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INSIDE TECHNOLOGY
Can we generate our own fuel through a closed-loop cycle? The search for clean fuel to maintain the skies at the new ‘COVID-blue’ is relentless. Although still in early stages of research, hydrogen is gaining ground fast.
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e are used to depending upon coal and fossil fuel for most of our energy needs. Whether it is electric power generation for homes, offices and industry, for personal vehicles or for the entire transportation industry, we depend on these fuels. We also know that these fuels are obtained by mining and extracting from the earth. Now the question is, can we as a nation or as a species generate our own fuel? If so, which fuels? One well-known example is that of biofuel which is generated from dead and decaying plants. These are combustible chemicals such as ethanol (alcohol) and methanol. Another example in this list is hydrogen. Hydrogen is a fuel, which can be generated by us, without the need to mine for it. Besides, there is no hydrogen buried inside the earth.
to be used at a domestic or community level are small (1–100 kW) and those intended for industrial use are 1-20 MW capacity. There is plenty of scope for increase in the size and it is anticipated that 100 – 500 MW systems may be operational in the next 3-5 years. This hydrogen can be used in cars, buses or in power generations plants as well as for many other industrial uses such as in fertilizer production. The fertilizer production to support all our agricultural needs is a very large consumer of hydrogen
Electrolyzers
The discussion on this topic always starts from hydrogen fuel-cell cars and leads to the question, where is the hydrogen? So let us start with the source of hydrogen and then explain what to do with it. Hydrogen can be generated via electrolyzers. These are large machines which run on MWs of electricity and can generate about 4500 kilogram of hydrogen per day at a continuous power consumption of 10 MW. That amounts to 240 MWh of energy per day. The hydrogen and oxygen are produced by the process of electrolysis, which generates these gases by breaking the water molecule H2O. Some of the companies which have developed and installed electrolyzers are Hydrogenics, Ballard Power Systems, Toshiba, NEL Hydrogen, Proton-OnSite and ITM Power. The size of the system varies depending on the intended application. Systems | May-June 2020
indeed and a source of substantial CO2 emissions.
Why should we generate hydrogen?
Why should we generate our own hydrogen when there is already so much fossil fuel easily available, is a valid question. The answer is because we can, and because hydrogen is a clean fuel if electrolyzers are run on renewable resources. The objective of the hydrogen ecosystem is to build a closed loop system. The hydrogen
