The dream of fuelling mobility with hydrogen has fascinated humanity for decades. While the ultimate goals and technologies for hydrogen production continuously evolve, hydrogen as an energy carrier brings both remarkable advantages and significant challenges.
The bright side of hydrogen
Hydrogen boasts several compelling qualities:
- abundant: it’s the most common element in the universe;
- reusable: hydrogen can be infinitely reused;
- clean combustion: water is the only byproduct of hydrogen combustion;
- high energy density: it has three times the calorific value of liquid hydrocarbons;
- efficient refuelling: refuelling hydrogen is as fast as conventional fuels;
- direct electricity conversion: hydrogen can be converted into electricity in fuel cells without emissions;
- CO2-free production: hydrogen can be produced from water without CO2 emissions;
flexible fuel ratios: it supports a wide range of air-fuel ratios; - versatile mixing: hydrogen can be blended with natural gas for heating;
- ideal for pipelines: suitable for transportation via pipelines.
The challenges of hydrogen
However, hydrogen presents notable hurdles:
- low density: hydrogen’s low density (0.0899 kg/m³) necessitates storage under high pressure (200-700 bar) or at extremely low temperatures (below -253°C), both of which are energy-intensive;
- inefficient transportation: road, rail and water transport of hydrogen are inefficient;
production losses: electrolysis to produce hydrogen results in a 30% energy loss; - storage issues: hydrogen molecules can permeate steel tanks, requiring special containers;
- explosion risk: hydrogen poses an explosion risk over a wide concentration range (4-77%).
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