Hydrogen Power

Jonathan ChoPriyam Shah

Period 5

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

•Extraction: Hydrogen fuel cells pass oxygen gas and hydrogen gas over electrodes. The hydrogen gas is converted to positive hydrogen ions. Electrical energy is created by the outward flow of electrons from the hydrogen.

•Fuel cells break apart a hydrogen molecule into a proton and electron.

•Uses include powering cars and NASA missions.

•Space Shuttle Orbiter uses hydrogen fuel cells.

Advantages

•The only byproducts of using hydrogen fuel cells are oxygen and heat.

•No greenhouse gases and particulates are released into the atmosphere.

•The excess heat produced from hydrogen fuel cells can act as a co-generator for commercial heating.

•Like fossil fuels, hydrogen power can be produced centrally then distributed to other areas.

Disadvantages

•The size of hydrogen fuel tanks is impractical for everyday use. A hydrogen fuel cell used to power a car is three times larger than a standard gas tank.

•Safety issues: too much pressure caused by a backup in the fuel cell can result in an explosion.

•Currently, the cost of hydrogen power outweighs all potential benefits.

Source and EfficiencyHydrogen power utilizes water, hydrogen

gas, oxygen gas and natural gas.•At equal volumes, gasoline and diesel

contain much more energy than hydrogen.

Steam reforming is the current industrial standard for the production of hydrogen.

•This process removes hydrogen from natural gas; the hydrogen produced has a lower energy content than the natural gas. The process is very inefficient and expensive.

•The hydrogen can also be produced from other sources such as methane, coal, biomass, and water.

•If hydrogen is extracted from water, then the hydrogen fuel cell can be a renewable production system.

•However, most hydrogen that is used to power fuel cells is derived from nonrenewable sources. This results in carbon emissions and further environmental harm.

High Costs

The cost of producing hydrogen is high compared to other sources of energy.

•Hydrogen pipelines are more expensive than long-distance electrical lines.

•Toyota is aiming to release a $50,000 hydrogen fuel cell powered car by 2015.

•Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell powered Clarity (2009) is estimated to cost $300,000 to produce.

Consumption

The consumption of hydrogen as a fuel both in America and around the world is negligible due to the high cost of production and use.

The viability of hydrogen power is being debated today; hydrogen power will not be practical for another few decades.