Electrochemical technologies especially hydrogen fuel cells offer more efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives for the production of energy. Hydrogen fuel cells are based on the principle of galvanic cells, in which the chemical reactants are oxygen and hydrogen gases that flow past the anode and cathode. The chemical reactants are continuously supplied and consumed to produce water and electricity. Unlike the traditional car batteries, hydrogen fuel cells only produce water as the 'waste product' instead of harmful carbon monoxide fumes. However, there are some critical issues associated with the wide-spread use of hydrogen fuel cells. This video highlights these issues.
1) Electrolysis of water- Water is decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen in an electrolytic cell.
2) Reforming fossil fuels- Hydrocarbons are heated to split them into carbon and hydrogen.
There are critical problems associated with each of these methods. In the process of reforming, the left-over carbon is discarded into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. So this process is not environmentally friendly. On the other hand, electrolysis of water requires a lot of electricity. Now the problem is: Where will this electricity come from? Currently, 68% of the electricity in North America comes from coal or natural gas. For the promotion of hydrogen economy, we need to produce twice the amount of electricity that we are currently capable of producing.
The electrical-generation problem is probably the biggest barrier to the hydrogen economy. Once the electrical technology is refined and becomes inexpensive, fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen could replace gasoline internal combustion engines over the course of a decade or two.
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This is an interesting video which shows how Iceland is harnessing the geothermal energy to produce hydrogen for industrial use. Lets hope that Icelandic hydrogen fuel cell cars and buses will soon be on streets to truly begin an energy revolution.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U79CWDtdZOA