There will be no energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, but a clean break, a Big Bang! Clean, almost infinite, universally available energy from the sun, wind and water? And easy to transport over long distances and to store for months? And so cheap that it could match the price of an oil barrel as early as 2020? In barely a decade, 7 global energy battles have shaped up: shale oil and gas and the reversal of peak oil, super competitive solar and wind power, cheap batteries and the electrification of transport, the digitalization of power grids, the descent of energy companies into stranded assets, the geopolitical emergence of China and, most important of all, spiraling climate change. These battles are now converging into a historic convulsion, abruptly opening the gates of renewable hydrogen and sealing the inexorable decline of the world of fossil fuels. The time has come for a new, zero-carbon energy world order!
The road to global security," writes Jeremy Rifkin, "lies in lessening our dependence on Middle East oil and making sure that all people on Earth have access to the energy they need to sustain life. Weaning the world off oil and turning it toward hydrogen is a promissory note for a safer world." Rifkin's international bestseller The Hydrogen Economy presents the clearest, most comprehensive case for moving ourselves away from the destructive and waning years of the oil era toward a new kind of energy regime. Hydrogen-one of the most abundant substances in the universe-holds the key, Rifkin argues, to a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable world.
The gradual increase of population and the consequential rise in the energy demands in the recent years have led to the overwhelming use of fossil fuels. Hydrogen has recently gained substantial interest because of its outstanding features to be used as clean energy carrier and energy vector. Moreover, hydrogen appears to be an effective alternative to tackle the issues of energy security and greenhouse gas emissions given that it is widely recognized as a clean fuel with high energy capacity. Hydrogen can be produced by various techniques such as thermochemical, hydrothermal, electrochemical, electrolytic, biological and photocatalytic methods as well as hybrid systems. New Dimensions in Production and Utilization of Hydrogen emphasizes on the research, development and innovations in the production and utilization of hydrogen in the industrial biorefining, hydrotreating and hydrogenation technologies, fuel cells, aerospace sector, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, as well as bio-oil upgrading. Moreover, the supply chain analysis, lifecycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, as well as strengths and threats of global hydrogen market are covered in the book. This book provides many significant insights and scientific findings of key technologies for hydrogen production, storage and emerging applications. The book serves as a reference material for chemical and biochemical engineers, mechanical engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, biomedical scientists and scholars working in the field of sustainable energy and materials. - Discusses the efficient usage of hydrogen as standalone fuel or feedstock in downstream processing - Outlines key technologies for hydrogen production and their emerging applications - Includes innovative approaches to the research and applications of hydrogen, including hydrotreating technologies, fuel cell vehicles and green fuel synthesis, the aerospace sector, pharmaceuticals, carbon dioxide hydrogenation, and bio-oils upgrading - Serves as a reference for chemical, biochemical, and mechanical engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, and biomedical scientists working in sustainable energy and materials
The announcement of a hydrogen fuel initiative in the President's 2003 State of the Union speech substantially increased interest in the potential for hydrogen to play a major role in the nation's long-term energy future. Prior to that event, DOE asked the National Research Council to examine key technical issues about the hydrogen economy to assist in the development of its hydrogen R&D program. Included in the assessment were the current state of technology; future cost estimates; CO2 emissions; distribution, storage, and end use considerations; and the DOE RD&D program. The report provides an assessment of hydrogen as a fuel in the nation's future energy economy and describes a number of important challenges that must be overcome if it is to make a major energy contribution. Topics covered include the hydrogen end-use technologies, transportation, hydrogen production technologies, and transition issues for hydrogen in vehicles.
Named a Financial Times Best Book of 2021 An energy expert shows why hydrogen can fight climate change and become the fuel of the future We’re constantly told that our planet is in crisis; that to save it, we must stop traveling, stop eating meat, even stop having children. But in The Hydrogen Revolution, Marco Alverà argues that we don’t need to upend our lives. We just need a new kind of fuel: hydrogen. From transportation and infrastructure to heating and electricity, hydrogen could eliminate fossil fuels, boost economic growth, and encourage global action on climate change. It could also solve the most bedeviling aspects of today’s renewable energy—from transporting and storing wind and solar energy and their vulnerability to weather changes to the inefficiency and limited utility of heavy, short-lasting batteries. The Hydrogen Revolution isn’t just a manifesto for a powerful new technology. It’s a hopeful reminder that despite the gloomy headlines about the fate of our planet, there’s still an opportunity to turn things around.
Lately it has become a matter of conventional wisdom that hydrogen will solve many of our energy and environmental problems. Nearly everyone -- environmentalists, mainstream media commentators, industry analysts, General Motors, and even President Bush -- seems to expect emission-free hydrogen fuel cells to ride to the rescue in a matter of years, or at most a decade or two. Not so fast, says Joseph Romm. In The Hype about Hydrogen, he explains why hydrogen isn't the quick technological fix it's cracked up to be, and why cheering for fuel cells to sweep the market is not a viable strategy for combating climate change. Buildings and factories powered by fuel cells may indeed become common after 2010, Joseph Romm argues, but when it comes to transportation, the biggest source of greenhouse-gas emissions, hydrogen is unlikely to have a significant impact before 2050. The Hype about Hydrogen offers a hype-free explanation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, takes a hard look at the practical difficulties of transitioning to a hydrogen economy, and reveals why, given increasingly strong evidence of the gravity of climate change, neither government policy nor business investment should be based on the belief that hydrogen cars will have meaningful commercial success in the near or medium term. Romm, who helped run the federal government's program on hydrogen and fuel cells during the Clinton administration, provides a provocative primer on the politics, business, and technology of hydrogen and climate protection.
This paper examines the potential of hydrogen fuel for hard-to-decarbonise energy uses, including aviation, shipping and other. But the decarbonisation impact depends on how hydrogen is produced.
Provides a comprehensive practical review of the new technologies used to obtain hydrogen more efficiently via catalytic, electrochemical, bio- and photohydrogen production. Hydrogen has been gaining more attention in both transportation and stationary power applications. Fuel cell-powered cars are on the roads and the automotive industry is demanding feasible and efficient technologies to produce hydrogen. The principles and methods described herein lead to reasonable mitigation of the great majority of problems associated with hydrogen production technologies. The chapters in this book are written by distinguished authors who have extensive experience in their fields, and readers will have a chance to compare the fundamental production techniques and learn about the pros and cons of these technologies. The book is organized into three parts. Part I shows the catalytic and electrochemical principles involved in hydrogen production technologies. Part II addresses hydrogen production from electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) by decomposing organic compound into hydrogen in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). The final part of the book is concerned with photohydrogen generation. Recent developments in the area of semiconductor-based nanomaterials, specifically semiconductor oxides, nitrides and metal free semiconductor-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic hydrogen production are extensively discussed.
The world is currently consuming about 85 million barrels of oil a day, and about two-thirds as much natural gas equivalent, both derived from non-renewable natural sources. In the foreseeable future, our energy needs will come from any available alternate source. Methanol is one such viable alternative, and also offers a convenient solution for efficient energy storage on a large scale. In this updated and enlarged edition, renowned chemists discuss in a clear and readily accessible manner the pros and cons of humankind's current main energy sources, while providing new ways to overcome obstacles. Following an introduction, the authors look at the interrelationship of fuels and energy, and at the extent of our non-renewable fossil fuels. They also discuss the hydrogen economy and its significant shortcomings. The main focus is on the conversion of CO2 from industrial as well as natural sources into liquid methanol and related DME, a diesel fuel substitute that can replace LNG and LPG. The book is rounded off with an optimistic look at future possibilities. A forward-looking and inspiring work that vividly illustrates potential solutions to our energy and environmental problems.
This book highlights the opportunities and the challenges of introducing hydrogen as alternative transport fuel from an economic, technical and environmental point of view. Through its multi-disciplinary approach the book provides researchers, decision makers and policy makers with a solid and wide-ranging knowledge base concerning the hydrogen economy.
