United States
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Hydrogen Review of 2022
Oct 2022
Publication
In order to wrap Season 3 of EAH appropriately we are honored to have our most popular EAH guest back with us Alicia Eastman President and Co-Founder of Intercontinental Energy is here to help us review the big hydrogen happenings of 2022 and preview some of the most important predictions and expectations for the sector coming for 2023.The podcast can be found on their website.
The Prospects of Hydrogen in Achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050: A Critical Review
May 2023
Publication
Hydrogen (H2) usage was 90 metric tonnes (Mt) in 2020 almost entirely for industrial and refining uses and generated almost completely from fossil fuels leading to nearly 900 Mt of carbon dioxide emissions. However there has been significant growth of H2 in recent years. Electrolysers' total capacity which are required to generate H2 from electricity has multiplied in the past years reaching more than 300 MW through 2021. Approximately 350 projects r Read More
Advancements in Hydrogen Energy Systems: A Review of Levelized Costs, Financial Incentives and Technological Innovations
Apr 2024
Publication
Hydrogen energy systems (HES) are increasingly recognized as pivotal in cutting global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions especially in transportation power generation and industrial sectors. This paper offers a comprehensive review of HES emphasizing their diverse applications and economic viability. By 2030 hydrogen energy is expected to revolutionize various sectors significantly impacting CO2 abatement and energy demand. In electricity and power Read More
Deep Decarbonisation Pathways of the Energy System in Times of Unprecedented Uncertainty in the Energy Sector
May 2023
Publication
Unprecedented investments in clean energy technology are required for a net-zero carbon energy system before temperatures breach the Paris Agreement goals. By performing a Monte-Carlo Analysis with the detailed ETSAPTIAM Integrated Assessment Model and by generating 4000 scenarios of the world’s energy system climate and economy we find that the uncertainty surrounding technology costs resource potentials climate sensitivity and the leve Read More
Modeling the Global Annual Carbon Footprint for the Transportation Sector and a Path to Sustainability
Jun 2023
Publication
The transportation industry’s transition to carbon neutrality is essential for addressing sustainability concerns. This study details a model for calculating the carbon footprint of the transportation sector as it progresses towards carbon neutrality. The model aims to support policymakers in estimating the potential impact of various decisions regarding transportation technology and infrastructure. It accounts for energy demand technological advancements a Read More
Techno-Economic Analysis of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine Hybrid Systems for Stationary Power Applications Using Renewable Hydrogen
Jun 2023
Publication
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)–gas turbine (GT) hybrid systems can produce power at high electrical efficiencies while emitting virtually zero criteria pollutants (e.g. ozone carbon monoxide oxides of nitrogen and sulfur and particulate matters). This study presents new insights into renewable hydrogen (RH2 )-powered SOFC–GT hybrid systems with respect to their system configuration and techno-economic analysis motivated by the need for clean on-de Read More
Breaking the Hard-to-abate Bottleneck in China’s Path to Carbon Neutrality with Clean Hydrogen
Sep 2022
Publication
Countries such as China are facing a bottleneck in their paths to carbon neutrality: abating emissions in heavy industries and heavy-duty transport. There are few in-depth studies of the prospective role for clean hydrogen in these ‘hard-to-abate’ (HTA) sectors. Here we carry out an integrated dynamic least-cost modelling analysis. Results show that first clean hydrogen can be both a major energy carrier and feedstock that can significantly reduce carbon e Read More
Residential Fuel Transition and Fuel Interchangeability in Current Self-Aspirating Combustion Applications: Historical Development and Future Expectations
May 2022
Publication
To reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants new technologies are emerging to reduce fossil fuel usage and to adopt more renewable energy sources. As the major aspects of fuel consumption power generation transportation and industrial applications have been given significant attention. The past few decades witnessed astonishing technological advancement in these energy sectors. In contrast the residential sector has had relatively little attent Read More
Risk of the Hydrogen Economy for Atmospheric Methane
Dec 2022
Publication
Hydrogen (H2) is expected to play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However hydrogen losses to the atmosphere impact atmospheric chemistry including positive feedback on methane (CH4) the second most important greenhouse gas. Here we investigate through a minimalist model the response of atmospheric methane to fossil fuel displacement by hydrogen. We find that CH4 concentration may increase or decrease depending o Read More
Minimizing the Cost of Hydrogen Production through Dynamic Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzer Operation
Jun 2022
Publication
Growing imbalances between electricity demand and supply from variable renewable energy sources (VREs) create increasingly large swings in electricity prices. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers can help to buffer against these imbalances and minimize the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) by ramping up production of hydrogen through high-current-density operation when low-cost electricity is abundant and ramping down current densi Read More
Opportunities for Flexible Electricity Loads such as Hydrogen Production from Curtailed Generation
Jun 2021
Publication
Variable low-cost low-carbon electricity that would otherwise be curtailed may provide a substantial economic opportunity for entities that can flexibly adapt their electricity consumption. We used historical hourly weather data over the contiguous U.S. to model the characteristics of least-cost electricity systems dominated by variable renewable generation that powered firm and flexible electricity demands (loads). Scenarios evaluated included variable win Read More
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Using the Law and Regulation to Facilitate Hydrogen Development
Jun 2022
Publication
Burges Salmon’s energy lawyers are known for ground-breaking work in the energy power and utilities sector. They understand the opportunities the technologies and the challenges which the sector presents. Their reputation has been built upon first-of-a-kind projects and deals and an intimate knowledge of energy regulation. Burges Salmon specialists provide expert advice throughout the project/plant life cycle. Over the years this has in turn led to Read More
How a Grid Company Could Enter the Hydrogen Industry through a New Business Model: A Case Study in China
Mar 2023
Publication
The increasing penetration of renewable and distributed resources signals a global boom in energy transition but traditional grid utilities have yet to share in much of the triumph at the current stage. Higher grid management costs lower electricity prices fewer customers and other challenges have emerged along the path toward renewable energy but many more opportunities await to be seized. Most importantly there are insufficient studies on how grid util Read More
Green Hydrogen in Developing Countries
Aug 2020
Publication
In the future green hydrogen—hydrogen produced with renewable energy resources—could provide developing countries with a zero-carbon energy carrier to support national sustainable energy objectives and it needs further consideration by policy makers and investors. Developing countries with good renewable energy resources could produce green hydrogen locally generating economic opportunities and increasing energy security by reducing Read More
Development of Risk Mitigation Guidance for Hydrogen Sensor Placement Indoors and Outdoors
Sep 2021
Publication
Guidance on Sensor Placement remains one of the top priorities for the safe deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell equipment in the commercial marketplace. Building on the success of Phase l work reported at TCHS20l9 and published in TJHE this paper discusses the consecutive steps to further develop and validate such guidance for mechanically ventilated enclosures. The key step included a more in-depth analysis of sensitivity to variati Read More
Navigating the Implementation of Tax Credits for Natural-Gas-Based Low-Carbon-Intensity Hydrogen Projects
Mar 2024
Publication
This paper delves into the critical role of tax credits specifically Sections 45Q and 45V in the financing and economic feasibility of low-carbon-intensity hydrogen projects with a focus on natural-gas-based hydrogen production plants integrated with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This study covers the current clean energy landscape underscoring the importance of low-carbon hydrogen as a key component in the transition to a sustainable energ Read More
A Study into Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Power and Voltage Prediction using Artificial Neural Network
Sep 2022
Publication
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) uses hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity and by-product water at relatively low operating temperatures which is environmentally friendly. Since PEMFC performance characteristics are inherently nonlinear and related predicting the best performance for the different operating conditions is essential to improve the system’s efficiency. Thus modeling using artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict its per Read More
Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis: Role of Catalysts
Feb 2021
Publication
As a promising substitute for fossil fuels hydrogen has emerged as a clean and renewable energy. A key challenge is the efcient production of hydrogen to meet the commercial-scale demand of hydrogen. Water splitting electrolysis is a promising pathway to achieve the efcient hydrogen production in terms of energy conversion and storage in which catalysis or electrocatalysis plays a critical role. The development of active stable and low-cost catalysts o Read More
Effect of Au Plasmonic Material on Poly M-Toluidine for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water
Feb 2022
Publication
This study provides H2 gas as a renewable energy source from sewage water splitting reaction using a PMT/Au photocathode. So this study has a dual benefit for hydrogen generation; at the same time it removes the contaminations of sewage water. The preparation of the PMT is carried out through the polymerization process from an acid medium. Then the Au sputter was carried out using the sputter device under different times (1 and 2 min) for Read More
Safety Compliance Verification of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Exhaust
Sep 2021
Publication
NREL has been developing compliance verification tools for allowable hydrogen levels prescribed by the Global Technical Regulation Number 13 (GTR-13) for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). As per GTR-13 FCEV exhaust is to remain below 4 vol% H2 over a 3-second moving average and shall not at any time exceed 8 vol% H2 and that this requirement is to be verified with an analyzer that has a response time of less than 300 ms. To be enforceabl Read More
Charting a Course for Decarbonizing Maritime Transport
Apr 2021
Publication
As the backbone of global trade international maritime transport connects the world and facilitates economic growth and development especially in developing countries. However producing around three percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emitting around 15 percent of some of the world’s major air pollutants shipping is a major contributor to climate change and air pollution. To mitigate its negative environmental impact shipp Read More
Review of Sampling and Analysis of Particulate Matter in Hydrogen Fuel
Sep 2023
Publication
This review presents state-of-the-art for representative sampling of hydrogen from hydrogen refueling stations. Documented sampling strategies are presented as well as examples of commercially available equipment for sampling at the hydrogen refueling nozzle. Filter media used for sampling is listed and the performance of some of the filters evaluated. It was found that the filtration efficiency of 0.2 and 5 mm filters were not significantly differ Read More
Grid Ancillary Services using Electrolyzer-based Power-to-Gas Systems with Increasing Renewable Penetration
Nov 2023
Publication
Increasing penetrations of renewable-based generation have led to a decrease in the bulk power system inertia and an increase in intermittency and uncertainty in generation. Energy storage is considered to be an important factor to help manage renewable energy generation at greater penetrations. Hydrogen is a viable long-term storage alternative. This paper analyzes and presents use cases for leveraging electrolyzer-based power-to-gas sys Read More
Economic Performance Evaluation of Flexible Centralised and Decentralised Blue Hydrogen Production Systems Design Under Uncertainty
Sep 2023
Publication
Blue hydrogen is viewed as an important energy vector in a decarbonised global economy but its large-scale and capital-intensive production displays economic performance vulnerabities in the face of increased market and regulatory uncertainty. This study analyses flexible (modular) blue hydrogen production plant designs and evaluates their effectiveness to enhance economic performance under uncertainty. The novelty of this work lies in th Read More
Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft at Airports: A Review of the Infrastructure Requirements and Planning Challenges
Nov 2023
Publication
Hydrogen-fueled aircraft are a promising innovation for a sustainable future in aviation. While hydrogen aircraft design has been widely studied research on airport requirements for new infrastructure associated with hydrogen-fueled aircraft and its integration with existing facilities is scarce. This study analyzes the current body of knowledge and identifies the planning challenges which need to be overcome to enable the operation of hydrogen flights at ai Read More
Increasing Energy Efficiency of Hydrogen Refueling Stations via Optimal Thermodynamic Paths
Sep 2023
Publication
This work addresses the energy efficiency of hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) using a first principles model and optimal control methods to find minimal entropy production operating paths. The HRS model shows good agreement with experimental data achieving maximum state of charge and temperature discrepancies of 1 and 7% respectively. Model solution and optimization is achieved at a relatively low computational time (40 s) when compared t Read More
Integration of Underground Green Hydrogen Storage in Hybrid Energy Generation
May 2024
Publication
One of the major challenges in harnessing energy from renewable sources like wind and solar is their intermittent nature. Energy production from these sources can vary based on weather conditions and time of day making it essential to store surplus energy for later use when there is a shortfall. Energy storage systems play a crucial role in addressing this intermittency issue and ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply. Green hydrogen source Read More
An Overview of Challenges for the Future of Hydrogen
Oct 2023
Publication
Hydrogen’s wide availability and versatile production methods establish it as a primary green energy source driving substantial interest among the public industry and governments due to its future fuel potential. Notable investment is directed toward hydrogen research and material innovation for transmission storage fuel cells and sensors. Ensuring safe and dependable hydrogen facilities is paramount given the challenges in accident control. Addressing Read More
Modelling Underground Hydrogen Storage: A State-of-the-art Review of Fundamental Approaches and Findings
Dec 2023
Publication
This review presents a state-of-the-art of geochemical geomechanical and hydrodynamic modelling studies in the Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) domain. Geochemical modelling assessed the reactivity of hydrogen and res pective fluctuations in hydrogen losses using kinetic reaction rates rock mineralogy brine salinity and the integration of hydrogen redox reactions. Existing geomechanics studies offer an array of coupled hydromechanic Read More
Impacts of Green Hydrogen for Steel, Ammonia, and Long-distance Transport on the Cost of Meeting Electricity, Heat, Cold, and Hydrogen Demand in 145 Countries Running on 100% Wind-water-solar
May 2023
Publication
As the world moves to clean renewable energy questions arise as to how best to produce and use hydrogen. Here we propose using hydrogen produced only by electrolysis with clean renewable electricity (green hydrogen). We then test the impact of producing such hydrogen intermittently versus continuously for steel and ammonia manufacturing and long-distance transport via fuel cells on the cost of matching electricity heat cold and hydrogen demand wi Read More
Techno-economic Feasibility of Hybrid PV/wind/battery/thermal Storage Trigeneration System: Toward 100% Energy Independency and Green Hydrogen Production
Dec 2022
Publication
With the clear adverse impacts of fossil fuel-based energy systems on the climate and environment ever-growing interest and rapid developments are taking place toward full or nearly full dependence on renewable energies in the next few decades. Estonia is a European country with large demands for electricity and thermal energy for district heating. Considering it as the case study this work explores the feasibility and full potential of optimally sized photo Read More
Effective Thermal Conductivity of Insulation Materials for Cryogenic LH2 Storage Tanks: A Review
Nov 2022
Publication
An accurate estimation of the effective thermal conductivity of various insulation materials is essential in the evaluation of heat leak and boil-off rate from liquid hydrogen storage tanks. In this work we review the existing experimental data and various proposed correlations for predicting the effective conductivity of insulation systems consisting of powders foams fibrous materials and multilayer systems. We also propose a first principles-based c Read More
Prediction of Transient Hydrogen Flow of Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer Using Artificial Neural Network
Aug 2023
Publication
A proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is fed with water and powered by electric power to electrochemically produce hydrogen at low operating temperatures and emits oxygen as a by-product. Due to the complex nature of the performance of PEM electrolyzers the application of an artificial neural network (ANN) is capable of predicting its dynamic characteristics. A handful of studies have examined and explored ANN in the prediction of the t Read More
Policy Design for Diffusing Hydrogen Economy and Its Impact on the Japanese Economy for Carbon Neutrality by 2050: Analysis Using the E3ME-FTT Model
Nov 2023
Publication
To achieve carbon neutrality in Japan by 2050 renewable energy needs to be used as the main energy source. Based on the constraints of various renewable energies the importance of hydrogen cannot be ignored. This study aimed to investigate the diffusion of hydrogen demand technologies in various sectors and used projections and assumptions to investigate the hydrogen supply side. By performing simulations with the E3ME-FTT model and comparin Read More
Model to Inform the Expansion of Hydrogen Distribution Infrastructure
Jul 2023
Publication
A growing hydrogen economy requires new hydrogen distribution infrastructure to link geographically distributed hubs of supply and demand. The Hydrogen Optimization with Deployment of Infrastructure (HOwDI) Model helps meet this requirement. The model is a spatially resolved optimization framework that determines location-specific hydrogen production and distribution infrastructure to cost-optimally meet a specified location-based demand. While Read More
Optimal Design and Sizing of Hybrid Photovoltaic/Fuel Cell Electrical Power System
Aug 2023
Publication
Renewable energy solutions play a crucial role in addressing the growing energy demands while mitigating environmental concerns. This study examines the techno-economic viability and sensitivity of utilizing solar photovoltaic/polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells (FCs) to meet specific power demands in NEOM Saudi Arabia. The novelty of this study lies in its innovative approach to analyzing and optimizing PV/PEMFC systems aiming to highlight th Read More
Renewable Energy Transport via Hydrogen Pipelines and HVDC Transmission Lines
May 2021
Publication
The majority penetration of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) will challenge the stability of electrical transmission grids due to unpredictable peaks and troughs of VRE generation. With renewable generation located further from high demand urban cores there will be a need to develop new transmission pathways to deliver the power. This paper compares the transport and storage of VRE through a hydrogen pipeline to the transport of VRE throug Read More
Performance, Emissions, and Combustion Characteristics of a Hydrogen-Fueled Spark-Ignited Engine at Different Compression Ratios: Experimental and Numerical Investigation
Jul 2023
Publication
This paper investigates the performance of hydrogen-fueled spark-ignited single-cylinder Cooperative Fuel Research using experimental and numerical approaches. This study examines the effect of the air–fuel ratio on engine performance emissions and knock behaviour across different compression ratios. The results indicate that λ significantly affects both engine performance and emissions with a λ value of 2 yielding the highest efficiency and lowes Read More
Critical Mineral Demands May Limit Scaling of Green Hydrogen Production
Jan 2024
Publication
Hydrogen (H2) is widely viewed as critical to the decarbonization of industry and transportation. Water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity commonly referred to as green H2 can be used to generate H2 with low carbon dioxide emissions. Herein we analyze the critical mineral and energy demands associated with green H2 production under three different hypothetical future demand scenarios ranging from 100–1000 Mtpa H2. For e Read More
Populating the Hydrogen Component Reliability Database (HYCRED) with Incident Data from Hydrogen Dispensing
Sep 2023
Publication
Safety risk and reliability issues are vital to ensure the continuous and profitable operation of hydrogen technologies. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) has been used to enable the safe deployment of engineering systems especially hydrogen fueling stations. However QRA studies require reliability data which are essential to collect to make the studies as realistic and relevant as possible. These data are currently lacking and data from other industries such Read More
Market-based Asset Valuation of Hydrogen Geological Storage
Jul 2023
Publication
Because of hydrogen's low energy density hydrogen storage is a critical component of the hydrogen economy particularly when large-scale and flexible hydrogen utilization is required. There is a sense of urgency to develop hydrogen geological storage projects to support large-scale yet flexible hydrogen utilization. This study aims to answer questions not yet resolved in the research literature discussing the valuation of hydrogen geological storage Read More
A Cost Comparison of Various Hourly-reliable and Net-zero Hydrogen Production Pathways in the United States
Nov 2023
Publication
Hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier may play a role in various hard-to-abate subsectors but to maximize emission reductions supplied hydrogen must be reliable low-emission and low-cost. Here we build a model that enables direct comparison of the cost of producing net-zero hourly-reliable hydrogen from various pathways. To reach net-zero targets we assume upstream and residual facility emissions are mitigated using negative emission technologi Read More
Reversible Molten Catalytic Methane Cracking Applied to Commercial Solar-Thermal Receivers
Nov 2020
Publication
When driven by sunlight molten catalytic methane cracking can produce clean hydrogen fuel from natural gas without greenhouse emissions. To design solar methane crackers a canonical plug flow reactor model was developed that spanned industrially relevant temperatures and pressures (1150–1350 Kelvin and 2–200 atmospheres). This model was then validated against published methane cracking data and used to screen power tower and beam-down re Read More
Experimental Comparison of Hydrogen Refueling with Directly Pressurized vs. Cascade Method
Aug 2023
Publication
This paper presents a comparative analysis of two hydrogen station configurations during the refueling process: the conventional “directly pressurized refueling process” and the innovative “cascade refueling process.” The objective of the cascade process is to refuel vehicles without the need for booster compressors. The experiments were conducted at the Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility located at California State University Los Angeles. In Read More
Minimizing Emissions from Grid-based Hydrogen Production in the United States
Jan 2023
Publication
Low-carbon hydrogen could be an important component of a net-zero carbon economy helping to mitigate emissions in a number of hard-to-abate sectors. The United States recently introduced an escalating production tax credit (PTC) to incentivize production of hydrogen meeting increasingly stringent embodied emissions thresholds. Hydrogen produced via electrolysis can qualify for the full subsidy under current federal accounting standards if t Read More
Global Land and Water Limits to Electrolytic Hydrogen Production Using Wind and Solar Resources
Sep 2023
Publication
Proposals for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 include scaling-up electrolytic hydrogen production however this poses technical economic and environmental challenges. One such challenge is for policymakers to ensure a sustainable future for the environment including freshwater and land resources while facilitating low-carbon hydrogen production using renewable wind and solar energy. We establish a country-by-country reference Read More
Renewable-power-assisted Production of Hydrogen and Liquid Hydrocarbons from Natural Gas: Techno-economic Analysis
Jun 2022
Publication
The declining cost of renewable power has engendered growing interest in leveraging this power for the production of chemicals and synthetic fuels. Here renewable power is added to the gas-to-liquid (GTL) process through Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis in order to increase process efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Accordingly two realistic configurations are considered which differ primarily in the syngas preparation step. In the first configuration s Read More
Near-term Infrastructure Rollout and Investment Strategies for Net-zero Hydrogen Supply Chains
Feb 2024
Publication
Low-carbon hydrogen plays a key role in European industrial decarbonization strategies. This work investigates the cost-optimal planning of European low-carbon hydrogen supply chains in the near term (2025–2035) comparing several hydrogen production technologies and considering multiple spatial scales. We focus on mature hydrogen production technologies: steam methane reforming of natural gas biomethane reforming biomass gasification and Read More
Examining the Nature of Two-dimensional Transverse Waves in Marginal Hydrogen Detonations using Boundary Layer Loss Modeling with Detailed Chemistry
Sep 2023
Publication
Historically it has been a challenge to simulate the experimentally observed cellular structures and marginal behavior of multidimensional hydrogen-oxygen detonations in the presence of losses even with detailed chemistry models. Very recently a quasi-two-dimensional inviscid approach was pursued where losses due to viscous boundary layers were modeled by the inclusion of an equivalent mass divergence in the lateral direction using Fay’s source t Read More
Modelling Flexibility Requirements in Deep Decarbonisation Scenarios: The Role of Conventional Flexibility and Sector Coupling Options in the European 2050 Energy System
Feb 2024
Publication
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reaffirmed the importance of scaling up renewable energy to decarbonise Europe’s economy while rapidly reducing its exposure to foreign fossil fuel suppliers. Therefore the question of sources of flexibility to support a fully decarbonised European energy system is becoming even more critical in light of a renewable-dominated energy system. We developed and used a Pan-European energy system model to systematic Read More
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