs: Hydrogen Production
• 1 kg of H is roughly equivalent to 1 gallon of
gasoline
• Baseline cost of water electrolysis is
currently about $6.25/kg of H
– DOE goal of $3.10 by 2012
• Steam Reformation of Natural Gas is
around $1.50/kg right now
– Highly dependant on natural gas prices
Costs: Fuel Cell Production
• Platinum very expensive
– A commodity, like natural gas, fluctuates in
price
Costs: Fuel Cell Production
• Cost of most widely deployed stationary fuel
cells: $4,500 per kilowatt
– Cost of diesel generators: $800-1,500 per kilowatt
– Cost of natural gas: $400 per kilowatt
– DOE fuel cell goal: $400 per kilowatt
• Cost of automobile fuel cells: $61 per kilowatt
– Cost of internal combustion engine: $25-35 per
kilowatt
– DOE fuel cell goal: $30 per kilowatt
Costs: Hydrogen Distribution
• Hydrogen Pipelines + Refueling Stations
– Embrittlement issues
• Solvable problem
• California Hydrogen Highway
– The Chicken and the egg problem
– GM still thinks feasible
• With governmental incentives
– Happening in other countries
Where does that leave us?
• Fuel cells in cars?
– GM v. Chu
DOE Goal
• Lower Fuel Cell Costs to as low as $400 per
kilowatt by 2020
– Keep in mind, Secretary Chu’s focus is on
stationary fuel cells
• EPAct of 2005 tax incentives
• State financial incentives
• State RPS
Where does that leave us?
• Fuel cells in stationary sources?
• Private and Academic research?
– GM and other automakers pushing towards
Hydrogen? Can they do that without
government support?
– New electrolytes and catalysts that can lower
costs?
THE END
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Sources:
NREL:
http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_wind_hydrogen_video.html
http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/pdfs/47302.pdf
DOE data:
http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/fuelcells/index.html
GM Study: http://www.h2andyou.org/pdf/GM-SH%20HYDROGEN%20INFRA%20PAPER.pdf
Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.com
Energy, Economics, and the Environment: class textbook
Howstuffworks.com: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuelcell4.htm
Scientific America: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=rip-hydrogen-economyobama-cuts-hyd-2009-05-08
Fuelcells.org: http://www.fuelcells.org/BusinessCaseforFuelCells.pdf
Report to Congress: http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/epact_743_fuel_cell_school_bus.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fuelcells/fc_challenges.html