Hydrogen Fuel: The next steps to a hydrogen economy

Hydrogen Fuel: The next steps to a hydrogen economy

In the last 40 years, fuel cell technology has taken man to the moon and back. Space exploration has proven that fuel cells work. In the not-too-distant future, fuel cells will power our cars, homes and office buildings. Fuel cells will be more efficient and have less impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels.

The term hydrogen economy describes what our society could look like if we used hydrogen fuel instead of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a clean fuel and it can be extracted from renewable resources. Think about how your life would be different if we used hydrogen as a fuel.

Before hydrogen fuel cells are used for energy, there are still a few puzzles left to solve. We need to make enough hydrogen to power vehicles, homes and businesses. We also need ways to store and distribute it widely. And we need to bring down the prices of fuel cells, so that enough people will be able to buy them.

Making the change from fossil fuels to hydrogen fuel cannot happen overnight. It will take time to solve the puzzles and to make changes in the fuel infrastructure. Infrastructuremeans all of the structures that allow fuel to be delivered where it is needed, such as refineries, pipelines, pumps and delivery trucks. How will hydrogen fuel be delivered to buildings for energy? How will cars and trucks be filled with hydrogen fuel? One answer may lie in the infrastructure that already exists to deliver natural gas to homes and businesses, and today’s network of gasoline stations. With some changes, this infrastructure can be adapted for hydrogen fuel.

We often take for granted how safely our vehicles can carry 300 miles worth of fuel and how easy it is to fill our vehicles with gasoline. Researchers are looking for ways to make hydrogen tanks smaller than current hydrogen tanks, and easy to refill. They are studying several different hydrogen storage systems, including liquid and compressed hydrogen.

The cost of fuel cell stacks has decreased tenfold in just three years. GM’s latest fuel cell concept vehicle, the Sequel, has a lower-cost fuel cell stack than the earlier Hy-wire concept vehicle. But the price is still too high to make a vehicle that costs the same as today’s vehicles.

Hydrogen refueling stations will be expensive because new technology needs to be developed to store and pump hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen needs to be kept either super-cold as a liquid or as a compressed gas. The gasoline pumps used today cannot be used. A hydrogen pump and nozzle will need a way to clamp securely to the vehicle. Without a tight seal, compressed hydrogen will escape and liquid hydrogen will warm and evaporate. The seal reduces wasted hydrogen and keeps refueling safe.

As you can see, major challenges remain before we can become a hydrogen economy. Businesses, researchers, governments and individuals must work together to make these systems better and less expensive. Governments can help by providing money for research and establishing common standards for the fuel cell infrastructure.

Source: GM