Investigating the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Research and commercial efforts are under way to expand the limited hydrogen. The text provides extensive discussion on hydrogen sources, both solar and nuclear, and fuel. One such fuel being developed is hydrogen and already we are seeing cars. It is enjoying unprecedented momentum around the world and could finally be set on a path to fulfil its longstanding potential as a clean energy solution. When it comes to looking to the energy source that will replace fossil fuels, there are no shortage of options. For achieving a successful hydrogen economy in the near future, the technical and economic challenges associated with hydrogen must be addressed quickly. The question, then, is which of these alt fuels offer the most promise. The jury is still out on whether hydrogen will ultimately be our environmental savior, replacing the fossil fuels responsible for global warming and various nagging forms of pollution. The literature suggests that the term hydrogen economy may have been coined by h. This new edition covers new hydrogen developments in technology, oil supplies and new drilling techniques, latest information on hydrogen highway projects, breakthroughs in fuel cell technology and ultra.
On the basis of october 20 data, there are approximately 34 million flexible fuel vehicles and the sale of hybrid electric vehicles numbered more than 9 million september 2014 data. Hydrogen be the ideal partner for a greener future. Revised and updated, alternative fuels addresses many of the factors affecting our energy use, including the availability and desirability of various fuels especially the use of hydrogen. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alternative fuels. Fuel of the future rachel chamousis abstract hydrogen is an energy carrier that can transform our fossilfuel dependent economy into a hydrogen economy, which can provide an emissionsfree transportation fuel. Among all the potential environmentfriendly alternative fuels of the future, hydrogen is one of the most promising in terms of practicality, long term feasibility and low pollution levels. The future of hydrogen foreword page 3 foreword this is a critical year for hydrogen. Dg move expert group on future transport fuels state of the art on alternative fuels transport systems july 2015 6 infrastructure, and set their own targets and objectives, adapted to their national context.
In australia, ethanol is combined in a 10 per cent blend with. As the race to find energy sources to replace our dwindling fossil fuel supplies continues apace, hydrogen is likely to play a crucial role in the future. Hydrogen urea fischer tropsch fuels wax alphaolefins dme fuels from syngas. Future energy for mobility, james simnick, bp from bioblending to biorefining. Shortage of cheap oil a driver for a paradigm shift. It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. Pdf the future of hydrogenopportunities and challenges. Hydrogen is seen as the key component of energy systems for a sustainable future. As fuel use has developed through time, the percentage of hydrogen content in the fuels has increased. In fact, many of you are likely already using it in your cars. Hybridelectric vehicle technology is becoming commercially competitive in.
The present report, based on the contributions of the eg ftf, has the main objective. Hydrogen, when used in a fuel cell to provide electricity, is an emissionsfree alternative fuel produced from diverse energy sources. Alternative fuels like solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric utilities are growing fast. Hydrogen the fuel for the future interstate traveler. The first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen and pollutionfree, declared former us president george w. On the technology front, hydrogen, a clean energy carrier.
Comparison between alternative hydrogen production pathways. Of all the renewable fuels, biofuels are the most commercially ready. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, so theres no chance of human consumers depleting the supply. The good news is that researchers have proven that vehicles can run on natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, nitrogen, biofuels like elephant grass and even biodiesels based on restaurant grease or chicken waste.
Supplying hydrogen to industrial users is now a major business around the world. Fuel costs are the largest cost component, accounting for between 45% and 75% of production costs. Although the idea of hydrogen as a widely used fuel source to power cars and generate electricity is a relatively new concept in response to seeking an alternative to oil, hydrogen fuel cells actually predate the internal combustion engine, which was invented in the middle of. This new edition covers new hydrogen developments in technology, oil supplies and new drilling techniques, latest information on hydrogen highway projects, breakthroughs in fuel cell. Its so easy to produce that the process could be completed at home. The journey to a practical system may be a long one. Hydrogen as a fuel of the future solar hydrogen generation. As the supply of fossil fuels runs low, the need for a fuel that can be made in large quantities sustainably and which will not affect the environment with pollutants is becoming great in demand. As discussed in chapter 1, the freedomcar and fuel partnership in the department of energys does office of energy efficiency and renewable energy eere includes the hydrogen production, delivery, and dispensing program, which is in turn part of the hydrogen, fuel cells, and infrastructure technologies program hfcit.
Although hydrogen is in its infancy in the market as a transportation fuel, government and industry are working toward clean, economical, and safe hydrogen production and distribution for widespread use in fuel cell electric vehicles fcevs. Although hydrogen is all around us, the process of converting hydrogen into a useable fuel is highly energy demanding. The future supply of fossil fuels is uncertain, and burning petrol and diesel in vehicles produces greenhouse gases and other pollutants. This article provides a brief overview of hydrogen as a fuel and hydrogen fuel cells hfcs, the current status of the hydrogen revolution and some thoughts on the future. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, so far as anyone knows. Nonetheless, there is great interest and some financial backing for hydrogens development including here in the uk. Numerous potential alternative fuels have been proposed, including reformulated gasoline, biodiesel, methanol, ethanol, synthetic liquids such as dimethyl ether produced from coal and natural gas, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen. This chapter discusses the fuel production and use associated with striving to meet the overall study goals of a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction in petroleum use and in greenhouse gas ghg emissions from the lightduty vehicle ldv fleet by 2050 compared to the corresponding values in 2005.
Alternative fuels for automobiles are currently a topic of growing interest and importance. The future of hydrogen two modes of use dropin replacement for presentday conventional fuels medium for storage of energy i. Currently, drivers of lightduty fuel cell electric vehicles fcevs can fuel up at retail stations in less than 5 minutes and obtain a driving range of more than 300 miles. Other figures in terms of number of vehicles produced include 17. As an avid researcher of alternative fuels and an ambitious chemistry student, this researcher understands the importance of a shift to a hydrogen economy. Suitability and availability fuels for the future hydrogen. Linden, one of gregorys colleagues at the institute of gas technology, in 1971. This energy currently comes mainly from fossil fuels which means that although when hydrogen is used in a fuel cell, the process of making that fuel still produces pollutants to make it suitable for use within the fuel cell. An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology 2 dioxide fig. The prospects of hydrogen as the fuel of future are discussed. Thus it has the capability to contribute majorly towards solving two major issues. With hydrogen as fuel, the fuel cell cycle of pollutants and greenhouse gases can be reduced considerably compared to conventional. Alternative fuels, known as nonconventional and advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels like.
In this activity students consider how research into fuels derived from ammonia could be used to ensure future fuel security whilst reducing harmful emissions. Hydrogen h 2 is an alternative fuel that can be produced from diverse domestic resources. Could this british car design accelerate the auto industry towards hydrofuel. Solar power, wind energy, ethanol and biofuels are typically the most widely cited contenders to replace petroleumbased combustion engines and coalfired power plants. Revised and updated, alternative fuels addresses many of the factors affecting our energy use, including the availability and desirability of various fuels. Hydrogen may prove fuel of the future scientific american. State of the art on alternative fuels transport systems in. Newly revised, the second edition of this pioneering work addresses emerging factors affecting energy production and use, including the availability and desirability of various fuels. The city of leeds in the uk has a plan to do this in the late 2020s.
From the mid 2020s, hydrogen is the solution that best fulfils the various requirements that apply for freight trains on the future railroad network. But hydrogen stands apart as a promising alternative energy source. A significant barrier to the wider adoption of hydrogen vehicles is the cost of production of fuel cells, which means that as a fuel source hydrogen is roughly 34 times more expensive than diesel. Demand for hydrogen, which has grown more than threefold since 1975, continues to rise almost entirely supplied from fossil fuels, with 6% of global natural gas and 2% of global coal going to hydrogen production. In the short term, conservation and the use of highly eficient hybridelectric vehicles hevs can slow the overall rate of growth of oil consumption. Hydrogen may be used as fuel for almost any application, where fossil fuels are used presently and would offer immediate benefits over the conventional fuels, if produced from renewable sources. Nuclear power developed a stigma following the fukushima and chernobyl disasters, but the energy source has come a long way in safety, technology and output.
Hydrogen fuelan economically viable future for the. The main reason anyone bothers with it as a fuel for the future is because it is emissionfree at the point of use. It has begun to be used in commercial fuel cell vehicles such as passenger cars, and has been used in fuel cell buses for many years. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be used in internal combustion engines or fuel cells. There are also large gaps in infrastructure which is costly to build and today there are not enough hydrogen vehicles on roads to make this profitable. The passenger cruisers that currently circumnavigate svalbard, as well as the numerous ferries operating along the norwegian coast in and out of our world heritage fjords burning heavy oils and emitting large quantities of co 2, particulates and nox could also be hydrogenpowered, and thus emissionfree, in the foreseeable future. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion as of 2018, the majority of hydrogen. The hydrogen is combined with oxygen in a bit of kit called a fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel is a zeroemission fuel burned with oxygen. Using hydrogen to displace other fuels in the nations energy supply will require numerous changes in existing infrastructures for storage, distribution and utilization. When it is used as a fuel, it has no emissions other than water vapor and heat. Converting hydrogen to hydrogenbased fuels and feedstocks that are easier to store, transport.
1203 1272 799 995 1440 547 841 1018 867 559 944 810 1200 619 1090 189 467 380 1300 1533 272 809 255 400 1092 993 401 297 84 575 847 29 208 724 849 9 1220 451 1376 824 811 561 886