Hydrogen economy efficiency

Pipelines represent the primary option for the most efficient transportation mode in a hydrogen energy environment. Pipeline is the most economical option for transportation however, the embrittlement of steels and diffusion losses represents a technical challenge. Sensor technologies for continued integrity management of such a pipeline network will be critical in the development of the hydrogen economy. 

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... 

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 ... 

In any case, an efficient transportation and distribution of hydrogen from the production site to the end-user is needed for the wide-spread use of fuel cells envisioned by the hydrogen economy. Key R D areas for improving hydrogen transportation and distribution infrastructure include ... 

The attributes of fuel cells, e.g., relative stealth, high efficiency, etc., are sufficiently compelling that they could be the future technology of choice should hydrogen be the mandated fuel. However, the transition to a possible hydrogen economy would be a lengthy one, and would be eased by the ability to fuel multiple technologies. 

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