Hydrogen economy costs

One of hydrogen s major attractions is tapping vast new resources for transportation fuels that are domestically abundant and converted to H2 with zero or near-zero emissions. To fully realise the benefits of a hydrogen economy, cost-effective zero-emission fuel supply pathways are needed. Several have been proposed, and each has unique challenges. 

The Hydrogen Economy Opportunities, Cost, Barriers and R D Needs, in National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering, National Academies Press, Washington, 2004. 

Cost effective and sustainable production of H2 from a suitable primary fuel is the first and most crucial step in the path toward future hydrogen economy. 

A National Academy of Sciences committee estimated that the transition to a hydrogen economy could take decades, since tough challenges remain. These include how to produce, store and distribute hydrogen in adequate quantities and at reasonable costs without releasing greenhouse gases. 

The resolution of technical and market issues will determine when the transportation vehicle of the proposed hydrogen economy, fuel cell automobiles arrive in commercial quantities. The high cost of the precious metal ingredients in fuel cells is one of these issues. Lowering the... 

The price of oil itself is not clearly accounted for until the subsidies for exploration and the actual cost of Middle East defense is added. Only recently have the true costs of fossil fuel energy been studied, from defense commitments to long term health care for nationwide respiratory illnesses. Hydrogen must face economic comparisons to gasoline, but we notice that the oil and gas industries are already investing in the hydrogen economy. 

NRC (National Research Council), Committee on Alternatives and Strategies for Future Hydrogen Production and Use (2004). The Hydrogen Economy Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R D Needs. Washington, DC The National Academies Press. 

Hydrogen transport costs are in the range of 1 to 4 ct/kWh, with a downward trend in later periods due to the economies of scale achieved by large scale pipeline transport. 

One method for understanding the economic and environmental costs and benefits associated with the transition to a hydrogen economy is through the use of scenarios. Scenarios are one way of providing a set of quantitative inputs for use in a computer model or analysis that can be used to calculate the potential impacts associated with these assumptions. 

The hydrogen economy is a vision for a future in which hydrogen replaces fossil fuels. Economically, the wasteful hydrogen process translates to electricity from hydrogen and fuel cells costing at least four times as much as electricity from the grid. In fact, electricity would be much more efficiently used if it were sent directly to the apphances instead. The transition to a hydrogen economy would require a... 

In the meantime, the sharp decrease in the cost of fossil fuels to the levels before the 1970s led to a weakening (again ) of interest in a hydrogen economy and to a slowdown of research on improving water electrolysis. 

While advancements in fuel cell technology tend to grab the headlines, a critical hurdle blocking the road toward a viable "hydrogen economy" is the efficient, cost-effective and clean production of hydrogen. In terms of hydrogen production, there a several caveats to consider ... 

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