Carl-Jochen Winter, January 2006

"We are bad energy engineers,
because we have too much energy¹"

A glance into the hydrogen energy economy: International

By Carl-Jochen Winter, Ueberlingen ²

We are considered bad energy engineers, according to Franklin, because we fail to recognize that what really matters is not (only) a reliable supply with primary energy raw materials - coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energies – but also concentrating our efforts on providing energy-efficient and particularly exergy-efficient affordable and environmentally and climatically responsible energy services. A technologically-driven generation of energy services is the one and only goal of all energy production, energy trading and utilization worldwide. There are no shortages of energy; there is a painful shortage of energy technologies for utmost efficient and clean energy conversion and energy utilization: Let’s be aware that energy policy is energy technology politics!

Numerous signals on the energy horizon tell us that energy in the 21st century will be technology governed: for climate change reasons, fossil primary fuels are never to be utilized other than with CO2 -capture and -sequestration - a technologically first-ranking task, that is challenging, but affordable. In all operation phases, nuclear fission asks for a hermetically closed nuclear fuel cycle with absolutely zero radioactivity, radiotoxicity and proliferation leakage - a technologically (not at all less) challenging task. - Characteristically, renewable energies have no operational primary energy raw material per se; efficient, environmentally and climatically clean technologies are the be-all and end-all. - And finally, to enter the hydrogen energy economy there is only one key, because hydrogen, like electricity, the other secondary energy carrier, is generated from all thinkable primary energy raw materials available: the key is called science and engineering skills in the technologies for its production, its storage, transportation and dissemination, and its end use.

Clearly, two international development pathways can be identified: (1) gaining the maximum of exergy-efficiency in each and every energy conversion step of the full energy conversion chain, and (2) starting into the hydrogen energy economy. The production of more exergy - this is Franklin’s verdict - has been blamefully neglected through the entire anthropogenic energy history, from its beginnings in the 18th century until today. Exergetically utmost efficient energy conversion (energy = exergy + anergy) is the future, i.e. the generation of that component of energy which is convertible into any other form of energy, and which is the measure for the ability to perform technical work. Even in an industrialized country like Germany, the exergy efficiency is lamentably low at some 15%; in the entire world it is even lower, only a few percent! Its potential in industrialized countries, however, is higher by a factor of 2 to 3, and in industrializing countries even a factor of some 5 to 6!

The core of it lies in hydrogen energy and its technologies: Bob Williams³ of Princeton University and his colleagues and his colleagues published a 56% energy utilization of coal for the co-production of hydrogen, electricity and CO2 with market ready technologies such as air separation, gasification of coal, CO2 -capture and -sequestration, combined cycle electricity generation, and finally hydrogen production. – BMW argued that the hydrogen-optimized internal combustion engine will show a thermal efficiency of 50%. - A low temperature fuel cell will be replacing the exergetically miserable boiler in central home heating systems, because it generates firsthand electricity (= pure exergy) with an efficiency of 30 to 35%, and the heat by-product is still sufficient to heat the home over a good part of the year. - The on-board electrical generator will be replaced by an engine-independent hydrogen-fuelled fuel cell and, thus, brings to an end the exergetic absurdity of operating a 5 kW -generator at a red traffic light with the help of a 100 kW -engine. - There are many more examples.

The number of exhibitors at the Hannover Fair’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Exhibition grows year by year. - The UNIDO - United Nation Industrial Development Organisation has founded in Istanbul, Turkey the ICHET - International Centre of Hydrogen Energy Technologies, and provided it with a significant amount of funding. – Iceland continuously follows its path in utilizing its geothermal and hydropower sources via hydrogen in sea-going vessels and land vehicles. – The EU funds a programme worth billions. – North Rhine – Westphalia, Germany’s energy state, is well aware of the fact that the centuries during which it fuelled the well being of Germany with energy raw materials, will in turn become the 21st century of energy efficient technologies, and, consequently, it is running a 100 million EURO programme. - Russia, in conjunction with its G8 – presidency, is organizing an H2-forum. – The European gas industry runs a project- named “NaturalHy”, elaborating the conditions under which hydrogen will be co-transported in the operational natural gas network. – Argentina experiments with wind-electricity-generated hydrogen, in order to exploit its huge wind resources and ship them via liquefied hydrogen into the heavy energy user centres of the North. – For long, Canada has been on its way to add to its traditional raw material base a hydrogen technology industry (“Hydrogen energy – Mission for Canada”). – Similar to the planned hydrogen - autobahn-ring Berlin-Duesseldorf-Stuttgart-Munich-Berlin in Germany: a hydrogen highway from California to British Columbia is in the planning phase. – Long gone is the idea that the world auto makers will pay for their fuel cell development from their petty cash; in the meantime billions are being invested in the game! – In Essen, Germany, the next two International German Hydrogen Energy Conferences, in 2006 and 2008, will be organized, and in 2010 the 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, also in Essen.

All in all: This is not a pep talk. We can say with confidence and conviction, that we are, Mr Franklin, well aware that our goal is not (only) the reliable energy supply of our countries, particularly our industrialized countries, supply dependent and helplessly suffering under price dictates often enough, but that our ultimate goal is making as much as possible efficient and clean energy services from primary energies. Notwithstanding, the road is the destination! When has a novel energy added to the mix ever managed a significant contribution sooner than after a few decades, even half a century? Hydrogen energy will not be any different. Thus, let’s stick to it, never say die. And let’s keep in mind: It’s HYtime!

1 Benjamin Franklin, paraphrased

2 Professor Dr.-Ing. Carl-Jochen Winter, Vice President - The International Association of Hydrogen Energy (IAHE); author’s addresse: Obere St.-Leonhardstr. 9, D-88662 Ueberlingen, Tel. +49 7551 944 5940

3 International Journal Hydrogen Energy 30 (2005), pp 769 - 784