FAQs

By many hydrogen is associated with explosiveness (maybe this comes from the school experiments on the hydrogen-oxygen reaction or from the misperception of accidents in which H2 was involved at a secondary level)

To burn H2 you need oxygen, at least 4% – vol H2 in air and an activation energy (e.g. a spark, electrostatic charge or 560°C as self-ignition temperature)

Hydrogen itself is not self-igniting – its only safety-relevant characteristic is that it is flammable (and it can be suffocating if it replaces oxygen, but is not toxic)

In a hydrogen tank under pressure, oxygen is never present – this is the main difference to gasoline, diesel or kerosene tanks (and constitutes a safety advantage)

LH2 is not a discovery neither a completely new technology; It has been used for years in different industrial applications.)

The first fuel cell was built in 1839 by Sir William Grove, a Welsh judge and gentleman scientist, who conducted dozens of experiments using his “gas battery.”

More than a century later, equipment manufacturer Allis Chalmers plowed a Wisconsin alfalfa field using fuel cell-powered tractor (1959).

Serious interest in the fuel cell as a practical energy generator did not begin until the 1960′s, when the U.S. space program chose fuel cells over riskier nuclear power and more expensive solar energy, using fuel cells to furnish power for the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and electricity and water for the space shuttle.

Also in the 1960s, the first passenger vehicle, a prototype van, was built by GM (1966); major auto manufacturers began more concerted fuel cell development efforts in the 1990s.

Fuel cells operate using hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe. Hydrogen combines readily with other elements and forms compounds. On Earth, hydrogen is chiefly combined with oxygen in the form of water.

One method of hydrogen production is via electrolysis – passing electricity through water between two electrodes. This process that can be made extremely clean and emissions-free by using electricity generated by renewable resources, such as solar or wind power.

Hydrogen is also present in organic matter, such as biomass and hydrocarbons. Thus any hydrogen-rich material can serve as a possible fuel source for fuel cells:
Hydrocarbon fuels – methanol, ethanol, natural gas, petroleum distillates, liquid propane and gasified coal – yield hydrogen in a process called reforming.

Although the use of reformed hydrogen does lead to some carbon dioxide emissions, highly-efficient fuel cell systems produce significantly lower emissions than conventional power plants. In fact, emissions are so low that some areas of the United States have exempted fuel cells from air permitting requirements.

Hydrogen can be extracted from renewable biogases, such as landfill gas produced during natural bacterial decomposition of organic material, or anaerobic digester gas generated at wastewater treatment plants, breweries and agricultural processing facilities. Hydrogen made from renewable energy resources provides an extremely clean and abundant energy source.

Hydrogen can be derived from compounds containing no carbon, such as ammonia (NH3) or borohydrides (BH4-).
In the lab, researchers are examining novel hydrogen generation methods using enzymes, algae and cyanobacteria.

Extracting any fuel takes energy – even getting gasoline from well to pump has a cost penalty equivalent of 20 percent of the energy content of gasoline. It does take more energy to generate hydrogen than gasoline, but looking at the whole picture is important. “Well-to-wheels” or “well-to-tank” analyses examine not only the energy cost, but also the environmental impacts from the entire pathway of producing, storing, distributing and utilizing different vehicle fuels.

An Argonne National Laboratory well-to-wheels analysis, for example, reports that most, but not all, fuel cell vehicle/fuel combinations achieve significant energy and greenhouse gas emission benefits over gasoline and alternatively-fueled vehicles.

A 2010 U.S. Department of Energy well-to-wheels analysis comparing internal combustion, battery and fuel cell vehicles found that fuel cell-electric vehicles are one of the lowest users of petroleum energy and emit significantly less levels greenhouse gases than most other vehicle technologies.

The United States – indeed, the world – has a fundamental strategic interest in pursuing the hydrogen economy.

Our nation’s reliance on fossil fuels presents fundamental challenges to our economic security, our energy security, our homeland security, and our environment. Hydrogen can be produced renewably and locally, giving communities a fuel flexible and secure energy source. Our current over-reliance on fossil fuels is untenable. Hydrogen and fuel cells must be an important part of our energy portfolio moving into the future.

Fuel cells can provide major environmental, energy and economic benefits that advance critical national goals. Development and optimization of energy technologies has always been a partnership between government and the private sector.

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have historically received less government support compared to other energy technologies. Tax credits for natural gas drilling, military support for gas turbine technology, support for solar power research, nuclear power research and coal cleanup technologies total in the hundred billions of dollars over the past few decades.

The U.S. faces fierce competition from other countries for leadership in fuel cell technology.

Japan, Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom are aggressively promoting fuel cell development with tax credits, low-interest loans, grants, and demonstration programs to support early purchases and drive down costs.

Additionally, these governments have been vocal in their support for fuel cell technologies, giving additional support to emerging fuel cell companies. The U.S. should pay close attention as other countries move aggressively towards a hydrogen and fuel cell future.