The Energy Evolution - Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Advances in Transportation and Power - page 28

HYDROGEN SOURCES
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard
University, concluded that hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water
will depend on low cost nuclear power. Nuclear power can produce hy-
drogen without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Electricity
from a nuclear plant could electrolyze water splitting H 2 O into hydro-
gen and oxygen. However that nuclear power can create long-term waste
problems.
Performing electrolysis with renewable energy, such as solar or
wind power eliminates pollution problems of fossil fuels and nuclear
power. However, current renewable sources only provide a small por-
tion of the energy that is needed for a hydrogen fuel supply. From 1998
to 2003, the generating capacity of wind power increased 28% in the
U.S. to about 6,500 megawatts, enough for less than 2 million homes.
Wind is expected to provide about 6% of the nation's power by 2020. The
University of Warwick in England estimates that converting every ve-
hicle in the U.S. to hydrogen would require the output of a million wind
turbines which could cover half of California. Solar panels would also
require huge areas of land, but huge tracts of land are available in the
southwest, a region ideally suited for solar production.
Water sources could be another problem for hydrogen production,
particularly in sunny regions that are well-suited for solar power. A study
by the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C. estimated that ob-
taining adequate hydrogen with electrolysis would require more than
4 trillion gallons of water yearly. This is equal to the flow over Niagara
Falls every 90 days. Water consumption in the U.S. could increase by
about 10%.
HYDROGEN LEAKAGE
Hydrogen gas is odorless and colorless. It burns almost invisibly and
a fire may not be readily detected. Compressed hydrogen gas could be ig-
nited with the static discharge of a cell phone. But, an accident may not
cause an explosion, since carbon fiber reinforced hydrogen tanks are near-
ly indestructible. There is always the danger of leaks in fuel cells, refiner-
ies, pipelines and fueling stations.
Hydrogen is a gas, while most of our other fuels are liquids and eas-