“Back to Basics” is a new feature for the NHA Advocate designed to respond to the growing interest of the public and others who have not been working in the field of renewable energy, or hydrogen in particular. Because the Advocate is posted to the NHA Web page, it may be accessed by anyone throughout the world. In addition, this feature may be seen as a refresher to those working in a related field. It also will provide Internet addresses and hot links to web sites offering related information for further study.
This feature will attempt to discuss the basics of a topic, such as infrastructure, fuel cell technology, hydrogen safety, risk management, climate change, etc. The editor encourages submissions from NHA membership to describe key issues related to the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a top-level format to further understanding and interest from those outside our membership.

The Role of Hydrogen in Climate Change Mitigation

by Karen Miller, Coordinator, National Hydrogen Association

Greenhouse gases are affecting Earth’s oceanic and atmospheric processes through global warming by building up in the atmosphere trapping in heat. The term “greenhouse gas” is actually a poor choice of words, since “greenhouse” has a warm and pleasant connotation. “Heat-trapping gases” is a more appropriate description of molecules that raise the Earth’s temperature.

Solar energy drives all of the weather on Earth. Every event of weather—including evaporation of the oceans, winds, rains, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms, cold waves, heat waves, etc.—is driven by solar energy. The Earth’s atmosphere is a giant heat engine in which the heat source is the sun and cooling results from radiation into space. The addition of greenhouse gases to the Earth’s atmosphere results in reduced radiation to space and solar energy becomes trapped. Trapping more solar energy in the atmosphere results in more severe weather. Cloud cover will increase as the capacity for the atmosphere to retain water increases with rising temperatures. The hottest global year on record was 1995 and it followed a string of record-breaking years that increased until the dust of the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruptions blocked accumulation of solar energy for several years. The increased temperature results in measurable changes to the weather, including an increase in severity and length of El Niños.

Some greenhouse gases are increasing as a direct result of man-made emissions. The most important of these are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The main source of “new” CO2 is fossil fuel emissions. Once in the atmosphere, CO2 is chemically stable and lasts for many decades. The primary source of extra CO2 in the atmosphere is from the burning of fossil fuels.

Before the industrial revolution, there were 275 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere today has risen to 360 ppm. Since the industrial revolution, people have been burning more and more fossil fuels and, because of this, an extra five billion tons of carbon dioxide has been emitted into the atmosphere. CO2 is steadily increasing at the rate of about 1 ppm per year. This carbon dioxide acts as a blanket over the earth, trapping in heat. Again, the earth’s temperature rises. One third of the carbon emissions comes from the transportation sector. A second third comes from processes leading to the electricity supply to the other sectors. Hydrogen technologies address these two thirds of carbon emissions.

There has been an international effort to help stabilize greenhouse gases, including CO2. At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the U.N. adopted the United Nations Framework on Climate Convention. The ultimate objective is to stabilize greenhouse gases, including CO2, at a level that won’t affect climate. In addition, the Conference of Parties is the convention’s ultimate authority, and meets annually. COP 1 was held in Berlin (Germany) in 1995. The “Berlin Mandate” was set to quantify objectives to reduce greenhouse emissions in developed countries within specified time frames.

COP 2 was held in Geneva (Switzerland) in 1996. Here members took stock of progress, and recognized a need for a scientific basis to strengthen action.

COP 3 has recently concluded at Kyoto (Japan). Member countries expected to adopt a legal means to require developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the year 2000. The degree of reductions and how they will occur was the subject discussed. There are several web sites which offer a summary of the results achieved at Kyoto. They include: http://www.eic.org/, and http://www.bna.com/prodhome/ens/kyoto.htm.

Proposed methods for decreasing sources of greenhouse gas emissions include increased use of alternative fuels and energy systems such as hydrogen, photovoltaic, solar thermal, or wind power. President Clinton recently announced a commitment to carry out a plan to put solar roofs on one million buildings by 2010. U.S. Energy Secretary Federico Peña said that the Clinton Administration would use federal purchases, lending programs, and research to carry that out. While it won’t have a significant role in reducing U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases in the near term, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative could move solar technologies forward, paving the way for more significant emission reductions in the 21st Century.

Natural gas is being used as a cleaner form of energy. Although natural gas is a fossil fuel, it does not produce as much CO2 as other fossil fuels.

Another potential solution to the enhanced greenhouse effect is through energy efficiency. Making machines more energy-efficient could reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned, so there would be less CO2 sent into the atmosphere. At home, people could make their homes more energy-efficient by insulating, double glazing, etc. Car pooling or public transport also cuts down on the amount of CO2.

Electric-powered vehicles, hydrogen fueled vehicles, cleaner diesel engines, engines run on compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, and hybrids are a few of the systems being developed and demonstrated these days. It is likely that there will be no single solution. Fuels may be chosen to suit particular situations or applications. The “portfolio” approach targets multiple emission-reduction opportunities in all major areas. This method reduces the risk that failure in any specific program will cause a substantial shortfall in overall emission reductions. It is similar to diversifying your financial investments in a financial portfolio.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, an international information provider based in the U.K., tipped fuel cells to become as important a motor for the 21st Century as any alternative. These cells release nothing but water, and avoid wasteful combustion processes by using catalysts to convert a hydrogen fuel directly into electricity. The largest percentage of the world’s power will likely come from conventional engines for the next 20 years. Therefore experts are working on ways to significantly increase the efficiency of these engines to squeeze more miles out of a gallon of gasoline.

Hydrogen can enable and be utilized with two important emissions-reducing technologies—CO2 sequestration and renewables implementation.

According to the Renewable Electric Technologies Status Report, 72% of Americans believe that protecting the environment is very important. The majority of Americans believe that climate change is a serious threat. Seventy-eight percent of Americans claim they are willing to pay more for electricity from renewable sources.

If the carbon credit becomes part of the UN solution, this credit could offset the cost of hydrogen implementation.

Given all the risks to human beings, ecosystems, and species, it would be fatuous to attempt to ascribe a dollar value to them. A single severe hurricane can cost hundreds of lives and cause billions of dollars in property damage alone. But a climate-induced increase in extreme weather conditions could mean many excess hurricanes and other related aberrations over time. Shouldn’t we invest adequate resources in sound energy programs and policies that prevent climate disasters rather than spend hundreds of billions later for disaster relief?

If rapidly developing nations like China and India are to grow economically by vast expansions of coal and other fossil fuel combustion, as now planned, they will undermine efforts elsewhere to decrease CO2 emissions. Developing nations have an opportunity to use cleaner energy systems, including hydrogen energy systems, from the start. The developed nations have a responsibility to assist in this effort.

With the Earth’s population increasing very rapidly, while people everywhere are striving for better living standards, the demand for energy services will continue to grow. We must expand our reliance on energy efficiency technology and renewable energy. Hydrogen is the “holy grail” of renewables. Hydrogen energy may be the fastest way to reduce emissions as drastically as they must be reduced.

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