This special interest group is for professionals to connect and discuss all types of carbon-free power alternatives, including nuclear, renewable, tidal and more.

Shared Link

Fallacies of a Hydrogen Economy: A Critical Analysis of Hydrogen Production and Utilization

Bob Meinetz 47,010

Nuclear Power Policy Activist Independent

I am a passionate advocate for the environment and nuclear energy. With the threat of climate change, I’ve embarked on a mission to help overcome the fears of nuclear energy. I’ve been active in...

Member since 2018
6,979 items added with 240,032 views

Profile

Oct 27, 2020Oct 27, 2020 4:19 am GMT
1158 views

Another reputable source, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), refutes the idea hydrogen represents any kind of "green solution" - that it offers an alternative to storing electrical energy in batteries, whatever its source.

Fallacies of a Hydrogen Economy: A Critical Analysis of Hydrogen Production and Utilization

This article presents a critical analysis of all the major pathways to produce hydrogen and to utilize it as an energy carrier to generate heat or electricity. The approach taken is to make a cradle to grave analysis including the production of hydrogen, the conversion of hydrogen to heat or electricity, and finally the utilization of that heat or electricity for a useful purpose. This methodology shows that no currently available hydrogen pathway, irrespective of whether it uses fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, or renewable technology as the primary energy source to generate electricity or heat is as efficient as using the electric power or heat from any of these sources directly. Furthermore, electric vehicles using batteries to store electricity are shown to be more efficient and less polluting than fuel cell powered vehicles using energy stored in hydrogen.

Source: asmedigitalcollection.asme.org

report

Thank Bob for the Post!

Energy Central contributors share their experience and insights for the benefit of other Members (like you). Please show them your appreciation by leaving a comment, 'liking' this post, or following this Member.

Follow Profile

Discussions

Spell checking: Press the CTRL or COMMAND key then click on the underlined misspelled word.

Sign in to Participate

Matt Chester on Oct 27, 2020

A valuable article and well-worth a read. That said, I think it's important to note that this is a paper submitted by an ASME member to a scientific journal and not an official ASME position. Additionally, plenty has changed (both in favor of and arguing against hydrogen) since this was first published nearly 16 years ago.

Bob Meinetz on Oct 27, 2020

"Additionally, plenty has changed (both in favor of and arguing against hydrogen) since this was first published nearly 16 years ago."

Matt, glad you brought that up. None of the essentials about hydrogen production have changed, however, and never will change. The basics: it requires a minimum energy of 237 kilojoules/mole to obtain free hydrogen from water, given by the chemical formula:

H20 -> 2H + O kJ

That's in a hypothetical, 100%-efficient electrolysis system. There is no arguing that quantity of energy input - there are no shortcuts. The most efficient systems to date add ~30% in losses, and (if they haven't already) improvements in efficiency will soon bottom out.

That's just separating hydrogen from water. The best efficiency of a total system: pumping the hydrogen to a storage facility, compressing/liquefying it, pumping it to customers, oxidizing it in a fuel cell, is currently ~6% (94% of energy is wasted as heat).

The paper's conclusion:

"Dr. Joseph Romm in his testimony to the House Science Committee, 'Probably the biggest analytical mistake made in most hydrogen studies-including the recent National Academy Report is failing to consider whether the fuels that might be used to make hydrogen [such as natural gas or renewables] could be better used simply to make electricity.'"

Nothing has changed, or likely ever will change. It's almost as predictable as deceptive marketing from the oil industry.

Get Published - Build a Following

The Energy Central Power Industry Network is based on one core idea - power industry professionals helping each other and advancing the industry by sharing and learning from each other.

If you have an experience or insight to share or have learned something from a conference or seminar, your peers and colleagues on Energy Central want to hear about it. It's also easy to share a link to an article you've liked or an industry resource that you think would be helpful.

Start a Post » Learn more about posting on Energy Central »