Filed under: Hydrogen, Natural Gas
Orlando gas station testing hydrogen-making device
A Virginia company, H2Gen, makes a hydrogen-extraction device that basically (very basically) sucks the hydrogen right out of natural gas (see the graph for a (somewhat) more detailed explanation). An Orlando Chevron station has acquired one of their units and is currently testing the viability of using it for producing hydrogen right at the point of purchase. If the test works out, one more stumbling block, transportation of hydrogen, could be removed in some cases.As you know, from an emissions standpoint, hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels available. Unfortunately, our most abundant source is water, and with current technology, breaking those two H atoms away from that one O atom (electrolysis) uses more energy that it creates. H2Gen claims its process is as much as six times more efficient than conventional electrolysis.
Now let's hope automakers' hydrogen programs, like BMW's test of its Hydrogen 7, work out. Then stand back and watch gasoline-powered cars go the way of the dinosaurs.
[Source: H2Daily via EvWorld]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
chemistry 10:21PM (4/29/2007)
"Unfortunately, our most abundant source is water, and with current technology, breaking those two H atoms away from that one O atom (electrolysis) uses more energy that it creates."
With ANY technology, breaking those covalent bonds will always take more energy than you'll get back. The best you could hope for is break-even, but entropy ensures you will never even get that.
Hydrogen is an energy storage technology. You will never create energy from hydrogen (well, other than nuclear fusion).
There are only two sources of energy on this rock of ours - solar and nuclear. Oil is essentially solar energy.
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mikeinBuilding7 7:58AM (4/30/2007)
Getting hydrogen from natural-gas doesn't seem much of a solution to me, as it's still based upon fossil fuel.
We still need, Electric / Bio-Diesel hybrids.
And how about some help from the affluent, you know, drop the monster V8's and V12?
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pkuhl 11:04AM (4/30/2007)
It is not that hydrolysis or reforming use more energy than they create, it is that using these processes, and the compressing, transporting, storing, and then converting back to electricity use WAY more energy than simply using a chemical battery and the original energy in electrical form.
This is the key reason hydrogen fuel cells are a bad idea, because they are already far worse than pure electric automobile technology except that you can fill up faster.
http://www.efcf.com/e/reports/E17.pdf
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Howard Lee Harkness 12:14PM (4/30/2007)
"As you know, from an emissions standpoint, hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels available."
Wrong. Most commercial hydrogen is produced via grossly-polluting processes from FOSSIL FUELS. Hydrogen is also one of the most potent ozone-destroying agents ever produced by man. Hydrogen is not 'green' in any meaningful sense of the word.
"Now let's hope automakers' hydrogen programs, like BMW's test of its Hydrogen 7, work out."
I sincerely hope this idiocy is squashed, and soon.
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rgeister 10:00AM (5/01/2007)
dead right time to kill the phony hydrogen industry, biodeisel and ev's are the near future but the comment that there is only two forms of power on this planet is a little short sighted in sth australia they have found what they call hot rocks (geothermal power) and its showing great promis they drilled down and the power generated nearly blew there well head its not all doom and gloom its just a matter of getting governments and the power gernerating industry to pull there collective fingers otta thier collective a***s
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mark 5:09AM (5/02/2007)
Re:regeisters comments on hot rocks
The hot rocks are hot due to the heat inside the earth, which is caused by natural backround radiation, and concentrated by the intense pressure. So in effect, it's nuclear power ;-)
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