United States
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Why Generate Capital is Excited About the Prospects of Hydrogen
Dec 2019
Publication
On this weeks episode the team are talking all things hydrogen with Jigar Shah the President of Generate Capital and Co-host of the Energy Gang podcast. Jigar Shah has a well earned reputation as one of the most influential voices in the US clean energy market having pioneered no-money down solar with SunEdison and led the not for profit climate group the Carbon War Room. Since its founding in 2014 Generate Capital the company has provided $130 million of funds to a leading fuel cell provide Plug Power meanwhile in October 2019 Jigar declared hydrogen to be the ultimate clean electricity enabler. On the show we ask Jigar why he thinks Hydrogen is becoming interesting for investors today what business models he feels are exciting and offer the most attractive niches for hydrogen technology businesses whilst getting his side of the story on that time he met Chris at a conference…..All this and more on the show!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen Transportation Pathways via Pipelines and Truck Trailers: Implications as a Low Carbon Fuel
Sep 2022
Publication
Hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to play a significant role in the decarbonization of the transportation sector globally and especially in California given the strong regulatory and policy focus. Nevertheless numerous questions arise regarding the environmental impact of the hydrogen supply chain. Hydrogen is usually delivered on trucks in gaseous form but can also be transported via pipelines as gas or via trucks in liquid form. This study is a comparative attributional life cycle analysis of three hydrogen production methods alongside truck and pipeline transportation in gaseous form. Impacts assessed include global warming potential (GWP) nitrogen oxide volatile organic compounds and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). In terms of GWP the truck transportation pathway is more energy and ecologically intensive than pipeline transportation despite gaseous truck transport being more economical. A sensitivity analysis of pipeline transportation and life cycle inventories (LCI) attribution is included. Results are compared across multiple scenarios of the production and transportation pathways to discover the strongest candidates for minimizing the environmental footprint of hydrogen production and transportation. The results indicate the less ecologically intensive pathway is solar electrolysis through pipelines. For 1 percent pipeline attribution the total CO2eq produced per consuming 1 MJ of hydrogen in a fuel cell pickup truck along this pathway is 50.29 g.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Scaling Clean Hydrogen Production
Dec 2021
Publication
Today we are joined by our good friends from Enapter. The company is a leader in the clean hydrogen sector focused on AEM electrolyzer technology and innovative software solutions that make it possible to rapidly deploy and scale hydrogen production assets. For those who follow the hydrogen sector regularly it’s been hard not to hear Enapter-related news in 2021 and its impressive trajectory as they have gone public announced the plans for a brand new production facility in Germany (on which they have now begun construction) and most recently the announcement that Enapter was selected as the winner of the prestigious Earthshot prize. To do that we are absolutely delighted to have with us all the way from his home base in Thailand Thomas Chrometzka Chief Strategy Officer at Enapter and one of the people that we enjoy having on the show so much that we have brought him back again to fill us in on what he and Enapter are up to and what they have planned for the future of hydrogen.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
1921–2021: A Century of Renewable Ammonia Synthesis
Apr 2022
Publication
Synthetic ammonia manufactured by the Haber–Bosch process and its variants is the key to securing global food security. Hydrogen is the most important feedstock for all synthetic ammonia processes. Renewable ammonia production relies on hydrogen generated by water electrolysis using electricity generated from hydropower. This was used commercially as early as 1921. In the present work we discuss how renewable ammonia production subsequently emerged in those countries endowed with abundant hydropower and in particular in regions with limited or no oil gas and coal deposits. Thus renewable ammonia played an important role in national food security for countries without fossil fuel resources until after the mid-20th century. For economic reasons renewable ammonia production declined from the 1960s onward in favor of fossil-based ammonia production. However renewable ammonia has recently gained traction again as an energy vector. It is an important component of the rapidly emerging hydrogen economy. Renewable ammonia will probably play a significant role in maintaining national and global energy and food security during the 21st century.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Commercial Trucking at the Speed of Hydrogen
Jun 2021
Publication
The transportation and mobility sector is vast complex unwieldy and most excitingly an obvious area of focus for hydrogen fuel cell technology applications. Hydrogen FCEVs allow vehicles to run in a wide range of environments with zero tailpipe emissions and can do so without the need for extremely heavy battery cells and can be refueled in the same amount of time as a modern ICE vehicle. This makes hydrogen FCEVs an ideal fit for the heavy commercial transportation industry and is why Hyzon Motors has jumped at the opportunity to revolutionize the industry. The company has grabbed headlines all over the world with its ambitious plans for rolling out its trucks in the United States and other major markets. It has also made news with its recent announcement that the company is going public and has attracted significant investor interest. The EAH team is joined on this episode by Hyzon's CEO Craig Knight to talk about how the company is tackling some of the most significant challenges in decarbonizing transport and how it can make trucking a zero-emission operation.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Could Electrolysers Replicate Moore's Law?
Apr 2020
Publication
On this weeks episode the team are talking all things hydrogen with Sebastian-Justus Schmidt Chairman of Enapter and Thomas Chrometzka Head of Strategy at Enapter. On the show we discuss Enapter’s Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyser and why Enapter believe that their modular electrolyser approach will revolutionise the cost of green hydrogen. We also discuss the wide array of use cases and sectors that Enapter are already working with to provide their solution as well as their view on where the current barriers exist for the hydrogen market. All this and more on the show!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Hydrogen Production in the Swedish Power Sector: Considering Operational Volatilities and Long-term Uncertainties
Nov 2020
Publication
With more renewables on the Swedish electricity market while decommissioning nuclear power plants electricity supply increasingly fluctuates and electricity prices are more volatile. There is hence a need for securing the electricity supply before energy storage solutions become widespread. Electricity price fluctuations moreover affect operating income of nuclear power plants due to their inherent operational inflexibility. Since the anticipated new applications of hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles and steel production producing hydrogen has become a potential source of income particularly when there is a surplus supply of electricity at low prices. The feasibility of investing in hydrogen production was investigated in a nuclear power plant applying Swedish energy policy as background. The analysis applies a system dynamics approach incorporating the stochastic feature of electricity supply and prices. The study revealed that hydrogen production brings alternative opportunities for large-scale electricity production facilities in Sweden. Factors such as hydrogen price will be influential and require in-depth investigation. This study provides guidelines for power sector policymakers and managers who plan to engage in hydrogen production for industrial applications. Although this study was focused upon nuclear power sources it can be extended to hydrogen production from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Show Me the Money!
Jul 2020
Publication
This week on the show the team catch up with Alena Fargere Principal at SWEN Capital Partners and a former special advisor to the World Energy Council on Hydrogen projects. As one of the few current project finance funds in Europe with a green gas mandate and a dedicated allocation for investing in hydrogen project finance SWEN Capital Partners provide an invaluable perspective on the challenges and opportunities for hydrogen project investment in Europe and the synergies that exist from Green Gas funds that support biogas and hydrogen opportunities. On the show our hosts discuss the rationale for this fund the profile of projects SWEN are considering and Alena’s broader perspective on the hydrogen market. All this and many more themes this week so don’t miss this episode!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Greening the Maritime Transport Sector
Nov 2021
Publication
We have been talking about the difficulties of decarbonizing the maritime sector since the beginning of the Everything About Hydrogen podcast. For this episode we finally bring on the experts who are looking to make the changes in maritime and marine operations a reality for a zero-carbon shipping future. The EAH Team sits down with Tomas Tronstad Head of Shipping and Technology for the New Energy Division at Wilhelmsen Group. Founded in Norway in 1861 Wilhelmsen is now a comprehensive global maritime group providing essential products and services to the merchant fleet along with supplying crew and technical management to the largest and most complex vessels ever to sail. Committed to shaping the maritime industry the company also seeks to develop new opportunities and collaborations in renewables zero-emission shipping and marine digitalization. Tomas is helping Wilhelmsen achieve its decarbonization ambitions and we are delighted to share our conversation with him with our listerners!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Current Status of Automotive Fuel Cells for Sustainable Transport
May 2019
Publication
Automotive proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have finally reached a state of technological readiness where several major automotive companies are commercially leasing and selling fuel cell electric vehicles including Toyota Honda and Hyundai. These now claim vehicle speed and acceleration refueling time driving range and durability that rival conventional internal combustion engines and in most cases outperform battery electric vehicles. The residual challenges and areas of improvement which remain for PEMFCs are performance at high current density durability and cost. These are expected to be resolved over the coming decade while hydrogen infrastructure needs to become widely available. Here we briefly discuss the status of automotive PEMFCs misconceptions about the barriers that platinum usage creates and the remaining hurdles for the technology to become broadly accepted and implemented.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: High-temperature Fuel Cells at High Altitudes
Jun 2021
Publication
HyPoint led by its CEO and co-founder Alex Ivanenko is at the cutting edge of the industry's efforts to find zero-emissions aircraft propulsion systems that do not sacrifice speed and power in the name of sustainability. HyPoint is a leading producer of high-temperature PEM fuel cells for aviation applications including for logistic drones air taxis electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) and fixed-wing airplanes. On this episode of the EAH podcast the team speaks with Alex about the incredible pace of development and rapid innovation that he and his colleagues are driving in the hydrogen aviation space and how his company is leading the way in a highly complex and competitive race to decarbonize modern air travel.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Hydrogen Compatability of Structural Materials in Natural Gas Networks
Sep 2021
Publication
There is growing interest in utilizing existing infrastructure for storage and distribution of hydrogen. Gaseous hydrogen for example could be added to natural gas in the short-term whereas entire systems can be converted to transmission and distribution networks for hydrogen. Many active programs around the world are exploring the safety and feasibility of adding hydrogen to these networks. Concerns have been raised about the structural integrity of materials in these systems when exposed to hydrogen. In general the effects of hydrogen on these materials are grossly misunderstood. Hydrogen unequivocally degrades fatigue and fracture resistance of structural steels in these systems even for low hydrogen partial pressure (-l bar). In most systems however hydrogen effects will not be apparent because the stresses in these systems remain very low. Another misunderstanding results from the kinetics of the hydrogen effects: hydrogen degrades fatigue and fracture properties immediately upon exposure to gaseous hydrogen and those effects disappear when the hydrogen environment is removed even after prolonged exposure. There is also a misperception that materials selection can mitigate hydrogen effects. While some classes of materials perform better in hydrogen environments than other classes for most practical circumstances the range of response for a given class of material in gaseous hydrogen environments is rather narrow. These observations can be systematically characterized by considering the intersection of materials environmental and mechanical variables associated with the service application. Indeed any safety assessment of a hydrogen pressure system must quantitatively consider these aspects. In this report we quantitatively evaluate the importance of the materials environmental and mechanical variables in the context of hydrogen additions to natural gas piping and pipeline systems with the aim of providing an informed perspective on parameters relevant for assessing structural integrity of natural gas systems in the presence of gaseous hydrogen.
Influences on Hydrogen Production at a Wind Farm
Dec 2022
Publication
If an affordable infrastructure for low-carbon-intensity hydrogen can be developed then hydrogen is expected to become a key factor in decarbonizing the atmosphere. This research focuses on factors an existing wind farm operator would consider when weighing participating in the electricity market the hydrogen market or both. The solutions depend on the state of technology which is changing rapidly the local market structures the local natural resources and the local pre-existing infrastructure. Consequently this investigation used an assessment approach that examined the variation of net present value. The investigation identified profitability conditions under three different scenarios: 1) Make and sell what makes economic sense at the time of production 2) Use electrolyzer and fuel cell to consume power from the grid at times of low net demand and to produce electricity at times of high net demand 3) Same as #2 but also market hydrogen directly when profitable.
Green Hydrogen in Developing Countries
Aug 2020
Publication
In the future green hydrogen—hydrogen produced with renewable energy resources—could provide developing countries with a zero-carbon energy carrier to support national sustainable energy objectives and it needs further consideration by policy makers and investors. Developing countries with good renewable energy resources could produce green hydrogen locally generating economic opportunities and increasing energy security by reducing exposure to oil price volatility and supply disruptions. Support from development finance institutions and concessional funds could play an important role in deploying first-of-a-kind green hydrogen projects accelerating the uptake of green hydrogen in developing countries and increasing capacity and creating the necessary policy and regulatory enabling environment.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Taking Hydrogen off the Grid
Jun 2022
Publication
On this episode of Everything About Hydrogen we chat with Andrew Cunningham Founder and Director at GeoPura. GeoPura is enabling the production transport and use of zero-emissions fuels with innovative and commercially viable technology to decarbonise the global economy. As the world transitions away from fossils fuels there is an increasing need for reliable clean electricity. If global power demand continues to grow as expected the electricity grid system will need support from renewable energy sources such as hydrogen and fuel cell power generator. GeoPura seeks to address exactly that kind of need.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Safety Compliance Verification of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Exhaust
Sep 2021
Publication
NREL has been developing compliance verification tools for allowable hydrogen levels prescribed by the Global Technical Regulation Number 13 (GTR-13) for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). As per GTR-13 FCEV exhaust is to remain below 4 vol% H2 over a 3-second moving average and shall not at any time exceed 8 vol% H2 and that this requirement is to be verified with an analyzer that has a response time of less than 300 ms. To be enforceable a means to verify regulatory requirements must exist. In response to this need NREL developed a prototype analyzer that meets the GTR metrological requirements for FCEV exhaust analysis. The analyzer was tested on a commercial fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) under simulated driving conditions using a chassis dynamometer at the Emissions Research and Measurement Section of Environment and Climate Change Canada and FCEV exhaust was successfully profiled. Although the prototype FCEV Exhaust Analyzer met the metrological requirements of GTR-13 the stability of the hydrogen sensor was adversely impacted by condensed water in the sample gas. FCEV exhaust is at an elevated temperature and nearly saturated with water vapor. Furthermore condensed water is present in the form of droplets. Condensed water in the sample gas collected from FCEV exhaust can accumulate on the hydrogen sensing element which would not only block access of hydrogen to the sensing element but can also permanently damage the sensor electronics. In the past year the design of the gas sampling system was modified to mitigate against the transport of liquid water to the sensing element. Laboratory testing confirmed the effectiveness of the modified sampling system water removal strategy while maintaining the measurement range and response time required by GTR-13. Testing of the upgraded analyzer design on an FCEV operating on a chassis dynamometer is scheduled for the summer of 2021.
Development of Risk Mitigation Guidance for Hydrogen Sensor Placement Indoors and Outdoors
Sep 2021
Publication
Guidance on Sensor Placement remains one of the top priorities for the safe deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell equipment in the commercial marketplace. Building on the success of Phase l work reported at TCHS20l9 and published in TJHE this paper discusses the consecutive steps to further develop and validate such guidance for mechanically ventilated enclosures. The key step included a more in-depth analysis of sensitivity to variation of physical parameters in a small enclosure. and finally expansion of the developed approach to confined spaces in an outdoor environment.
Protocol for Heavy-duty Hydrogen Refueling: A Modelling Benchmark
Sep 2021
Publication
For the successful deployment of the Heavy Duty (HD) hydrogen vehicles an associated infrastructure in particular hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) should be reliable compliant with regulations and optimized to reduce the related costs. FCH JU project PRHYDE aims to develop a sophisticated protocol dedicated to HD applications. The target of the project is to develop protocol and recommendations for an efficient refueling of 350 500 and 700 bar HD tanks of types III and IV. This protocol is based on modeling results as well as experimental data. Different partners of the PRHYDE European project are closely working together on this target. However modeling approaches and corresponding tools must first be compared and validated to ensure the high level of reliability for the modeling results. The current paper presents the benchmark performed in the frame of the project by Air Liquide Engie Wenger Engineering and NREL. The different models used were compared and calibrated to the configurations proposed by the PRHYDE project. In addition several scenarios were investigated to explore different cases with high ambient temperatures.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Using Hydrogen to Decarbonise Steel Manufacturing
Mar 2022
Publication
Hydrogen could be used in many hard-to-decarbonize sectors. Foremost amongst them is the steel manufacturing industry. On this episode of EAH we speak with Dr. Martin Pei Executive Vice President and CTO of SSAB and the first Chairman of the Board for Hybrit Development AB. SSAB is a global steel company with a leading position in high-strength steels and related services. Together with their partners LKAB and Vattenfall SSAB are making a unique joint effort to change the Swedish iron and steel industry fundamentally. With HYBRIT technology SSAB aims to be the first steel company in the world to bring fossil-free steel to the market already in 2026 and largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the company's own operations as soon as 2030.
The podcast can be found on their website.
The podcast can be found on their website.
“Bigger than Government”: Exploring the Social Construction and Contestation of Net-zero Industrial Megaprojects in England
Jan 2023
Publication
Industry is frequently framed as hard-to-decarbonize given its diversity of requirements technologies and supply chains many of which are unique to particular sectors. Net zero commitments since 2019 have begun to challenge the carbon intensity of these various industries but progress has been slow globally. Against this backdrop the United Kingdom has emerged as a leader in industrial decarbonization efforts. Their approach is based on industrial clusters which cut across engineering spatial and socio-political dimensions. Two of the largest of these clusters in England in terms of industrial emissions are the Humber and Merseyside. In this paper drawn from a rich mixed methods original dataset involving expert interviews (N = 46 respondents) site visits (N = 20) a review of project documents and the academic literature we explore ongoing efforts to decarbonize both the Humber and Merseyside through the lens of spatially expansive and technically complex megaprojects. Both have aggressive implementation plans in place for the deployment of net-zero infrastructure with Zero Carbon Humber seeking billions in investment to build the country’s first large-scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plant alongside a carbon transport network and hydrogen production infrastructure and HyNet seeking billions in investment to build green and blue hydrogen facilities along with a carbon storage network near Manchester and Liverpool. We draw from the social construction of technology (SCOT) literature to examine the relevant social groups interpretive flexibility and patterns of closure associated with Zero Carbon Humber and HyNet. We connect our findings to eight interpretive frames surrounding the collective projects and make connections to problems contestation and closure.
Time-phased Geospatial Siting Analysis for Renewable Hydrogen Production Facilities under a Billion-kilogram-scale Build-out using California as an Example
Jun 2022
Publication
For renewable hydrogen to be a significant part of the future decarbonized energy and transportation sectors a rapid and massive build-out of hydrogen production facilities will be needed. This paper describes a geospatial modeling approach to identifying the optimal locations for renewable hydrogen fuel production throughout the state of California based on least-cost generation and transport. This is accomplished by (1) estimating and projecting California renewable hydrogen demand scenarios through the year 2050 (2) identifying feedstock locations (3) excluding areas not suitable for development and (4) selecting optimal site locations using commercial geospatial modeling software. The findings indicate that there is a need for hundreds of new renewable hydrogen production facilities in the decades preceding the year 2050. In selecting sites for development feedstock availability by technology type is the driving factor."
Techno-economic Analysis of Freight Railway Electrification by Overhead Line, Hydrogen and Batteries: Case Studies in Norway and USA
Aug 2019
Publication
Two non-electrified railway lines one in Norway and the other in the USA are analysed for their potential to be electrified with overhead line equipment batteries hydrogen or hydrogen-battery hybrid powertrains. The energy requirements are established with single-train simulations including the altitude profiles of the lines air and rolling resistances and locomotive tractive-effort curves. The composition of the freight trains in terms of the number of locomotives battery wagons hydrogen wagons etc. is also calculated by the same model. The different technologies are compared by the criteria of equivalent annual costs benefit–cost ratio payback period and up-front investment based on the estimated techno-economic parameters for years 2020 2030 and 2050. The results indicate the potential of batteries and fuel cells to replace diesel on rail lines with low traffic volumes.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Masters of Scale: The World of SOFC & SOE Technologies
Oct 2020
Publication
On this week's episode the EAH team catches up with Mark Selby Chief Technology Officer at Ceres Power to dive into the world of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOE) technologies. Ceres Power specializes in the design of SOFCs for applications in a diverse range of energy intensive sectors. Mark takes the time in this episode to walk the team through the details advantages and challenges of deploying SOFCs and low-carbon hydrogen solutions more broadly and discusses how consumer and customer awareness of these technologies varies widely across international markets. We cover a lot of ground this week so be sure not to miss out on our conversation with Mark!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Hydrogen News Roundup and Hydrogen Q&A
Jun 2020
Publication
This week on the show the team take a pause to review the current state of hydrogen and fuel cell affairs globally whilst taking time to go over all the excellent questions that our listeners have kindly shared with us over the last few months. We cover carbon capture the green new deal synthetic fuels hydrogenspiders green hydrogen in Australia and many more themes this week so don’t miss this episode!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Water Photo-Oxidation Reaction on Clean and Doped Two-Dimensional Graphitic C2N
Apr 2020
Publication
In the search for new efficient photo-catalysts for hydrogen production through water splitting the main attention has been paid to tuning the band gap width and its position with respect to vacuum level. However actual electro-catalytic activity for the water oxidation reaction on a catalyst surface is no less important than those quantities. In this work we evaluate from first principles the thermodynamics of the reaction on relatively new candidates for water splitting: two-dimensional C2N and that doped with phosphorus. We find that the 4-step reaction usually expected for water splitting will not proceed on these systems resulting in oxygen atoms left strongly adsorbed to the surface. Another option a 3-step reaction is also found to be unfavorable. We also test an effect of higher oxygen coverage on the reaction thermodynamics as suggested elsewhere. We find that indeed the doubled O-coverage makes the 4-step reaction feasible for the doped C2N. However an unacceptably high anode potential is required to make this reaction proceed. We thus conclude that the materials under consideration may not be efficient electro-catalysts for water splitting.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Back to a Hydrogen Future?
Mar 2020
Publication
On this weeks episode the team are talking all things hydrogen with Mark Neller Director at Arup. On the show we discuss the UK’s Hydrogen4Heat program where Arup has been leading the UK government’s work on the safety and practical considerations that are necessary to examine whether hydrogen could be a serious solutions for decarbonising UK residential commercial and industry heat. We also discuss the Nikola Badger the need for system wide planning when considering decarbonisation pathways for heat. All this and more on the show!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Ammonia Production from Clean Hydrogen and the Implications for Global Natural Gas Demand
Jan 2023
Publication
Non-energy use of natural gas is gaining importance. Gas used for 183 million tons annual ammonia production represents 4% of total global gas supply. 1.5-degree pathways estimate an ammonia demand growth of 3–4-fold until 2050 as new markets in hydrogen transport shipping and power generation emerge. Ammonia production from hydrogen produced via water electrolysis with renewable power (green ammonia) and from natural gas with CO2 storage (blue ammonia) is gaining attention due to the potential role of ammonia in decarbonizing energy value chains and aiding nations in achieving their net-zero targets. This study assesses the technical and economic viability of different routes of ammonia production with an emphasis on a systems level perspective and related process integration. Additional cost reductions may be driven by optimum sizing of renewable power capacity reducing losses in the value chain technology learning and scale-up reducing risk and a lower cost of capital. Developing certification and standards will be necessary to ascertain the extent of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain as well as improving the enabling conditions including innovative finance and de-risking for facilitating international trade market creation and large-scale project development.
Numerical Modelling of H2 Storage with Cushion Gas of CO2 in Subsurface Porous Media: Filter Effects of CO2 Solubility
Jun 2022
Publication
The central objective of this study is to improve the understanding of flow behaviour during hydrogen (H2) storage in subsurface porous media with a cushion gas of carbon dioxide (CO2). In this study we investigate the interactions between various factors driving the flow behaviour including the underlying permeability heterogeneity viscous instability and the balance between the viscous and gravity forces. In particular we study the impact of CO2 solubility in water on the level of H2 purity. This effect is demonstrated for the first time in the context of H2 storage. We have performed a range of 2D vertical cross-sectional simulations at the decametre scale with a very fine cell size (0.1 m) to capture the flow behaviour in detail. This is done since it is at this scale that much of the mixing between injected and native fluids occurs in physical porous media. It is found that CO2 solubility may have different (positive and negative) impacts on the H2 recovery performance (i.e. on the purity of the produced H2) depending on the flow regimes in the system. In the viscous dominated regime the less viscous H2 may infiltrate and bypass the cushion gas of CO2 during the period of H2 injection. This leads to a quick and dramatic reduction in the H2 purity when back producing H2 due to the co-production of the previously bypassed CO2. Interestingly the impurity levels in the H2 are much less severe in the case when CO2 solubility in water is considered. This is because the bypassed CO2 will redissolve into the water surrounding the bypassed zones which greatly retards the movement of CO2 towards the producer. In the gravity dominated scenario H2 accumulates at the top of the model and displaces the underlying cushion gas in an almost piston-like fashion. Approximately 58% of H2 can be recovered at a purity level above 98% (combustion requirements by ISO) in this gravity-dominated case. However when CO2 solubility is considered the H2 recovery performance is slightly degraded. This is because the dissolved CO2 is also gradually vaporised during H2 injection which leads to an expansion of mixing zone of CO2 and H2. This in turn reduces the period of high H2 purity level (>98%) during back-production.
Sufficiency, Sustainability, and Circularity of Critical Materials for Clean Hydrogen
Jan 2022
Publication
Effective global decarbonization will require an array of solutions across a portfolio of low-carbon resources. One such solution is developing clean hydrogen. This unique fuel has the potential to minimize climate change impacts helping decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and global transport while also promoting energy security sustainable growth and job creation. The authors estimate suggest that hydrogen needs to grow seven-fold to support the global energy transition eventually accounting for ten percent of total energy consumption by 2050. A scaleup of this magnitude will increase demand for materials such as aluminum copper iridium nickel platinum vanadium and zinc to support hydrogen technologies - renewable electricity technologies and the electrolyzers for renewable hydrogen carbon storage for low-carbon hydrogen or fuel cells using hydrogen to power transport. This report a joint product of the World Bank and the Hydrogen Council examines these three critical areas. Using new data on the material intensities of key technologies the report estimates the amount of critical minerals needed to scale clean hydrogen. In addition it shows how incorporating sustainable practices and policies for mining and processing materials can help minimize environmental impacts. Key among these approaches is the use of recycled materials innovations in design in order to reduce material intensities and adoption of policies from the Climate Smart Mining (CSM) Framework to reduce impacts to greenhouse gas emissions and water footprint.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Hydrogen on a Global Scale
Aug 2022
Publication
On today’s episode of Everything About Hydrogen we are speaking with Dan Sadler Vice President for UK Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor. Equinor is of course a giant in the global energy sector and is taking a prominent role in the development of the international hydrogen economy with high-profile investments in a number of large-scale production projects in major markets such as the UK. Dan has spent the better part of a decade focused on how to leverage hydrogen’s potential as a fuel for the energy transition and we are excited to have him with us to discuss how Equinor is deploying hydrogen technologies and how he and Equinor expect hydrogen to play a role in a decarbonized energy future.
The podcast can be found on their website.
The podcast can be found on their website.
Quantifying the Potential of Renewable Natural Gas to Support a Reformed Energy Landscape: Estimates for New York State
Jun 2021
Publication
Public attention to climate change challenges our locked-in fossil fuel-dependent energy sector. Natural gas is replacing other fossil fuels in our energy mix. One way to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of fossil natural gas is to replace it with renewable natural gas (RNG). The benefits of utilizing RNG are that it has no climate change impact when combusted and utilized in the same applications as fossil natural gas. RNG can be injected into the gas grid used as a transportation fuel or used for heating and electricity generation. Less common applications include utilizing RNG to produce chemicals such as methanol dimethyl ether and ammonia. The GHG impact should be quantified before committing to RNG. This study quantifies the potential production of biogas (i.e. the precursor to RNG) and RNG from agricultural and waste sources in New York State (NYS). It is unique because it is the first study to provide this analysis. The results showed that only about 10% of the state’s resources are used to generate biogas of which a small fraction is processed to RNG on the only two operational RNG facilities in the state. The impact of incorporating a second renewable substitute for fossil natural gas “green” hydrogen is also analyzed. It revealed that injecting RNG and “green” hydrogen gas into the pipeline system can reduce up to 20% of the state’s carbon emissions resulting from fossil natural gas usage which is a significant GHG reduction. Policy analysis for NYS shows that several state and federal policies support RNG production. However the value of RNG can be increased 10-fold by applying a similar incentive policy to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Venturing into Hydrogen
Apr 2021
Publication
Since 2014 when the firm was founded within Anglo-American AP Ventures has been at the forefront of investment in hydrogen sector technologies. At the time the firm started the concerns around climate change and investment in renewable energy tech was gearing up but interest in hydrogen as part of the path to a decarbonized future was limited. The founders of AP Ventures felt differently and saw significant potential for hydrogen to offer a means for cleaning up highly carbon intensive sectors such as heavy transport industrial manufacturing and mining operations. Today that vision for hydrogen appears rather prescient. We are delighted to have two members from the team at AP Ventures with us on the show today. The team is joined by Kevin Eggers - a founding partner at AP - and Michell Robson - associate on the firm's investment team.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Outlook of Fermentative Hydrogen Production Techniques: An Overview of Dark, Photo and Integrated Dark-photo Fermentative Approach to Biomass
Jan 2019
Publication
Biomass can be a sustainable choice for bioenergy production worldwide. Biohydrogen production using fermentative conversion of biomass has gained great interest during the last decade. Besides being an efficient transportation fuel biohydrogen can also be also be a low-carbon source of heat and electricity. Microbes assisted conversion (bioconversion) can be take place either in presence or absence of light. This is called photofermentation or dark-fermentation respectively. This review provides an overview of approaches of fermentative hydrogen production. This includes: dark photo and integrated fermentative modes of hydrogen production; the molecular basis behind its production and diverse range of its applicability industrially. Mechanistic understanding of the metabolic pathways involved in biomass-based fermentative hydrogen production are also reviewed.
Research Requirements to Move the Bar Forward Using Aqueous Formate Salts as H2 Carriers for Energy Storage Applications
Nov 2020
Publication
In this perspective on hydrogen carriers we focus on the needs for the development of robust active catalysts for the release of H2 from aqueous formate solutions which are non-flammable non-toxic thermally stable and readily available at large scales at reasonable cost. Formate salts can be stockpiled in the solid state or dissolved in water for long term storage and transport using existing infrastructure. Furthermore formate salts are readily regenerated at moderate pressures using the same catalyst as for the H2 release. There have been several studies focused on increasing the activity of catalysts to release H2 at moderate temperatures i.e. < 80 °C below the operating temperature of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. One significant challenge to enable the use of aqueous formate salts as hydrogen carriers is the deactivation of the catalyst under operating conditions. In this work we provide a review of the most efficient heterogeneous catalysts that have been described in the literature their proposed modes of deactivation and the strategies reported to reactivate them. We discuss potential pathways that may lead to deactivation and strategies to mitigate it in a variety of H2 carrier applications. We also provide an example of a potential use case employing formate salts solutions using a fixed bed reactor for seasonal storage of energy for a microgrid application.
Analysis of a Large Balloon Explosion Incident
Sep 2021
Publication
On December 19 2017 a large balloon containing about 22 thousand cubic meters of hydrogen was deliberately torn open to initiate deflation at the completion of a filling test. An inadvertent ignition occurred after about two seconds and caused an explosion that produced extensive light damage to a large building near the balloon test pad. The analysis described here includes an estimate of the buoyancy induced mixing into the torn balloon and the blast wave produced by assumed constant flame speed combustion of the 55% to 65% hydrogen-in-air mixture. Comparisons of calculated blast wave pressures are consistent with estimates of the pressure needed to cause the observed building damage for flame speeds in the range 85 m/s to about 100 m/s.
Challenges Toward Achieving a Successful Hydrogen Economy in the US: Potential End-use and Infrastructure Analysis to the Year 2100
Jul 2022
Publication
Fossil fuels continue to exacerbate climate change due to large carbon emissions resulting from their use across a number of sectors. An energy transition away from fossil fuels seems inevitable and energy sources such as renewables and hydrogen may provide a low carbon alternative for the future energy system particularly in large emitting nations such as the United States. This research quantifies and maps potential hydrogen fuel distribution pathways for the continental US reflecting technological changes barriers to deployment and end-use-cases from 2020 to 2100 clarifying the potential role of hydrogen in the US energy transition. The methodology consists of two parts a linear optimization of the global energy system constrained by carbon reduction targets and system cost followed by a projection of hydrogen infrastructure development. Key findings include the emergence of trade pattern diversification with a greater variety of end-uses associated with imported fuels and greater annual hydrogen consumption over time. Further sensitivity analysis identified the influence of complementary technologies including nuclear power and carbon capture and storage technologies. We conclude that hydrogen penetration into the US energy system is economically viable and can contribute toward achieving Paris Agreement and more aggressive carbon reduction targets in the future.
Influence of Non-equilibrium Conditions on Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank Behavior
Sep 2021
Publication
In a liquid hydrogen storage tank hydrogen vapor exists above the cryogenic liquid. A common modeling assumption of a liquid hydrogen tank is thermodynamic equilibrium. However this assumption may not hold in all conditions. A non-equilibrium storage tank with a pressure relief valve and a burst disc in parallel was modeled in this work. The model includes different boiling regimes to handle scenarios with high heat transfer. The model was first validated with a scenario where normal boil-off from an unused tank was compared to experimental data. Then four abnormal tank scenarios were explored: a loss of vacuum in the insulation layer a high ambient temperature (to simulate an engulfing fire) a high ambient temperature with a simultaneous loss of vacuum and high conduction through the insulation layer. The burst disc of the tank opened only in the cases with extreme heat transfer to the tank (i.e. fire with a loss of vacuum and high insulation conductivity) quickly releasing the hydrogen. In the cases with only a loss of vacuum or only external heat from fire the pressure relief valve on the tank managed to moderate the pressure below the burst disc activation pressure. The high insulation conductivity case highlights differences between the equilibrium and non-equilibrium tank models. The mass loss from the tank through the burst disc is slower using a non-equilibrium model because mass transfer from the liquid to gas phase within the tank becomes limiting. The implications of this model and how it can be used to help inform safety codes and standards are discussed.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Masters of Scale: Mobilizing the Mobility Sector (Around Hydrogen Fuel Cells)
Nov 2020
Publication
We talk a lot on the EAH podcast series about where hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) fit into the overall zero emission vehicle (ZEV) ecosystem. From personal passenger vehicles and the family car to commercial trucking and public transportation fleets and everything in between. Different vehicles and different use cases call for different capabilities and that is what makes the future of decarbonized transportation co interesting.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Prospects of Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Systems
Aug 2020
Publication
Combined heat and power (CHP) in a single and integrated device is concurrent or synchronized production of many sources of usable power typically electric as well as thermal. Integrating combined heat and power systems in today’s energy market will address energy scarcity global warming as well as energy-saving problems. This review highlights the system design for fuel cell CHP technologies. Key among the components discussed was the type of fuel cell stack capable of generating the maximum performance of the entire system. The type of fuel processor used was also noted to influence the systemic performance coupled with its longevity. Other components equally discussed was the power electronics. The thermal and water management was also noted to have an effect on the overall efficiency of the system. Carbon dioxide emission reduction reduction of electricity cost and grid independence were some notable advantages associated with fueling cell combined heat and power systems. Despite these merits the high initial capital cost is a key factor impeding its commercialization. It is therefore imperative that future research activities are geared towards the development of novel and cheap materials for the development of the fuel cell which will transcend into a total reduction of the entire system. Similarly robust systemic designs should equally be an active research direction. Other types of fuel aside hydrogen should equally be explored. Proper risk assessment strategies and documentation will similarly expand and accelerate the commercialization of this novel technology. Finally public sensitization of the technology will also make its acceptance and possible competition with existing forms of energy generation feasible. The work in summary showed that proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM fuel cell) operated at a lower temperature-oriented cogeneration has good efficiency and is very reliable. The critical issue pertaining to these systems has to do with the complication associated with water treatment. This implies that the balance of the plant would be significantly affected; likewise the purity of the gas is crucial in the performance of the system. An alternative to these systems is the PEM fuel cell systems operated at higher temperatures.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Decarbonizing Steel and Industrial Manufacturing
May 2022
Publication
H2 Green Steel was founded in 2020 with the aim to build a large-scale green steel production in northern Sweden. H2 Green Steel is on a mission to undertake the global steel industry’s greatest ever technological shift. By 2024 H2 Green Steel will be in production at their Boden site and by 2030 will produce five million tonnes of green steel annually. Vargas co-founder and a major shareholder in Northvolt is also H2 Green Steel’s founder and largest shareholder. The EAH team speaks with Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren head of the Hydrogen Business Unit at H2 Green Steel.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Hydrogen Technology: The Engineer's Perspective
Sep 2020
Publication
The team are joined by Dr. Jenifer Baxter of the Institution for Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE). Dr. Baxter is based in the UK and is the Chief Engineer at IMECHE. We often focus heavily on the business cases and development models at the heart of the hydrogen economy here at EAH. On this episode we bring the technical discussion to the forefront and speak with Dr. Baxter about the technical advantages and the challenges that hydrogen presents as an essential part of the path to decarbonizing the future. The team's conversation is a can't miss exploration of a wide range of potential applications for hydrogen technologies that brings a new and essential perspective to the podcast. Don't miss out on EAH's newest episode where we get the engineer's perspective on the future of hydrogen!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
How Green is Blue Hydrogen?
Jul 2021
Publication
Hydrogen is often viewed as an important energy carrier in a future decarbonized world. Currently most hydrogen is produced by steam reforming of methane in natural gas (“gray hydrogen”) with high carbon dioxide emissions. Increasingly many propose using carbon capture and storage to reduce these emissions producing so-called “blue hydrogen” frequently promoted as low emissions. We undertake the first effort in a peer-reviewed paper to examine the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of blue hydrogen accounting for emissions of both carbon dioxide and unburned fugitive methane. Far from being low carbon greenhouse gas emissions from the production of blue hydrogen are quite high particularly due to the release of fugitive methane. For our default assumptions (3.5% emission rate of methane from natural gas and a 20-year global warming potential) total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for blue hydrogen are only 9%-12% less than for gray hydrogen. While carbon dioxide emissions are lower fugitive methane emissions for blue hydrogen are higher than for gray hydrogen because of an increased use of natural gas to power the carbon capture. Perhaps surprisingly the greenhouse gas footprint of blue hydrogen is more than 20% greater than burning natural gas or coal for heat and some 60% greater than burning diesel oil for heat again with our default assumptions. In a sensitivity analysis in which the methane emission rate from natural gas is reduced to a low value of 1.54% greenhouse gas emissions from blue hydrogen are still greater than from simply burning natural gas and are only 18%-25% less than for gray hydrogen. Our analysis assumes that captured carbon dioxide can be stored indefinitely an optimistic and unproven assumption. Even if true though the use of blue hydrogen appears difficult to justify on climate ground
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: FCEV's "Down Under"
Dec 2020
Publication
On today's show the EAH team will be joined by Brendan Norman to talk about deployment of sustainable FCEV technologies across many different segments of the transport sector and utility vehicles. Brendan is the CEO of H2X a new vehicle manufacturing company based in Sydney with a manufacturing facility in Port Kembla will deliver its first hydrogen FCEVs to market beginning in 2022 before expanding its vehicle offerings in subsequent years. Brendan joined the EAH team via SquadCast from Kuala Lumpur to talk fuel cells with us and you don't want to miss the excellent discussion that we had on this week's episode.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Highway to the Hydrogen Zone
May 2020
Publication
On this weeks episode the team discuss hydrogen for aviation with ZeroAvia. Val launched ZeroAvia to provide a genuinely zero emission flight proposition with two aircraft currently undergoing trials in California and the UK. The company is due to complete a 300 mile flight of its six seater aircraft from the Orkney islands to the Scottish mainland this summer 2020 with plans for twenty seat planes flying regional routes as early as 20205. On the show we discuss why Val set up ZeroAvia how the proposition stacks up against conventional alternatives infrastructure and plans for the future. All this and more on the show!
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Geopolitical Factors in Hydrogen Markets
Mar 2022
Publication
The EAH Team takes a break from standard format on this special episode of Everything About Hydrogen to discuss some of the geopolitical factors and considerations driving the evolution of global hydrogen markets.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Going "Green"
May 2021
Publication
Founded in 2007 and based in Denmark Green Hydrogen Systems designs and manufactures efficient standardized and modular electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen with renewable energy. Niels-Arne Baden has led the company to the upper echelons of the electrolysis sector and he now leads the company's strategy and and public-facing initiatives as the Vice President for Strategy and Public Affairs. On this episode of the Everything About Hydrogen podcast the EAH team sits down with Niels to talk about the journey of the clean hydrogen sector over the recent decades and its rise to prominence in the transition to a decarbonized energy future and how modular electrolysis fits into that picture.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Improvement of Temperature and Humidity Control of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Sep 2021
Publication
Temperature and humidity are two important interconnected factors in the performance of PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). The fuel and oxidant humidity and stack temperature in a fuel cell were analyzed in this study. There are many factors that affect the temperature and humidity of the stack. We adopt the fuzzy control method of multi-input and multi-output to control the temperature and humidity of the stack. A model including a driver vehicle transmission motor air feeding electrical network stack hydrogen supply and cooling system was established to study the fuel cell performance. A fuzzy controller is proven to be better in improving the output power of fuel cells. The three control objectives are the fan speed control for regulating temperature the solenoid valve on/off control of the bubble humidifier for humidity variation and the speed of the pump for regulating temperature difference. In addition the results from the PID controller stack model and the fuzzy controller stack model are compared in this research. The fuel cell bench test has been built to validate the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy control. The maximum temperature of the stack can be reduced by 5 ◦C with the fuzzy control in this paper so the fuel cell output voltage (power) increases by an average of approximately 5.8%.
A Combined Chemical-Electrochemical Process to Capture CO2 and Produce Hydrogen and Electricity
Sep 2021
Publication
Several carbon sequestration technologies have been proposed to utilize carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to produce energy and chemical compounds. However feasible technologies have not been adopted due to the low efficiency conversion rate and high-energy requirements. Process intensification increases the process productivity and efficiency by combining chemical reactions and separation operations. In this work we present a model of a chemical-electrochemical cyclical process that can capture carbon dioxide as a bicarbonate salt. The proposed process also produces hydrogen and electrical energy. Carbon capture is enhanced by the reaction at the cathode that displaces the equilibrium into bicarbonate production. Literature data show that the cyclic process can produce stable operation for long times by preserving ionic balance using a suitable ionic membrane that regulates ionic flows between the two half-cells. Numerical simulations have validated the proof of concept. The proposed process could serve as a novel CO2 sequestration technology while producing electrical energy and hydrogen.
Hydrogen Storage Assessment in Depleted Oil Reservoir and Saline Aquifer
Oct 2022
Publication
Hydrogen (H2 ) is an attractive energy carrier to move store and deliver energy in a form that can be easily used. Field proven technology for underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is essential for a successful hydrogen economy. Options for this are manmade caverns salt domes/caverns saline aquifers and depleted oil/gas fields where large quantities of gaseous hydrogen have been stored in caverns for many years. The key requirements intrinsic of a porous rock formation for seasonal storage of hydrogen are: adequate capacity ability to contain H2 capability to inject/extract high volumes of H2 and a reliable caprock to prevent leakage. We have carefully evaluated a commercial non-isothermal compositional gas reservoir simulator and its suitability for hydrogen storage and withdrawal from saline aquifers and depleted oil/gas reservoirs. We have successfully calibrated the gas equation of state model against published laboratory H2 density and viscosity data as a function of pressure and temperature. Comparisons between the H2 natural gas and CO2 storage in real field models were also performed. Our numerical models demonstrated more lateral spread of the H2 when compared to CO2 and natural gas with a need for special containment in H2 projects. It was also observed that the experience with CO2 and natural gas storage cannot be simply replicated with H2 .
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV): Policy Advances to Enhance Commercial Success
May 2021
Publication
Many initiatives and policies attempt to make our air cleaner by reducing the carbon foot imprint on our planet. Most of the existing and planned initiatives have as their objectives the reduction of carbon dependency and the enhancement of newer or better technologies in the near future. However numerous policies exist for electric vehicles (EVs) and only some policies address specific issues related to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). The lack of a distinction between the policies for EVs and FCEVs provides obstacles for the advancement of FCEV-related technologies that may otherwise be successful and competitive in the attempt to create a cleaner planet. Unfortunately the lack of this distinction is not always based on intellectual or scientific evidence. Therefore governments may need to introduce clearer policy distinctions in order to directly address FCEV-related challenges that may not pertain to other EVs. Unfortunately lobbyism continues to exist that supports the maintenance of the status quo as new technologies may threaten traditional less sustainable approaches to provide opportunities for a better environment. This lobbyism has partially succeeded in hindering the advancement of new technologies partially because the development of new technologies may reduce profit and business opportunities for traditionalists. However these challenges are slowly overcome as the demand for cleaner air and lower carbon emissions has increased and a stronger movement toward newer and cleaner technologies has gained momentum. This paper will look at policies that have been either implemented or are in the process of being implemented to address the challenge of overcoming traditional obstacles with respect to the automobile industry. The paper reviewed synthesized and discussed policies in the USA Japan and the European Union that helped implement new technologies with a focus on FCEVs for larger mass markets. These regions were the focus of this paper because of their particular challenges. South Korea and China were not included in this discussion as these countries already have equal or even more advanced policies and initiatives in place.
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