Hydrogen And Fuel Cell Technology example essay topic

Audience: Fossil fuel / gasoline consumers and automobile users For many reasons, it is obvious that now is a perfect time for America (and the world) to reassess its present energy structure and organization. In the future, a large shift away from our dependence on petroleum and fossil fuels will be necessary. Fuel reserves cannot sustain our rampant use for much longer, nor can our environment. A hydrogen based economy is the only plausible, efficient, and clean alternative. Hydrogen is an inexhaustible fuel, while also being twice as efficient as gasoline and emission-less. There are many reasons why hydrogen is a very good alternative to fossil fuels and oil as a means to meet our energy needs.

These reasons include national security and policy, the environment and climate, and economic growth and future energy use. Transportation plays a very large part in each of these areas. After the many problems in the Middle East and after the events of September 11, 2001, the issue of the United States' heavy dependence on many politically volatile countries for oil has become even more important. Over fifty percent of oil used in America is imported and our transportation is almost totally reliant on products made from petroleum. We obviously need to produce more fuel for transportation here in the United States, especially since our trading partners often have opposing views and interests to those of the United States. We cannot support our economy with only domestic oil, but hydrogen fuel can easily be generated here using our own fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, or renewable sources like solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal (National Vision).

The United States has had a difficult time forming and sticking to a concrete commitment to energy and the environment. This is partly due to the extensive availability and low cost of fossil fuels. A switch to hydrogen as a source of energy, especially for transportation, would rededicate this country to a policy of helping the environment. New policies need to be put into place, however, which would help increase public knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of hydrogen as a fuel source.

Both private companies and corporations and the government must assist with informing the public, because with a greater interest there will be a greater demand. Increased demand will be an incentive for new companies to invest in hydrogen, which will lead to the development of new technologies and to a decrease in the cost of hydrogen. One large problem with continued use of fossil fuels is the impact it has on the environment. The majority of greenhouse gases are produced from burning fossil fuels. These gases trap sunlight in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming and extensive climate change. Power generation and transportation companies are now enthusiastically searching for new fuels.

Recently many countries have agreed to measures to decrease worldwide greenhouse gases. Hydrogen fuel, which yields only plain water, could be a very good source of energy for accomplishing these goals. Air quality, especially around cities, is another important effect of our widespread use of fossil fuels. Power plants and vehicles are the biggest contributors, and most of the large metropolitan areas do not comply with the Clean Air Act. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have no emissions. Imagine the difference in air quality we would see if fuel-cells were used exclusively.

You could sit down and breathe out of the tail pipe of a hydrogen fuel-cell car, but try doing that with a conventional internal combustion engine automobile. Another option is hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines. These engines operate very much like normal gasoline internal combustion engines, however they burn hydrogen gas and their main emission is water. These engines would be a good use of hydrogen, especially once hydrogen fuel is available and before fuel-cell cars are in widespread use, but they do have disadvantages. While being much cleaner than gasoline engines, they still emit nitrogen oxides which are produced from the air in the high temperature combustion of the hydrogen (National Vision). They also have similar low efficiencies due to their reliance on the same general internal combustion design.

Despite these drawbacks, the hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine is another technology that would help ease the American public into a hydrogen based economy. As populations get larger, growth generally increases, often exponentially if the resources are available. A growing population based on limited fossil fuels will continue to use up more and more fuel and creating more and more demand. Affordable fossil fuel is available almost everywhere, but the reserves are not unlimited. Once we use up all of the easily reached fuel, the price of fossil fuels will rise quickly, forcing businesses to search for other sources of energy. It would be wise of us to have hydrogen technology ready for when that time comes.

We would be in big trouble if China, Indonesia, or India started to use fossil fuels like we do. If half of the households in China bought a gasoline powered car, that would be four times the number of households that own cars in the U. S (National Vision). How fast would we deplete the oil reserves then? And how much more would we destroy the environment? It is obvious that the United States is a large consumer, and that means that we stand to make the largest contribution and change by converting to a hydrogen based economy. There would be many different applications and uses for hydrogen fuel if America were to switch.

It could be used for both stationary and mobile power and for transportation. Stationary hydrogen-fueled power generators could be used for back-up power, power plants for towns, electricity generation in remote places, and cogeneration (where the heat generated is used to warm the home). Fuel-cell and hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine vehicles are two very promising applications of hydrogen gas as fuel for transportation. These days, when size and horsepower often seem more important than efficiency or cleanliness, it is a relief to see such a promising alternative on the horizon.

Fuel-cell vehicles would eliminate many of the problems we have with automobiles today. Their lack of mechanical parts such as transmissions and drive trains contributes to both a decrease in energy lost to friction and to an increase in cabin space and design freedom. The potential for computer integration is incredible due to the electronic controls and drive-by-wire systems. This allows vastly more adaptability and customizability, which will help better tailor personal transportation to the specific needs of the users. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles use a compact, flat, skateboard design which also contributes to flexibility by allowing the owner to change car bodies without buying a whole new vehicle. It will also allow the body designers to develop more open and spacious interiors.

Manufacturers won't have to build many different types of cars, but rather only a few sizes of chassis, which could be mass-produced, decreasing the overall cost of production. The fact that fuel-cell cars convert hydrogen into electricity could eventually turn every fuel-cell car into a miniature power plant once hydrogen becomes readily available. Any car with plenty of fuel could be left running in order to pump electrons into the residence for use or back to the power plant to sell. This fact would be especially useful in remote locations where electricity is not readily available (Burns, 68). The major problems with developing a hydrogen economy and fuel-cell technology at the moment are the distribution and storage of hydrogen gas.

These, and the availability of inexpensive fossil fuels, are also the largest reasons for the present high price of hydrogen. Once new technology and techniques are discovered to overcome these difficulties the efficiency and cleanliness of hydrogen will take over and make its use very economical. Enemies of hydrogen and the fuel-cell always remind us of the Hindenburg accident, urging us to reconsider possible use of hydrogen. The fact is that the Hindenburg accident was not caused by the hydrogen, but by a design flaw in the skin of the aircraft.

Gasoline is a very volatile and dangerous fuel, but that has not discouraged today's widespread use of the internal combustion engine. Odorant could be added to the gas to aid us in detecting leaks, as is done with natural gas. Hydrogen gas can be ignited more easily than natural gas (a spark of static electricity is often enough), but it also disperses much more quickly into the atmosphere due to its light weight. Critics also insist that fuel-cells will not decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, especially natural gas, because we will still need fossil fuels in order to generate hydrogen. This may be true, at least at the start, but we will no longer be inefficiently burning gasoline made from oil in our automobiles, creating pollution and greenhouse gases. Hydrogen generation facilities, which convert light hydrocarbons like natural gas to hydrogen gas (called steam methane reformation), are being outfitted with a technology called carbon sequestration (National Vision).

Instead of releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere while generating hydrogen, these plants capture the carbon before it is released. Many hydrogen gas pumping stations have already been built in Europe which use electricity from solar panels to create hydrogen fuel from water (electrolysis) (Record Crowd). The public will not use fuel-cell cars unless hydrogen is easily available, and the distribution infrastructure for hydrogen will not form until there are people using fuel-cell cars. Low demand for hydrogen hinders formation of the capability to produce enough for everyone.

It is a "chicken and egg" problem because the automobile makers need to be sure that there will be a supply of hydrogen, and the suppliers need to be sure that there will be people that need the fuel (Roadmap). There are two obvious solutions to this problem. First, by somehow managing to get enough hydrogen-using products out to consumers and enough fuel-cell vehicles on the road you could increase the demand for hydrogen. Second, you could simply invest and build the infrastructure first. The price of hydrogen will drop dramatically, and then you just wait for the inevitable demand for the cars and products to utilize it.

Supply and demand needs to be synchronized effectively. It seems to me that it would be in the best interest of the government and of many companies (both automotive and not) for everyone to team together to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Hydrogen and fuel-cell technology has obvious potential, and fossil fuels and the internal combustion engine cannot last forever. At the present rate of pollution and global warming, our environment cannot last forever, either.

Large companies together could take on the problem of developing the necessary infrastructure. Once it is up and running they would then be able to start cranking out cars and other products, watching the demand for them skyrocket. If the demand is high enough, we can be sure that the increased interest in the market will lead to the development of many new incredible technologies that will make hydrogen and fuel-cells even more efficient and inexpensive. Hydrogen promises to be a big part of our future, and I urge the public to embrace this technology before time runs out.

Bibliography

Burns, Lawrence D., McCormick, and Bor roni-Bird. Vehicle of Change. Scientific American, p. 64 October 2002.
U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Homepage. National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap. November, 2002.
April 14, 2002.
web U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Homepage. A National Vision of America's Transition to a Hydrogen Economy - To 2030 and Beyond.
February, 2002.
web The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter Website. Record Crowd at NHA Annual Meeting; H 2 ICs, Infrastructure, Renewables Stir Interest. April, 2003.
April 14, 2003.