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While politicians and oil companies speak of the need for fresh billion-dollar investments, Amory Lovins points the way to the hydrogen economy with the help of existing means and technology, and within existing investment budgets.
While politicians and oil companies speak of the need for fresh billion-dollar investments, Amory Lovins points the way to the hydrogen economy with the help of existing means and technology, and within existing investment budgets.
The founder and director of the authoritative Rocky Mountain Institute is considered an energy visionary and revolutionary. In June he published a boldly written scientific manifesto Twenty Hydrogen Myths, in which he convincingly dismisses the most common arguments against a fast-paced introduction of the hydrogen economy.
Most of those involved tend to look at the future hydrogen economy from the prevailing viewpoints. Since the Industrial Revolution we have become used to centrally produced energy which is then transported over great distances through large pipes or thick wires. Based on that experience, many people think the hydrogen economy requires a new energy infrastructure that would devour billions. However, the decentralized perspective of the hydrogen economy opens up the possibility of a new way.
The transition strategy summarized below is based on Lovins' manifesto.
Step 1: Place fuel cells in office buildings
Fuel cells should be placed in office buildings for the decentralised production of electricity. Initially, the price of that electricity will be substantially higher than the electric current now available in our homes. But the fuel cell offers certain industries and companies a number of advantages that will make their acquisition attractive:
- Electricity from a fuel cell offers a solid back-up system for sensitive computer applications (hospitals). This type of system currently runs on expensive - and less reliable - batteries;
- The fuel cell not only supplies electricity, but pure water heated to 70oC that can be used for heating and cooling. This by-product lowers the cost of the fuel cell;
- Increasingly, there are areas in the world - including, for example, major cities in the United States - where the electricity supply is unreliable. For companies in these areas the fuel cell offers an attractive extra guarantee.
As more and more fuel cells are purchased for office buildings and business premises - where two-thirds of all electricity is used - the price will fall and the fuel cell will become an attractive investment for larger groups. There are already manufacturers in Japan and the US that offer fuel cells for use in homes and offices.
The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen. The hydrogen can be produced on the spot with a reformer that converts natural gas (CH4) into hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Existing gas lines could be used to distribute natural gas, making hydrogen production very competitive and no more expensive than, for example, US petrol. Critics point out that the production of hydrogen from natural gas still emits CO2. That's true, but much less than the current large-scale burning of fossil fuels.
Step 2: Hydrogen tanks at the office
The people working in office buildings where fuel cells are placed would be the ideal candidates to purchase the first fuel cell cars. Toyota and Honda already have test fleets of these new models driving around California, and other automobile manufacturers will follow their lead in the next two years. Owners of fuel cell cars can fill up their tanks with hydrogen at the office as the capacity for the office fuel cell will not be used throughout the workday. An attractive perspective is waiting in the wings for these pioneers. When their car is not running - an average of 95% of the time - the fuel cell can supply electricity to the grid. The car will become a mobile power station that doesn't just cost money, but provides an income. This development has far-reaching effects. If, for example, all cars in the US were powered with fuel cells, it would create an electricity capacity many times that of the country's existing grid.
The hydrogen car will quickly become competitive. Toyota has calculated that the efficiency rate from the oil field to turning the wheels of a car with a combustion engine is 14%. The efficiency of the Prius hybrid - that is driven by a combustion engine and an electric motor - is 26%. And a car with a hydrogen fuel cell has an efficiency of 42%.
Storing hydrogen in the car is no longer a huge problem. Hydrogen gas is voluminous and hydrogen cannot
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