solar-to-hydrogen energy the future?

Question

i read this interesting article of using the suns heat to break water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules instead of fossil fuels and i think its a great idea. what do u guys think?

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/21939

whoops sorry guys wrong section. i swore i thought i clicked on Green Living-Environment section but thanks for answering anyways.

Answer 1

Looks like an interesting idea.

I've done my best to not be engulfed on oil consumption. I take public transportation to work everyday. I recycle and the car I own is a Prius.

I"m all for green ideas :D

Answer 2

I'm not too impressed by the potential of hydrogen. It's an inconvenient fuel to cart around - it's a gas, so has to be liquified, and it liquifies at a /very/ low temperature (or very high preasure, of course), which means you're carting around tanks of the stuff that have to stand up to high preasure or be kept cold. Yeah, that's safe and practical.

Solar voltaic cells and batteries sound more pheasible at this stage. Though, it's all about efficiency. If sunlight to water-cracker to hydrogen to preasurized tank to fuel cell to current to electric motor turns out to be more efficient than sunlight to photvoltaic cell to current to battery to current to electric motor, then so be it.


IMHO, though, the only reason energy companies are pushing hydrogen is that it fits thier gasoline business model. You have cracking fascilities instead of refineries, you put the fuel on trucks just in high preassure tanks, take it to 'gas' stations, where people pay to fill up thier fuel-cell cars with your product at whatever price the market will bear.

That's a lot less scary to them than consumer charges his car with cheap, off-peak power over night, then drives to work in the morning. (Though I'm sure PG&E isn't too upset at the thought).

Answer 3

Won't work on a massive scale. Hundreds of square miles of land would need to be covered with solar panels just to power all of the cars in California.

Hydrogen is very cheap when it is generated by using electricity from nuclear reactors:
"Hydrogen Production from Nuclear Energy"
http://www.jlab.org/hydrogen/talks/Walters.pdf


DOE - Office of Nuclear Energy"High-temperature heat from an advanced nuclear system could be supplied to a hydrogen-producing thermochemical or high-temperature electrolysis plant "http://www.ne.doe.gov/nhi/nenhi.html

NEI - The Hydrogen Economy and Nuclear Energy ....
Nuclear power plants, on the other hand, can generate electricity for electrolysis to produce hydrogen cleanly and efficiently" http://www.nei.org/index.asp?catnum=2&catid=265

Advancing the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (Powered High-Temperature Electrolysis )
http://www.inl.gov/docs/factsheets/high-temperature_electrolysis.pdf

Advancing the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (Basics)
http://www.inl.gov/docs/factsheets/producing_hydrogen_with_nuclear_energy.pdf

"Project blends hydrogen, nuclear power"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6614370/

Nuclear plants may be clean hydrogen source
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/logos22-1/hydrogen.htm

Answer 4

It sounds promising.

Ultimately water may not be a completely renewable resource, but if we could use polluted/sea water this could be great. Hope it works out.

Answer 5

I am very interested in this, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will be doing some research.