Home hydrogen: it's a start

Free energy!!!! Oh, no. There is no free energy. The seperation has to come from somewhere. Electricity from coal, nuclear, wind, water or ? Electricity diverted from other uses, air conditioning, heating, cooking, lights, etc. Hydrogen conversion has inherent losses in conversion and hence lower effeciencies relative to battery powered vehicles. Also, the nations power grid would be severely compromised if hho generators would be running nonstop 24 hours a day to provide a source of hydrogen. Right now the average house uses approximatly 3kW on average. The power has to come from somewhere. One last thing, how can the government acquire road use taxes from home-made hydrogen????

To all who asked about how much electricity it takes for an electrolyser to produce a kilogram of hydrogen, it’s a lot….55-80 kWh, according to the folks at Shell Hydrogen and Air Products, the world’s largest maker of hydrogen.
That’s about 1/8 to 1/10 of my monthly home consumption.

The big question is whether it can be brought down.

Rich G said "The oil will run out, it's not a matter of if, just when." Is this true? Based upon what? I concede that that is what we've been taught since middle school, but is it true? I am persuaded by the position of the authors in the book "Black Gold Stranglehold", that petroleum is a by-product of the Earth's mantle and that explains why some wells seem to be refilling and bountiful new sources are being discovered constantly where no oil was supposed to be found. If the fossil fuel theory is wrong and we are not running out and industry is not causing global warming as more and more scientists are admitting, then the only reason I can come up with to consider migrating to hydrogen is to deny middle eastern oil suppliers a market for that finances terror activities.

In resonse to "Hydrogen_is hype ", I would not advocate wrapping the Hydrogen storage tanks with Nitro-Cellulose (gun Cotton) like the Germans did in the Hindenberg. The fire started when the incredbly flammable gas bags ignited... Modern storage vessels for Hydrogen are high grade steel, which, last time I looked, is somewhat fireproof. Gasoline, on the other hand is a very volitile and unstable substance which is also a liquid that will cling to you as it burns so the flame will move with you as you try to escape, while Hydrogen is a gas that wants to rise... Escape is more possible. In the long run, Hydrogen will prove to be the safer AND more efficient fuel for motor vehicles.

Every economy has its "externalities" or groups of people that either benefit or suffer from the economic transactions of others. For example, you may pay the power company for electricity to electrolyze hydrogen at home. The externality in this transaction is the people who live down-wind from the coal-fired power plant that suffer the mercury fallout. Once the externalities are factored in, all forms of energy will be more expensive, basically a step-function in the cost of energy. In the long run, I don't know which is cheaper, a hydrogen or a petroleum economy. I do know that our do-nothing Congress is not qualified to make this decision.

The oil will run out, it's not a matter of if, just when. As a society, $4/gal. gas is giving us the incentive to consider alternatives including hydrogen.

The electrolyser that produces more energy than is required in electricity to separate the hydrogen from water like in the movie Chain Reaction does not exist. Employing hydrogen is still depends upon a loss of energy as compared to more economical and efficient fuels, including petroleum, coal and nuclear. Solar and wind are simply not economical in comparison. A hydrogen economy in the current political climate means consumers must be willing to spend more for energy or the governments must force the issue. The only solution I see for hydrogen is abundant nuclear power sourced cheap electricity to power the distributed electolysers. In the US, the legislators have no appetite for nuclear. Give me gasoline and leave me alone.

So no one is bother by the fact that the modified vehicle has a hydrogen storage tank. Unlike an on-demand system, this system generates hydrogen at home. That hydrogen must be stored, then transferred to the vehicle. It has a 25 mile range and can be increased to 100 mile if the hydrogen is compressed. Does anyone remember the Hindenberg? I guess not... I would not want to be in a vehicle that has a hydrogen storage tank during an accident. Just keep on dreaming big. Hydrogen is not free energy and it will never be adopted on a broad enough scale to actually reduce our dependence on oil.

Let's think forward a bit further to when the home will have a distribution grid of its own. During the day, solar cells will add energy to the grid. At night the grid can power the hydrogen electrolysis system. Hydrogen will fuel not only the auto but also the driver's personal computer, cell phone and entertainment device. Geothermal design will reduce the home's heating and air conditioning needs. Some homes will have wind turbines to help charge the grid. And let's not forget that we will be traveling less as we work from home and restructure our lifestyles.

No mention in the article of how much the electricity costs to produce the 25 miles of H2. What is the actual equivalent cost compared to gasoline for this setup? Where does the energy come from to run the electrolyser? A gas or coal fired power plant? Wouldn''t it be more efficient to just use the electricity from the grid to charge a battery to power the car instead of the inefficiencies of generating H2 and using it as the fuel source?

An interesting and encouraging development for hydrogen powered systems; I'm curious to see an estimated cost for one fully equipped household - to include the car. Also, what is the life cycle of the PEM fuel cell and is the material recycleable?

Jim. Great news for all HYDROGENHEADS and a step closer to the hydrogen economy. Wishing you and the company all the very best. Mike H. Founder HYDROGENHEADS www.hydrogenheads.org