From Earth to the moon - hydrogen finds new ways to succeed
Our newsletter this week brings news from the moon and news about the EU's accelerated hydrogen program.
New technologies always face obstacles, particularly concerning infrastructure. The owners of the first gasoline-powered cars encountered a simple problem: finding gasoline. Fueling stations had not yet been invented, so most owners had to walk to a pharmacy to obtain the fuel that made their wheels turn. The scarcity of fueling stations was one of the reasons why electric cars initially saw success in the early 1900s. Even Ferdinand Porsche's first car was electric. However, the battery lost its prominence against the internal combustion engine, as the latter provided more power and a better range. Similarly, hydrogen technology is facing a familiar issue known as the "hen-egg-problem." Without an established infrastructure, the industry lacks interest in building products, but investors are hesitant to fund infrastructure when there are no customers yet.
The EU has attempted to address the problem by making a significant investment in the infrastructure for hydrogen. The member states developed the "Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation" (AFIR), which surprisingly took a long time, even by EU standards. The initial discussions commenced in 2014, but due to changes in technologies and bureaucratic processes within the EU, it took nine years to enact the new law. The AFIR establishes mandatory deployment targets for electric recharging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure across various sectors, including road sector infrastructure, shore-side electricity supply in maritime and inland waterway ports, and stationary aircraft electricity supply. The aim is to have a hydrogen station every 200 km within all member states of the EU.
https://www.sei.org/perspectives/charging-forward-alternative-fuel-infrastructure/
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One major concern for most politicians, who are responsible for state finances, is deciding which energy sector to invest in first. Both the power grid and the existing system will require updates, and countries will need to construct new facilities capable of producing bio methane. Additionally, they will have to build new pipelines for hydrogen to facilitate its future transportation. An intriguing study conducted by Felix Neumann from TU Berlin suggests that a European hydrogen network could alleviate the need for significant power grid expansion in a net-zero energy system. The study asserts that connecting regions with low-cost and abundant renewable potentials to demand centers, electrofuel production, and cavern storage sites through a hydrogen network could lead to a reduction in system costs by up to 26 billion Euros compared to the existing system.
https://www.cell.com/joule/pdf/S2542-4351(23)00266-0.pdf
Germany could have a "core" hydrogen pipeline network of over 11,000 km in length by 2032, according to plans unveiled today by the operators of the country's largest fossil-gas pipelines — at the request of the national government. The FNB, a collective of gas transmission service providers responsible for transporting gas long-distance across Germany's sixteen states, has been tasked with supplying the network and associated infrastructure to link the demand for green hydrogen in German industry with renewable H2 production and imports. Much of the network will be delivered by repurposing existing gas transmission pipelines, with a few new additions to be built between Berlin and Germany's north coast, and intermittently along the country's western flank.
https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/policy/german-gas-transmission-service-operators-unveil-plans-for-11-200km-core-hydrogen-pipeline-network/2-1-1485608
One of the most interesting aspects of the Hydrogen economy is the potential for energy independence. The more energy a nation can produce within its borders, the less it will be dependent on imports. These imports can be used as political and strategic leverage, particularly in times of war. Hydrogen offers a solution to achieve energy independence since it can be produced locally as long as there is access to water and energy sources. This is particularly beneficial for islands that lack their own energy resources. Mallorca, the Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea, has initiated a program to introduce local hydrogen production, taking advantage of this opportunity.
https://www.h2-view.com/story/proton-motor-to-deliver-fuel-cell-system-to-mallorca-as-part-of-ecosystem-project/
And then there is the moon. After being the center of attention in the mid-60s, the public's interest in it waned, and NASA's focus shifted rapidly in the 70s. The moon was nice to watch, but Mars seemed to be way more interesting. This has changed. The USA, China, Russia, and Japan have rediscovered the moon and the possibility of digging around there to bring back valuable minerals. Toyota has now unveiled a small car that uses a fuel cell and also could use the ice at the polar caps (if there is any and enough of it) to produce more hydrogen. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/07/22/business/corporate-business/toyota-moon-rover/
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