Isn't hydrogen for cars, etc. a pipe dream? Won't it always cost more to extract than the energy it gives us?

Question

I suspect a hydrogen-as-fuel "solution" to our modern energy problems is an illusory dream. Will costs of extraction and _safe_ distribution and use ever be econimically viable? At any rate, I strongly suspect ill-advised "leaders" touting it haven't bothered to ask the right questions of the Physicists. Can anyone shed real honest light on this issue?

Answer 1

Its best to think of hydrogen as a 'battery' rather than a power source. Because we don't have incredibly abundant supplies of free hydrogen on earth, it is not practical for use as an initial energy source. You are also right in your assertion that it will always take at least as much energy to create hydrogen as we can get by using it, in accordance with the first law of thermodynamics.

Hydrogen is, however, viable as an environmentally friendly fuel to operate vehicles. This is because the conversion of hydrogen into energy is essentially pollution free and is of high efficiency. Thus if we use an environmentally friendly power source, such as solar power, to produce the hydrogen, we can run vehicles in an essentially pollution free manner. As a result, a switch to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles would allow reductions in the overall emissions of our national power production to be reflected in reduced total energy cycle emissions of our vehicles.

Answer 2

At present hydrogen is not an environmentally friendly fuel. They hydrogen itself is a very efficient battery, the most efficient way of storing energy that comes originally from an electric source.

Coal fired power stations (more common globally than nuclear) are about 18% efficient. That electricity is what is used to make the hydrogen. Then the hydrogen vehicle itself is not 100% efficient. Internal combustion is about 36% efficient. Fuel cells are more efficient. So from the original coal you could be getting only 6% of the energy.

Petrol will give you 36% of the energy. So at present petrol is 6 times CLEANER than hydrogen.

When scrap coal fired power stations for making electricity and make the hydrogen from wind, solar or geothermal. Then yes it will be environmentally sound.

Answer 3

The cost of hydrogen now adjusted for inflation is less than the cost of gasoline in 1910. Greater reduction in cost of everything from electricity to ball point pens were able to be done than what would be needed to make hydrogen our main fuel. The only question is will some other fuel come along in the mean time that will cost even less? If so, then hydrogen will still take a back seat.

Answer 4

i think of it relies upon on the area... For starters, even however, there are no constitutional amendments protecting adult men from something or giving adult men the final to something in specific. Now this might recommend that adult men are the dominant ingredient and must be stored "in examine" or it would recommend that there is a psychological ingredient at play in society that broadcasts women anybody is "weaker" and want secure practices. i'm prepared to wager, you may hear the two aspects of the argument with quite a few caveats to accompany those arguments. we've a close-by newspaper (The Westword) that at the instant printed a piece of writing some guy suing nightclubs over the nicely-enjoyed women folk' evening that oftentimes occurs on Wednesdays. His declare advance into that ladies people get unfastened drinks from adult men because it rather is, so why is there discrimination against adult men on Wednesday nights allwoing women people to drink unfastened and not pay a hide cost. (The bonehead is yet to win a case...) there is definitely different aspects to examine: payscales, gender-specific careers, maternity vs paternity leave, and so on. i think of we live in a greater equivalent society than anybody is prepared to admit, yet on a case by potential of case diagnosis, i think of you will see the two genders taken care of unfairly.

Answer 5

We're already doing much better than 1-to-1 on the energy conversion. Most of our electrical power here in the NW USA comes from hydroelectric plants which operate entirely from the sun raising water to a higher level. This energy would otherwise be turned into heat by the water trickling down to sea level.

Answer 6

Not at all, there is a simple direct connection between the price of electrical energy and price of hydrogen, any new way that the electricity can be generated will bring its price down. For instance solar power can charge fuel cells for next to nothing. It is question of the price of gasoline vs the price of electricity.

Answer 7

You are right. Some experts actually believe that the issue about energy will and can be solved, there is plenty of it emanating from the sun. The issue is about the byproducts of harnessing the energy. There is no system in place (yet) to either reintegrate the byproducts or turn them back into nutrients.

Answer 8

There have been improvements in the methods of producing hydrogen... I think using catalysts of some kind.. besides... electricity is not long range mobil.. while hydrogen is.. that is the difference we need.. so converting stationary electricity to mobil hydrogen gives us an advantage.

Answer 9

Of course hydrogen is a safe and effective alternative to gasoline. It is almost free to produce. All one needs it water and electricity. And as for the safety postulate of your question, YOU DONT STORE HYDROGEN (at least for transportaion in a car) IN A GASEOUS OR LIQUID SATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You store bonded to a hydride that makes it virtually inert untill it is heated.

Answer 10

the problem of the cost of hydrogen is really the electrolysis process.
hydrogen could be prepared cheaply from AMMONIA

but how to get ammonia in a way that makes use of the vast stores of hydrogen in ocean seas?

we need a process that would look something like this:
ocean water ....ammonia....hydrogen....water+energy

THE SOLUTION IS SILICON ! THE NEW ENERGY CARRYING MOLECULE!

silicon is available everywhere in the form of silica (silcon dioxide) .
once silicon is prepared from eg sand it burns readily in air,
the idea is to burn it in nitrogen atmosphere
1 energy is released
2 silicon nitride is formed
silicon nitride is important in 2 ways
1 a very important industrial compound
2 when reacting with water it will give silica again and AMMONIA..................................................................................................................................................................................................
so with all the sand we have on earth and with the endless water in the oceans energy should soon be free for everyone.