United States

Combined heat and power (CHP) in a single and integrated device is concurrent or synchronized production of many sources of usable power typically electric as well as thermal. Integrating combined heat and power systems in today’s energy market will address energy scarcity global warming as well as energy-saving problems. This review highlights the system design for fuel cell CHP technologies. Key among the components discussed was the type of fuel cell stack capable of generating the maximum performance of the entire system. The type of fuel processor used was also noted to influence the systemic performance coupled with its longevity. Other components equally discussed was the power electronics. The thermal and water management was also noted to have an effect on the overall efficiency of the system. Carbon dioxide emission reduction reduction of electricity cost and grid independence were some notable advantages associated with fueling cell combined heat and power systems. Despite these merits the high initial capital cost is a key factor impeding its commercialization. It is therefore imperative that future research activities are geared towards the development of novel and cheap materials for the development of the fuel cell which will transcend into a total reduction of the entire system. Similarly robust systemic designs should equally be an active research direction. Other types of fuel aside hydrogen should equally be explored. Proper risk assessment strategies and documentation will similarly expand and accelerate the commercialization of this novel technology. Finally public sensitization of the technology will also make its acceptance and possible competition with existing forms of energy generation feasible. The work in summary showed that proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM fuel cell) operated at a lower temperature-oriented cogeneration has good efficiency and is very reliable. The critical issue pertaining to these systems has to do with the complication associated with water treatment. This implies that the balance of the plant would be significantly affected; likewise the purity of the gas is crucial in the performance of the system. An alternative to these systems is the PEM fuel cell systems operated at higher temperatures.

Today Everything About Hydrogen had a chance to speak with Paul Barrett the CEO of Hysata and dig into what makes this electrolysis company different.

The podcast can be found on their website.

Across the globe energy production and usage cause the greatest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are the key driver of climate change. Therefore countries around the world are aggressively striving to convert to a clean energy regime by altering the ways and means of energy production. Hydrogen is a frontrunner in the race to net-zero carbon because it can be produced using a diversity of feedstocks has versatile use cases and can help ensure energy security. While most current hydrogen production is highly carbon-intensive advances in carbon capture renewable energy generation and electrolysis technologies could help drive the production of low-carbon hydrogen. However significant challenges such as the high cost of production a relatively small market size and inadequate infrastructure need to be addressed before the transition to a hydrogen-based economy can be made. This review presents the state of hydrogen demand challenges in scaling up low-carbon hydrogen possible solutions for a speedy transition and a potential course of action for nations.

The energy system of the United States requires several million gigawatt hours of energy storage to meet variable demand for energy driven by (1) weather (heating and cooling) (2) social patterns (daily and weekday/weekend) of work play and sleep (3) weather-dependent energy production (wind and solar) and (4) industrial requirements. In a low-carbon world four storage options can meet this massive requirement at affordable costs: nuclear fuels heat storage hydrocarbon liquids made from biomass and hydrogen. Because of the different energy sector characteristics (electrical supply transportation commercial and industrial) each of these options must be developed. Capital costs associated with electricity storage at this scale using for example batteries and hydroelectric technologies are measured in hundreds of trillions of dollars for the United States alone and thus are not viable.

Ammonia a chemical that contains high hydrogen quantities has been presented as a candidate for the production of clean power generation and aerospace propulsion. Although ammonia can deliver more hydrogen per unit volume than liquid hydrogen itself the use of ammonia in combustion systems comes with the detrimental production of nitrogen oxides which are emissions that have up to 300 times the greenhouse potential of carbon dioxide. This factor combined with the lower energy density of ammonia makes new studies crucial to enable the use of the molecule through methods that reduce emissions whilst ensuring that enough power is produced to support high-energy intensive applications. Thus this paper presents a numerical study based on the use of novel reaction models employed to characterize ammonia combustion systems. The models are used to obtain Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations via Star-CCM+ with complex chemistry of a 70%–30% (mol) ammonia–hydrogen blend that is currently under investigations elsewhere. A fixed equivalence ratio (1.2) medium swirl (0.8) and confined conditions are employed to determine the flame and species propagation at various operating atmospheres and temperature inlet values. The study is then expanded to high inlet temperatures high pressures and high flowrates at different confinement boundary conditions. The results denote how the production of NOx emissions remains stable and under 400 ppm whilst higher concentrations of both hydrogen and unreacted ammonia are found in the flue gases under high power conditions. The reduction of heat losses (thus higher temperature boundary conditions) has a crucial impact on further destruction of ammonia post-flame with a raise in hydrogen water and nitrogen through the system thus presenting an opportunity of combustion efficiency improvement of this blend by reducing heat losses. Final discussions are presented as a method to raise power whilst employing ammonia for gas turbine systems.

On today’s episode Alicia Chris and Patrick are chatting with Vonjy Rakajoba UK Managing Director at Robert Bosch. The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services and employs roughly 402600 associates worldwide. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions Industrial Technology Consumer Goods and Energy and Building Technology. Bosch believes that hydrogen has a bright future as an energy carrier and is making considerable upfront investments in this area. From 2021 to 2024 the company plans to invest around 600 million euros in mobile fuel-cell applications and a further 400 million euros in stationary ones for the generation of electricity and heat. Vonjy is here with us to discuss more about what Bosch’s expansion into the hydrogen energy sector will look like and how the company expects the market to grow moving forward.

The podcast can be found on their website.

On this episode of EAH we sat down with Dr. Bo Cerup-Simonsen Chief Executive Officer of the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. Bo holds a PHD in Naval Architecture and Mechanical Engineering and spent seven years as a research engineer at MIT.

Bo explains the Center's work and we discuss decarbonization of shipping using hydrogen derived green fuels.

The podcast can be found on their website.

The effort to meet the ambitious targets of the Paris agreement is challenging many governments. The US and UK governments might have different approaches to achieving the targets but both will rely heavily on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to power their economies. However these sources of power are unpredictable and ways will have to be developed to store renewable energy for hours days weeks seasons and maybe even years before it is used. As the disruptive and increasingly deadly impacts of climate change are being felt across the world the need to move to more sustainable sources of energy and to identify viable ways to store that energy has never been more important.<br/>This was the subject of the US–UK Science Forum on electrical storage in support of the grid which was held online from 17 – 18 March 2021. Co-organised by the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences it brought together a diverse group of 60 scientists policy makers industry leaders regulators and other key stakeholders for a wide-ranging discussion on all aspects of energy storage from the latest research in the field to the current status of deployment. It also considered the current national and international economic and policy contexts in which these developments are taking place. A number of key points emerged from the discussion. First it is clear that renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in the US and UK energy systems of the future and energy storage at a multi-terawatt hour scale has a vital role to play. Of course this will evolve differently to some extent in both countries and elsewhere according to the various geographical technological economic political social and regulatory environments. Second international collaboration is critical – no single nation will solve this problem alone. As two of the world’s leading scientific nations largest economies and per capita CO2 emitters with a long track record of collaboration the US and UK are well placed to play a vital role in addressing this critical challenge. As the discussion highlighted a wide range of energy storage technologies are now emerging and becoming increasingly available many of which have the potential to be critical components of a future net-zero energy system. A crucial next phase is in ensuring that these are technically developed as well as economically and political viable. This will require the support of a wide range of these potential solutions to ensure that their benefits remain widely available and to avoid costly ‘lock-in’. Scientists and science academies have a critical role to play in analysing technology options their combinations and their potential roles in future sustainable energy systems and in working with policymakers to incentivise investment and deployment.

This week we have Christopher Jackson in the hot seat as he catches up with BayoTech CEO Mo Vargas and BayoTech’s new President Michael Koonce to discuss the acquisition of IGX Group. Mergers & Acquisition activity has been growing in the hydrogen space with commentators suggesting the market is maturing faster than expected and customers seeking more integrated solutions. In this episode we look at the IGX acquisition by BayoTech and ask why the deal made sense what it means for the market and other participants and what listeners can learn from the deal to foreshadow future activity.

The podcast can be found on their website

The team are joined by Dr. Jenifer Baxter of the Institution for Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE). Dr. Baxter is based in the UK and is the Chief Engineer at IMECHE. We often focus heavily on the business cases and development models at the heart of the hydrogen economy here at EAH. On this episode we bring the technical discussion to the forefront and speak with Dr. Baxter about the technical advantages and the challenges that hydrogen presents as an essential part of the path to decarbonizing the future. The team's conversation is a can't miss exploration of a wide range of potential applications for hydrogen technologies that brings a new and essential perspective to the podcast. Don't miss out on EAH's newest episode where we get the engineer's perspective on the future of hydrogen!

The podcast can be found on their website