Hydrogen article
HYDROGEN: THE FUTURE’S ENERGY? By Paul Ingram, Head of Operations at iPower Generation
iPower Generation are part of the Ingram Power Group. A team of companies offering a range of Generator and power systems for a wide range of applications. Working within these groups gives them a wider range of knowledge and ability to better serve their customers. iPower Generation represents the Green Power Generation division of the group, with their clean, Low Carbon, and efficient generators and power systems. They specialise in flexible instant response, energy storage and generation products, as well as OffGrid Electric Car Charging. www.ipowergeneration.co.uk AS A CLEAN, ABUNDANT OPTION HYDROGEN COULD BECOME THE GO-TO ENERGY SOURCE IN THE FUTURE – SO WHY ISN’T IT ALREADY?
One key issue faced by hydrogen as a fuel, is how it is produced. HYDROGEN SOURCES
We are already mixing in hydrogen into our domestic gas, with one north east village in England receiving a blend of 20% hydrogen this summer in a ground-breaking trial. Hydrogen powered cars are among us, and hydrogen energy systems – whether combustion or fuel cell – aren't anything new.
Hydrogen is the most abundant substance in the universe, making up roughly 75% of all normal matter. However, while there's a lot of it, it is not naturally found in high concentration on Earth, therefore it must be produced. Hydrogen is in compounds, such as in water (H2O) to be used as a fuel source it needs to be separated from the other elements.
Burning hydrogen in a combustion engine produces zero CO2, and fuel cells only byproduct is water. Meaning it could play a vital and critical role in global effects to reach netzero emissions.
As a result, point of use may be fantastic in terms of emissions providing power with clean air, however, where the hydrogen came from and the power source used to produce it can indeed have an environmental impact.
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While hydrogen is colourless, how it is produced is defined as – black, brown, grey, blue, and green. Black and brown, as you may have guessed are worst in terms of emissions, both coming from coal. Grey is generated from natural gas, or methane, through a process called steam reforming, and is the most common form. Blue is whenever carbon capture and storage is used in conjunction with steam reforming. Blue hydrogen is therefore often described as "low carbon". With only about 10-20% of the carbon generated not being able to be captured. Green hydrogen, often referred to as "clean hydrogen", gets its hydrogen from water using a process called electrolysis, importantly, powered by renewable and clean energy sources, and so creating zero emissions in hydrogen production. Unsurprisingly, green is the ideal form. This would result in zero emissions at hydrogen production, and then no carbon dioxide created at point of use. Unfortunately, only about 1% of current hydrogen production is currently in this form. However, as the IEA (International Energy Agency) pointed out in 2019, as natural gas prices rise and renewable energy costs fall, we will start to see ever growing interest in hydrogen from electrolysis.
