India & China are both building economies based on oil Bush’s plan Reserve – addition 30k barrels per day to a country that consumes 21 million per day will have no effect Delaying clean burning additives – we’re really chasing the wrong target here – the additives have no effect on the worldwide price of oil
Like an engine, a fuel cell will run as long as fuel (hydrogen) is supplied. Like a battery, it produces electricity by electrochemical reactions No pollution – only heat, electricity & pure water PEM FC = Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. This is the type our book discusses.
On the anode side, hydrogen diffuses to the anode catalyst where it dissociates into protons and electrons . The protons are conducted through the membrane to the cathode, but the electrons are forced to travel in an external circuit (supplying power) because the membrane is electrically insulating. On the cathode catalyst, oxygen molecules react with the electrons (which have travelled through the external circuit) and protons to form water. In this example, the only waste product is water vapor and/or liquid water .
While fuel cells are potentially highly efficient, and working prototypes were made by Roger E. Billings in the 1960s, three major obstacles exist in the development of a fuel cell-powered hydrogen car. The first problem is that hydrogen has a very low density . Even when the fuel is stored as a liquid in a cryogenic tank or in a pressurized tank as a gas, the amount of energy that can be stored in the space available is limited, and hydrogen cars therefore have limited range compared to their conventional counterparts. Some research has been done into using special crystalline materials to store hydrogen at greater densities and with margins. The second major problem that used to plague hydrogen fuel cells involves the high cost of making reliable fuel cells that would provide electric power in a hydrogen car. Scientists are also working hard to figure out how to produce inexpensive fuel cells that are also robust enough to survive the bumps and vibrations that all automobiles have to handle. Furthermore freezing conditions have to be handled because fuel cells do produce water and utilise moist air with varying water content. Most fuel cell designs are fragile and can't survive in such environments. Also, many designs require rare substances such as platinum as a catalyst in order to work properly, and the catalyst can be contaminated by impurities in the hydrogen supply. However, within the past few years, a nickel-tin catalyst has been developed which drastically lowers the cost of a hydrogen fuel cell car to make it an economically viable car. The third "problem" is due to the fact that while hydrogen can be used as an energy carrier , it is not an energy source. It still must be produced from fossil fuels , or from some other energy source, with a net loss of energy (since the conversion from energy to hydrogen storage and back to energy is not 100% efficient). Hydrogen is nearly twice as efficient than traditional combustion engines, which only have an efficiency of 15-25%. Hydrogen has a thermodynamic efficiency of 50-60%. The percentage will never be 100% because of the second law of thermodynamics .
Hydrogen production Almost all of the hydrogen produced in the U.S. today is by steam reforming of natural gas and for the near term, this method of production will continue to dominate. Biological Certain photosynthetic microbes produce hydrogen from water in their metabolic activities using light energy. Photobiological technology holds great promise, but because oxygen is produced along with the hydrogen, the technology must overcome the limitation of oxygen sensitivity of the hydrogen-evolving enzyme systems. Researchers are addressing this issue by screening for naturally occurring organisms that are more tolerant of oxygen, and by creating new genetic forms of the organisms that can sustain hydrogen production in the presence of oxygen. Photoelectrical The cleanest way to produce hydrogen is by using sunlight to directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Biomass Hydrogen can be produced via pyrolysis or gasification of biomass resources such as agricultural residues like peanut shells; consumer wastes including plastics and waste grease; or biomass specifically grown for energy uses. Solar Thermal highly concentrated sunlight can be used to generate the high temperatures needed to split methane into hydrogen and carbon. Renewable electrolysis Renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics (PV), wind, biomass, hydro and geothermal can provide clean and sustainable electricity for our nation. However, some types renewable energy are limited by the fact that they have intermittent and seasonal energy production. One solution to this problem is to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water and use that hydrogen in a fuel cell to produce electricity during times of low power production or during peak demand or to use the hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles. Iceland station in Reykjavik serves 3 buses built by DaimlerChrysler; station produces hydrogen by itself with an electrolyzing unit and does not need refilling; has no roof so that any leaked hydrogen escapes into the atmosphere
Hydrogen production Almost all of the hydrogen produced in the U.S. today is by steam reforming of natural gas and for the near term, this method of production will continue to dominate. Iceland station in Reykjavik serves 3 buses built by DaimlerChrysler; station produces hydrogen by itself with an electrolyzing unit and does not need refilling; has no roof so that any leaked hydrogen escapes into the atmosphere
Is the environment the reason or is it the pinch we feel everytime we gas up? Hopefully it’s at least partially the reason – because FCVs are MUCH more expensive than traditional cars currently
We’ve talked this semester about the flexibility of oil companies and how the long term price projections of major oil companies range down to $20/barrel Example scenario – Saudis keep incrementally increasing production
In his 2006 State of the Union address, he announced the U.S. government's hydrogen fuel initiative, which complements the President's existing FreedomCAR initiative for safe and cheap hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. But Bushy is the former CEO of Harken oil. In his January 2003 State of the UnionAddress, President Bush announced a new, five-year research initiative on hydrogen fuel and fuel cells. - Unveiled $1.2B Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, seeks to develop hydrogen, fuel cell & infrastructure technologies needed to make it practical & cost-effective for large numbers of Americans to choose to use fuel cell vehicles by 2020.
721-723: competitive grant program for advanced vehicle demonstration projects. EPAct 2005 authorizes $200M for this program 743: $25M 2006-2009 773: study feasibility and effects of significantly reducing petroleum consumption by 2014, including impacts from FCVs 782: requires federal fleets to being leasing or purchasing FCVs & hydrogen energy systems by 1/1/2010. $15M 2008, $25M 2009, $65M 2010, “& such sums as are necessary for 2011-2015” 1341: tax credits for purchasers of new dedicated AFVs; can receive up to $40k. 1342: tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of alternative refueling property up to $30k. 1825: directs DOE to enter into a K with National Academy of Sciences; National Research Council provides budget roadmap for FCV and transition from petroleum to hydrogen in vehicles by 2020
IL seems to be banking more on ethanol (I WONDER WHY?!?) - The Illinois Green Fuels Program recognizes and highlights retail or commercial fuel stations that implement E85, natural gas, propane, or other clean fuels for sale to the public or to surrounding fleets. The Illinois Green Dealers Program recognizes Illinois car dealerships that promote the sale of AFVs and educate their customers on the benefits of AFVs, including which vehicle models can use E85 and where the nearest E85 stations are located.