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10Second International Symposium «Safety and Economy of Hydrogen Transport»
IFSSEHT-2003
UP-TO-DAY STATUS OF HYDROGEN ECONOMY AND HYDROGEN VECHICLES: ECONOMY, TECHNIQUES, INFRASTRUCTURE
V. A. Goltsov1, T. N. Veziroglu2, L. F. Goltsova1, A. L. Gusev3
1 Donetsk National Technical University, 58 Arteoma ul., Donetsk, 83000, Ukraine Fax: +38 062 3050235, e-mail: goltsov@physics.dgtu.donetsk.ua, goltsova@fem.dgtu.donetsk.ua 2 Pure Energy Institute, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248266, Coral Gables, Florida, 33124, USA Fax: +1 305 2844792, e-mail: veziroglu@miami.edu 3 Scientific Technical Centre «TATA», P.O. Box 787, Sarov 607183, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia; e-mail: gusev@hydrogen.ru
As is well known, hydrocarbon economy, which, has been led to great advances, has fully developed by the end of the 20th century. At the same time, hydrocarbon economy is gradually and inevitably leading the mankind to a global ecological catastrophe (greenhouse effect, ozone «holes», acid rains, etc.).
At the present time, it has become quite evident that a change of the main energy carrier should occur in the 21st century: hydrocarbon fuels (oil and gas, in the first place) will be forced out by a new ecologically pure fuel, namely, hydrogen. In a number of industrially developed countries, the initial stage of the hydrogen economy commercialisation being accompanied by a purposeful state ideological and financial support has already come and is rapidly developing.
The commercialisation of hydrogen economy, hydrogen technologies and hydrogen energy systems is progressing over many directions: hydrogen automobiles, fuel elements, advanced electrolysers, hydrogen-nickel batteries, etc.
We already discussed the hydrogen motor vehicle commercialisation earlier (ISJAEE, No. 4). Let us add that a hydrogen automobile using fuel elements, or a hybrid automobile, is developing most rapidly. The European market of vehicles using fuel elements should reach • 16,3 billion by 2020 and • 52 Billion by 2040. In this connection, the growth of the fuel element market in vehicles is forecasted on average by 40-60% for the next decade. The general financing of fuel element investigations in Europe is evaluated to be approximately equal to • 50-60 million per year, which is about 1/3 of financing in the USA and 1/4 of financing in Japan. These countries are leaders in the research in the field of fuel elements. In the USA, they are being worked out widely in connection with the use in the defence and aerospace areas. The US government support of the fuel element development is being implemented in two programs: • 150 million per year and • 25-30 million. Japan is supporting the development of technologies based on hydrogen and fuel elements, by means of a 28-year program (1993-2020) with the total budget of • 2,4 billion.
In the opinion of the European group of experts, a strategy of transition to technologies based on hydrogen
and fuel elements is needed; it is necessary to achieve a better cost/profit ratio, which will make these technologies competitive, and fuel elements will become a marketable product. At that, one should pay attention and solve such matters as fuel supply, safety and general technological standards. Therefore, many companies from various countries combine their efforts. For example, the Province of Baden-Wurtenberg (Germany) and the State of Michigan (USA) have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of fuel elements. It is expected to establish a network of companies and research organisations on either side in order to accelerate innovation processes. Statkraft, a Norwegian company, Sydkraft, a Swedish company, and ABB, a Swiss and Swedish industrial group, have combined their efforts in the construction of an ecologically pure hydrogen production factory. The factory will be located in Norway and will use wind energy. This factory is part of a large-scale project, which goal is to develop expert and process needs for the production of commercially competitive hydrogen. General Motors jointly with Japanese motor vehicle companies will conduct tests of new hydrogen automobiles (the storage of hydrogen onboard in the liquid form) on Japanese motor roads.
At the same time, it is necessary to overcome considerable technical and social-economic barriers such as the lack of hydrogen distribution infrastructure. Not only developments but also practical tests are intensively being carried out in this trend in many countries. So hydrogen vessels from composite materials with the hydrogen nominal operating pressure of about 70 MPa are being developed in the USA. Such a vessel has the capacity being by 80% larger than vessels operating at the pressure of 35 MPa. It is expected that the increase of hydrogen storage capacity will contribute to the improvement of automobiles using fuel elements. In October 2002, the first hydrogen refuelling station was opened in Berlin.
The second hydrogen refuelling station will be commissioned in Berlin in 2003. It is a part of the «Pure energy partnership» project. An important step to the development of hydrogen infrastructure in the USA was commissioning of the first hydrogen refuel-
Hydrogen energy and ecology
ling station in Las Vegas. The station produces not only hydrogen fuel but also electricity. A similar station has also been set into operation in California. The construction of refuelling stations is under way in Japan and Canada too.
On the whole, the transition to hydrogen economy in individual countries and regions will not be carried out simultaneously and uniformly in the geographical and geopolitical Earth's space. A special mission here is
to be performed (immediately or in the future) by individual ecologically and industrially specially loaded megalopolises such as California in the USA, Ruhr in Germany, Shanghai and Shenyan regions in China, Donbass in the Ukraine, Moscow, Urals and Kuzbass regions in Russia and many others. It is in such megalopolises that the hydrogen economy entry into life will be especially vividly demonstrate its technological and financial capabilities and ecological effectiveness.
ISJAEE Special issue (2003)
