Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Nuclear
Energy
Bio
mass
Fossil fuels
Wind Water Solar
Petrol, Diesel,
methanol,
....
Electricity
H
2
O
Fuel processing
(reforming, POX,
clean-up,...)
Electrolysis
Hydrogen
Non-hydrocarbon
hydrogen carriers
Storage
FIGURE 9.10
Possible production paths of hydrogen fuel.
Source
: Reproduced with permission from
Carrette et al. [4].
5.9 GW” by 2030, providing “a nearly insurmountable barrier to adoption,
except in niche applications.”
9.6 SUMMARY
The fuel cell will change our lives as much as the computer has done and it
may replacethe combustion engine one day. The future of power generation
and transportation will change dramatically when fuel cells become the main
producers of clean energy [62]. The car will no longer be an environmental
burden, and the electrical grid will be subdivided to the neighborhood and
building level. The quality and reliability of this alternative energy source
will be superior to the current grid design. Fuel cells and hydrogen technol-
ogy will potentially make all of this possible, and with little or no
pollution.
Though the fuel cell has a bright future, there are still many problems with
fuel cells. For example, hydrogen has some limitations that make it impracti-
cal for use in many applications. It is difficult to store and distribute, so it
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