Hydrogen Power

[GordMay]

Toyota, Lyft offer hydrogen-powered vehicles for Vancouver ride-hail drivers
Lyft said the partnership is part of its efforts to switch every vehicle on its platform to zero emissions by 2030.
Pure hydrogen has to be produced, and while it can be made from water using renewable electricity — so-called green hydrogen — most hydrogen produced globally has been made from natural gas, offering "little to no climate benefit," according to the Pembina Institute*.
More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/t...uver-1.5909068

* “Hydrogen on the path to net-zero emissions: Costs and climate benefits” ~ by Maddy Ewing et al
Key takeaways
Hydrogen can play a role in decarbonizing Canada’s energy systems.
In terms of climate benefits, not all hydrogen is created equal:
- Grey hydrogen is made by extracting hydrogen from natural gas using thermal processes such as steam methane reformation. It offers little to no climate benefit.
- Blue hydrogen is made by extracting hydrogen from natural gas, and then using carbon capture and sequestration technology to store the remaining carbon. It has a low to moderate carbon intensity.
- Green hydrogen is made by extracting hydrogen from water using electrolysis powered by renewable energy. With the lowest carbon intensity, it offers the greatest climate benefit.
- Low-carbon hydrogen can be used to reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors, but currently only a small fraction of hydrogen produced worldwide is low-carbon.

More ➥ https://www.pembina.org/reports/hydr...rimer-2020.pdf

[Hudson Force]

It's probably best to include the photosynthesis of plants too, as water is being split with the use of solar energy and the hydrogen is recombined with oxygen during cellular respiration. 'lest people mistakenly think of hydrogen power as a new thing. This also has a carbon neutral outcome as the plants stabilize the hydrogen by combining it with carbon-dioxide forming the biomass of plants and then release the equivalent carbon-dioxide with the water formed as the hydrogen bonds back with oxygen.

[jimbunyard]

My question with hydrogen always comes back to something I've never seen addressed, though admittedly I haven't looked much into it, and that is what happens when all that most-intensive-of-all greenhouse gases, water vapor, is added to the atmosphere.

I'm aware of the equilibration factor, but does that equilibrizing cause catastrophic flooding or solve the freshwater crisis.

Those familiar with my opinions know where mine is on that one...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jimbunyard

My question with hydrogen always comes back to something I've never seen addressed, though admittedly I haven't looked much into it, and that is what happens when all that most-intensive-of-all greenhouse gases, water vapor, is added to the atmosphere...

That's a good question, that has seen a LOT of study, but fewer clear answers, than I'd prefer.

The pre-industrial atmosphere had (and still has) about 30,000 times as much water vapor as CO2, making water vapor the most abundant, naturally occurring, greenhouse gas.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) emit approximately the same amount of water, per mile, as vehicles using gasoline-powered internal combustion engines (ICEs). [1]

Although water vapour is a greenhouse gas, it is very short-lived in the atmosphere, and is kept in balance by the hydrologic cycle (i.e. excess water vapour falls from the sky as precipitation). The global emission of water, due to oxidation of fossil fuels, is of order 105 times smaller than the natural hydrological cycle, and even in cities, the humidity perturbation due to oxidation of fuels is likely to be small, compared with other human impacts on near-surface water vapour.

So should we worry about water vapor emissions from hydrogen cars?
Pielke et al. (2003) urge that careful calculations be made to ensure we don't trade one problem for another [2], but Keith and Farrell (2003b) assert the effects will be insignificant, since they are not emitted in the stratospere [3].

[1] “Water Emissions from Fuel Cell Vehicles”
➥ https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcell...-cell-vehicles

[2] “Rethinking hydrogen cars” ~ D.W. Keith and A.E. Farrell
➥ https://keith.seas.harvard.edu/files...f?m=1529078891

[3] “Hydrogen Cars and Water Vapor” ~ Roger A. Pielke Jr et al
➥ http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/ad...es/2003.32.pdf

[GordMay]

World First Hydrogen-Electric Passenger Plane Flight
ZeroAvia flew the first emission-free aircraft for 20 minutes, on September 24, 2020.
This 6-seat Piper M-class plane is “clean”. It runs on fuel cells, supplied by Intelligent Energy, and with hydrogen, transmitted by the European Marine Energy Center. The fuel cells only produce water and electricity, so there are no fossil fuels used, and no carbon dioxide emissions.
More ➥ https://www.zeroavia.com/press-release-25-09-2020
ZeroAvia ➥ https://www.zeroavia.com/
Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1QQ_TQpGmE

[Oldwheels]

And just how much carbon was released to manufacture, transport the H? H is wonderful stuff. Just low energy density, difficult to store, transport and manufacture.

[hlev00]

Hydrogen fuel cells have about twice the energy density of Lithium-ion batteries.

[GordMay]

How Green is Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy?

Currently, hydrogen fuel is colour-coded.
Grey hydrogen is made using fossil fuels, such as natural gas;
Blue hydrogen is also made using fossil fuels, but the carbon emissions are captured and stored;
and
Green hydrogen is made using renewable power, such as wind, solar and hydro.
Almost all grey and blue hydrogen requires a process called steam-methane reforming, which uses steam to produce hydrogen from natural gas.
Green hydrogen is most often made using electrolysis, which breaks water into hydrogen and oxygen.

In December, of last year, the Canadian federal government released “The Hydrogen Strategy for Canada” [1], which boasts that, due to our energy economy, thriving tech sector, abundance of biomass, and access to wind and solar energy, Canada is well-positioned to become one of the world's top three producers of clean hydrogen.
It also says the strategy could help Canada reach its net-zero emissions targets, generate 350,000 high-paying jobs nationally, and fuel economic opportunities.
However, most of the hydrogen produced in Canada, right now, is grey, with a small percentage of blue.
Long-term, Canada is aiming for green hydrogen, especially in places like Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador, where hydroelectric power is abundant. However, blue is a key part of the current strategy, especially in the West, which has extensive oil and gas infrastructure.

[1] “Hydrogen Strategy for Canada” ➥ https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nr...a-na-en-v3.pdf

See also:
Federal plan aims to boost hydrogen use via regional hubs
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/f...onal-1.5844107