Universidad Politécnica de Aguascalientes

Energías

Seminar of hydrogen energy engineering

Oscar Omar Delgadillo Gómez

Efrén Yair García Velázquez…… UP190800

Hydrogen Economy Essay Delivery

Brief Introduction
Unlike other fuels, in the case of hydrogen, it does not generate and does not emit
goat-goat. Hydrogen can change the way we understand energy. Produced in a
clean way, a new form of storage and with many uses, hydrogen is already a reality
in the automotive world and can be very important in industry, in homes and in our
lives. The purpose of this essay is to understand a little more how this hydrogen
enzyme works and the changes it can bring to our lives.

Background
Hydrogen can be extracted from fossil fuels and biomass, from water, or from
a mix of both. Natural gas is currently the primary source of hydrogen
production, accounting for around three quarters of the annual global
dedicated hydrogen production of around 70 million tonnes. This accounts for
about 6% of global natural gas use. Gas is followed by coal, due to its
dominant role in China, and a small fraction is produced from from the use of
oil and electricity.

The production cost of hydrogen from natural gas is influenced by a range of

technical and economic factors, with gas prices and capital
expenditures being the two most important.

Fuel costs are the largest cost component, accounting for between 45% and
75% of production costs. Low gas prices in the Middle East, Russia and North
America give rise to some of the lowest hydrogen production costs. Gas
importers like Japan, Korea, China and India have to contend with higher gas
import prices, and that makes for higher hydrogen production costs.

Hydrogen exists in almost every source on the Earth but is not freely available.
Hydrogen is a high-quality energy carrier with higher energy density per mass than
any other fuel. Moreover, for decades it has been used in many chemical and
processing industries. Hydrogen can be produced using a wide variety of primary
material and energy resources such as natural gas, coal, water, and renewables. At
present, hydrogen is produced commercially from, e.g., fossil-based natural gas and
coal, by steam reforming, and coal gasification. Fossil-based energy sources in H2
production are still dominant due to the cost and existing infrastructures. Moreover,
the conventional fossil-based process is highly energy Overview on recent
developments on hydrogen energy 5 efficient in comparison with nonconventional
process using energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. Typically, H2
production methods are divided into three categories, i.e., thermal
(thermoconversion of fossil and biomass to H2), electrolytic (using electricity to split
H2O), and photonic (using light to split H2 source, e.g., H2O or organic molecules)
systems, the whole processes contain several steps, i.e., from the primary energy
sources to H2 production and then finally to the end use. Every system type
possesses its own advantages and disadvantages. Thermo- and electrochemical
systems are better established than photochemical systems. Low-carbon policies
have made carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies critical in integrating
future hydrogen plants and this will add 10%–20% more capital or overhead costs.
Still CCS can be beneficial, if the stored CO2 can be utilized in producing value-
added fuels or chemicals such as synthetic natural gas or methanol. Hydrogen is
used not only as an energy carrier but also in other diverse applications. H2 is an
important reagent and commodity chemical in many industries. Typically, a majority
of hydrogen is used in ammonia synthesis, petroleum refining, and methanol
production.

Challenges and Drawbacks

Challenges:
 Lowering hydrogen price at the pump to $1.50 - $2.00/GGE requires improvements
throughout the entire hydrogen economy, from production, processing,
transportation, and storage, to distribution. The improvement in fuel cell vehicle
technologies requires revolutionary breakthroughs in fuel cell technologies, and
evolving improvements in drive train.
• Transitioning to a hydrogen economy requires designing and implementing an
economic incentive system to encourage the building of hydrogen infrastructures
and market development of fuel cell vehicles. Initially, niche markets must be
identified where hydrogen technologies can penetrate the market with limited
economic incentives. As technology learning and economy of scale drive down
technology and fuel costs, hydrogen technologies will expand.
• Transporting hydrogen is a very significant part of the cost of the delivered product.
The design of an infrastructure, including gas pipelines and rail lines for delivering
inputs for producing hydrogen will be a very important integral part of the delivery
system. The challenges in achieving the best delivery system for hydrogen are to
match the resources for hydrogen inputs and delivery system, to select the site for
hydrogen production, and to establish a viable transportation network.
 • Petroleum refiners have produced hydrogen for decades. Reducing the costs of
producing hydrogen also would also lower the expense of producing gasoline. The
reduction in gasoline demand will further reduce its imputed cost. In an oilabundant
world, low gasoline prices could impede hydrogen technologies.
• Government policies must play a role in transforming the energy system to a
hydrogen economy. Hybrid vehicles, which share many common technologies 16
with fuel cell technologies, are becoming more energy efficient and cost-effective, as
are the fuel cell vehicles.
Drawbacks:

1. The demand for energy is growing and the raw materials for the fossil fuel economy
are diminishing. Oil, coal, and natural gas supplies are not replenished as it is
consumed, so an alternative must be found.
2. Most of the people who consume fossil fuels don't live where fuels are extracted.
This situation creates enormous economic motivation for the consuming nations to
try to exert control over the regions that supply the fuels. For many people and
governments in the world, the resulting conflicts are unacceptable.
3. Emissions from fossil fuel usage significantly degrade air quality all over the world,
especially in Northeastern United States. The resulting carbon byproducts are
substantially changing the world's climate. For many people and governments in the
world the resulting health and climate impacts are unacceptable.
4. Third world economies are especially susceptible when developing energy systems
needed to improve their economies. The fossil fuel economy puts people and nations
under the undue influence of energy suppliers. This lack of economic independence
is unacceptable to many businesses and governments.

Advantage:

1. The use of hydrogen greatly reduces pollution. When hydrogen is combined with
oxygen in a fuel cell, energy in the form of electricity is produced. This electricity can
be used to power vehicles, as a heat source and for many other uses. The advantage
of using hydrogen as an energy carrier is that when it combines with oxygen the only
byproducts are water and heat. No greenhouse gasses or other particulates are
produced by the use of hydrogen fuel cells.
2. Hydrogen can be produced locally from numerous sources. Hydrogen can be
produced either centrally, and then distributed, or onsite where it will be used.
Hydrogen gas can be produced from methane, gasoline, biomass, coal or water.
Each of these sources brings with it different amounts of pollution, technical
challenges, and energy requirements.
3. If hydrogen is produced from water we have a sustainable production system .
Electrolysis is the method of separating water into hydrogen and oxygen. Renewable
energy can be used to power electrolyzers to produce the hydrogen from water.
Using renewable energy provides a sustainable system that is independent of
petroleum products and is nonpolluting. Some of the renewable sources used to
power electrolyzers are wind, hydro, solar and tidal energy. After the hydrogen is
produced in an electrolyzer it can be used in a fuel cell to produce electricity. The by
products of the fuel cell process are water and heat. If fuel cells operate at high
temperatures the system can be set up as a co-generator, with the waste energy
used for heating.

Personal thought and Conclusions:

As we can see, starting to bring the hydrogen economy to our lives can bring
considerable changes such as the reduction of pollution, better possibilities for
populations with difficult access and the production of this energy does not generate
waste. But it is still difficult to bring this economy, as for example to Mexico, since
we still depend on fossil energy in addition to requiring significant planning for the
creation of infrastructure and not to mention that it is expensive. But in the end it is
a very promising energy which several countries are already betting on that energy.

References:

 Tseng, P. (s. f.). Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities and Challenges. Hydrogen

Economy-Opportunites and Challenges. Recuperado 29 de marzo de 2021, de
https://iea-etsap.org/workshop/worksh_6_2003/2003p_tseng.pdf
 Seelam, Rathnayake, Pitk€aaho, P. K. B. S. (2020). Overview on recent
developments on hydrogen energy: Production, catalysis, and sustainability.
Overview on recent developments on hydrogen energy: Production, catalysis, and
sustainability. https://sci-
hub.se/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978012817110300001
1
 The Future of Hydrogen – Analysis. (2019, junio). IEA.
https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen
 Benefits of the Hydrogen Economy. (s. f.). Hydrogen Energy Center. Recuperado
29 de marzo de 2021, de https://www.hydrogenenergycenter.org/benefits-of-the-
hydrogen-economy