Solar and wind power conversion technologies are the top alternatives to fossil fuels — they are more environmentally and economically friendly. However, these two are lacking in maintaining electrical grid dynamics and meeting final-consumers requirements for energy-dense fuels and chemicals. Green hydrogen is becoming the comprehensive solution to address the problems of finding sustainable energy with zero emissions. Green hydrogen emits zero greenhouse gasses and criteria pollutants using primary energy sources.
Making renewable hydrogen, otherwise called green hydrogen, is not difficult; it involves electrolysis systems that complement solar and wind power dynamics – this is one of the many ways. Additionally, hydrogen is storable in the current natural gas system, cutting the cost of storage capacity. A
lso, green hydrogen has sufficient energy density for end-users, including air and water transport.
According to Argonne National Laboratory, hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles is more environmentally friendly than using grid electricity to power battery electric vehicles (EVs). The Achilles heel is the cost of production. The cost is understandable as most innovations are costly before penetrating the mainstream. The hope, however, is for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to enter the mainstream because of their many similarities.
FCEVs are predicted to be the preferred option for heavy duties; BEVs may serve short-range vehicles.
With all the sustainability promises of green hydrogen, the lingering question is how to make green energy the go-to choice in cities, factories, and homes and solve energy issues in the transport, mobility, and infrastructure sector? How do we educate users on energy and provide incentives for companies who adopt green energy for sustainability? Also, can hydrogen fuel cells become the EV technology of choice? These are problems HydrogenWorld.io is solving to achieve sustainability.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology and its possibilities for sustainability
Green hydrogen expectations as the alternative transportation fuel are its capability to power fuel cells in zero-emission FCEVs, the possibilities for domestic production, the fuel cell’s high efficiency, and its fast filling time. In perspective, a fuel cell coupled with an electric motor is more efficient than an internal combustion engine running on gasoline in two to three-manifolds.
The energy in 2.2 pounds of hydrogen gas is about the same as in 1 gallon (6.2 pounds) of gasoline. Hydrogen has a low volumetric energy density; thus, stored onboard a vehicle as a compressed gas to achieve the driving range of conventional vehicles.
A fuel cell system powers a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) when the electrochemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen supplied into the FCEV tanks produce electricity. The only by-product is pure distilled water. So FCEV uses the electricity generated from the reaction, while a battery is required for auxiliary operations like starting or storing energy gained by regenerative braking.
The energy source differentiates FCEVs from battery electric vehicles (BEVs); FCEVs store energy in a vehicle’s fuel cells, unlike BEVs that store in batteries. FCEV is preferable to BEV because it generates energy to power the fuel cells whenever fuel is available.
Therefore, you can refuel FCEV in less than 5 minutes to travel over 350 miles, unlike charging an electric car for over 6 hours. Thus, hydrogen production efficiently yields fuel cells with a performance advantage over combustible engines in multiple folds.
Another advantage is their environmental impact. FCEV has a better environmental impact, and a true path to sustainability as fuel cells are completely renewable. However, the BEV system needs additional recycling systems; otherwise, lithium-ion batteries in BEVs cause an environmental crisis after use. The emissions from FCEVs are pure water vapor, which filters ultrafine dust from the atmosphere. This innovation provides environmental sustainability and has a huge impact on our living as hydrogen is abundant on the earth for more production.
Therefore, FCEVs are cleaner than BEVs and cars using internal combustible fuels. The production is also cleaner with fewer raw materials; the recycling will also be cheaper and easier.
Benefits of Hydrogen in Technology, Infrastructure, Mobility, and Energy
Currently, global hydrogen consumption is below 2% of global energy consumption. However, Hydrogen Council predicted the usage to be somewhat close to 25% by 2050. Energy transition for a sustainable future is the key promise of green hydrogen because of zero greenhouse gas emissions. There is also the expectation that the cost of production will be lower in the long run as more innovations rock the green energy sector.
This boost will allow industries beyond transportation to benefit from the decarbonization presented by green energy. However, mobility, industry, and energy storage are expected to be the early adopters. One of the advantages of green hydrogen over wind and solar energy is finding sustainable energy that bad weather conditions would not affect – solar power relies on sun intensity, and windmills rely on winds to propel.
However, excess energy generated from solar and windmills is storable as green hydrogen in compressed tanks and channeled into the fuel cells to combine with oxygen to produce electricity. Storing the energy is easy in storage tanks, caverns, containers, and distribution networks such as biomass, natural gas, and others.
Transport and mobility industry
Some automobile companies are already in gear to adopt hydrogen gas models for powering automobiles – Toyota and Hyundai developed hydrogen fuel cell models – Mirai and Nexo, respectively. These car models can go 600km with the same performance as fossil fuel vehicles.
Additionally, logistic companies like WalMart and Amazon use forklifts motorized by fuel cell hydrogen in their distribution. Moreover, green hydrogen is preferential in land and sea transport over a long distance. Already, 120 million tons of hydrogen are used in different sectors for different purposes; large-scale production and usage will soon rock the mobility and transport sector.
Motorsports is another industry that has adopted automotive innovation. There is always the constant need for faster and safer race cars, leading to innovations like push-button ignition, paddle shifters, and disc brakes.
As a result, Dawson Racing and StemGen, Inc. recognized the importance of motorsports and the significance of green energy in the motorsport industry. The future of the brand is to adopt eco-friendly and energy-efficient racers.
Barriers to sustainability promise of green energy in transport, infrastructure, and the mobility sector
As beautiful as the concept and possibilities of sustainable energy are, we need to address certain issues if it is to gain wide adoption. Hydrogen is highly flammable and light; it needs proper handling like other fuels. Hydrogen is more flammable than natural gas, gasoline, and propane; it is more hazardous if poorly handled.
However, its flammability potential is almost equal to other fuels in its low concentrations. Meanwhile, hydrogen is 57 times lighter than gasoline fumes; it disperses quickly in the air – a positive safety characteristic.
However, that lightness also means it is difficult to transport. The solution is cooled to -253 degrees to liquefy it or compressed 700 times atmospheric pressure as delivered as compressed gas. The current delivery model is through pipelines, low-temperature liquid tanker trucks, rail or barge, or tube railers. Distributing hydrogen with natural gas pipelines would require significant alterations to mitigate any embrittlement of the metal pieces. Otherwise, separate hydrogen pipelines will need to be constructed.
Additionally, fuel cell technology for hydrogen delivery is costly due to platinum used at the anode and cathode as the catalyst to split hydrogen. Therefore, more research is needed to find cost-friendly and more efficient materials. Another challenge of fuel cell electric vehicles is the storage of enough hydrogen – a 5 to 13 kg of compressed hydrogen gas will power a vehicle for 300 miles. More so, the promising gas has refueling stations scarcity.
Only 46 of those stations are available in the U.S., 43 in California. This also affects the price of hydrogen, which is $8 per pound compared to $3.18 for a gallon of gas in the same location. A senior researcher at Columbia University’s Center of Global Energy Policy, Julio Friedman, reiterated that green hydrogen’s only challenge is the price. Green hydrogen is three times the cost of natural gas, and its production cost is also high.
Furthermore, we have over 500 million cars today with an expected growth rate of 3% annually and may double in 20 years. This, with other energy use cases, especially with transport sector growth in developing countries, will make energy demand exceed demand. In addition, relying on petroleum-based fuels will continue to harm our environment with water and air pollution through the burning and refueling cycle.
Additionally, the available infrastructure network requires producing, refining, and supplying motor vehicles with fuels that contribute to air pollution. This infrastructure network includes trucks transporting pressurized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and oil and fugitive emissions of unburned fuel at the gas pump.
Energy infrastructure and mobility also pose a great challenge to the mass application of green energy; the current energy infrastructure was designed for conventional technologies. Thus, hydrogen fuel systems are not compatible with production and delivery infrastructure. In addition, the supply chain also requires infrastructure that is hydrogen-specific.
Hydrogen adoption may not be feasible without solving these conundrums because no one would pay for a large refueling infrastructure.
Green Hydrogen providing energy sustainability, gamification, IP licensing, and education about renewable hydrogen
To increase green energy sustainability and make it widely adopted by the general public, innovations that will solve the challenges above need to be created in a no-distance future.
Licensing all innovations around green hydrogen and incentivizing all key players will provide the path to sustainability. Hence, Beyond Meta and Dawson partnership to create Hydrogen World, a platform that licenses IP, gamify, and educates anything around green hydrogen. The partnership represents the companies’ vision of visualizing and educating on sustainability.
Hydrogen is required for deep decarbonization and zero-emission. We plan to reduce households, businesses, and cities’ carbon emissions and set them on the path to sustainability. We will transition municipal energy use to green energy by providing innovations that make green energy production, delivery, and usage. Soon, there will be onsite fueling stations and materials for every individual household to make their green energy. There won’t be a need to run a gas or oil line from city to city.
Through IoT, blockchain, and other technologies, we set targets for companies’ and cities’ sustainability and align all parties on the common goals.
Part of the solution is to educate end-users on the possibilities of green hydrogen to cut costs, provide a cleaner environment, and boost their revenues. We are setting a standard as the platform that provides enabling settings for governments worldwide to set regulations that enhance sustainability.
Secondly, to be at the forefront of innovation in green energy, we are collaborating with global partners with similar visions to develop technology in the automotive and transportation sectors that will significantly impact adjacent industries. Developing such innovative technologies will allow us to move quicker than the larger and less nimble established firms.
Thirdly, education and gamification of innovations and processes of green hydrogen are crucial in promoting the awareness of sustainable energy. Hydrogenworld.io platform has developed games in Roblox metaverse to educate players about green hydrogen, cutting across the transportation industry, including mobility, property, marine, and flight.
Real estate, infrastructure, and other sectors will also be featured in games that explain green hydrogen opportunities in the industries. After each milestone, Hydrogen World will assign twelve NFT badges to green energy game players. The twelve categories made into badges will be featured and earned on virtual/real race suits and other games; the badges include Hydrogen, Electrolysis, Electric Motors, Fuel Stacks, Solar, and SuperCapacitors.
Others include Tires, Wind turbines, Aerodynamics, Sustainable Fibers, Diesel, and Fuel Cells.
Education and gamification of concepts revolutionizing green hydrogen, its storage, and the supply chain given as badges will increase the public adoption of green energy. The games will be designed to educate players on the green hydrogen journey – discovering the concept, becoming familiar with the possibilities, design, mechanics, rewards for sustainability, and incentives for game players. Education on green energy will birth a guild around green energy by companies in various industries ready to visualize their sustainability concept.
The partnering companies will have a platform to visualize and demonstrate their steps and processing in enabling sustainability. Thus, blockchain-driven innovation is crucial in driving green energy solutions for sustainable energy, representing the companies’ commitment to making the world go green and embrace sustainable energy. In our commitment to sustainability, we are ready to partner with global brands to visualize their path to sustainability and achieve their ESG.
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Source: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2022/05/07/green-hydrogen-sustainability-gamificatio-licensing-ip-education/