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Ushering in a hydrogen economy Looking ahead to the next issue that focuses on the coming Industrial Revolution, Making It interviewed DR. MUSTAFA HATIPOĞLU, who is managing director of the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), a UNIDO project supported by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. A hydrogen economy – a system of delivering energy using hydrogen – is proposed as a solution to some of the negative effects of using hydrocarbon fuels. What might a hydrogen economy look like in practice? Currently, the world relies heavily on fossil fuel products to provide a considerable proportion of our present energy needs. A hydrogen economy would mean using hydrogen at every instance where fossil fuels are used. Hydrogen is a gas that can be burned in a manner similar to natural gas or it can be used to produce electricity using a device called a fuel cell. It is possible to be used as a direct replacement for petroleum products in internal combustion engines, heating appliances, and similar applications. As an elemental gas, it does not contain carbon and its combustion cannot release carbon products into the atmosphere, rendering its use totally clean. Hydrogen is found, bound with oxygen in water, or with carbon in methane and other compounds. In order to release the hydrogen, we have to supply energy obtained from other sources. Thus, it
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cannot be considered to be a primary source of energy, but more of an energy vector or carrier. The benefits of using renewable energy sources, such as sun, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, or tides, are well known. However, a problem shared by many renewable energy sources is that they are intermittent, meaning that they are only available at certain times. For example, solar energy is only available during the day, wind energy cannot be extracted during periods of calm, and hydropower is only available when streams are in full spate. This means that for an electricity grid to be able to meet peak demand there needs to be some form of storage of the power derived from intermittent sources, to smooth over the periods when these sources are not productive. Hydrogen is an excellent method of providing such storage. During times when there excess electricity is being produced, it can be converted to hydrogen through water electrolysis; and conversely, at times of peak demand, the stored hydrogen can be converted back to electricity. Since every region of each country has its share of
“The clean hydrogen technology era is coming – climate change, the depletion of fossil fuels, and the issue of countries’ energy security make it inevitable. ”
Photo: ICHET
Dr. Mustafa Hatipoğlu demonstating ICHET’s H2 Ecocart at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Exhibition in Hanover, Germany.
renewable resources, energy would be produced and used locally, rather than being imported and distributed. One of the main aspects of a hydrogen economy is the widespread use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. How do these vehicles work? Fuel cells consist of sets of membranes, or solid electrolytes, sandwiched between gas inlets for hydrogen on one side, and oxygen or air on the other. When hydrogen gas comes into contact with the electrolyte plate, electrons are stripped of hydrogen atoms and the positively charged protons migrate through the electrolyte until they combine with oxygen molecules on the opposite surface to form water vapour. The stripped electrons form an electric current as they travel through an external circuit. The more gas that is applied, the more electrons flow, and the larger the current. Fuel cells can be used instead of batteries in electric cars and other vehicles. The time needed to recharge a battery pack will typically be up to eight hours, whereas it