With zero emissions, hydrogen has long been regarded as a highly promising green fuel. But difficulties in transporting and storing this highly volatile gas, along with slow development of the necessary infrastructure, have kept progress stalled until relatively recently. But 2014 was a big year for hydrogen energy in Japan. An expert on the topic looks to what the future may hold.
Long-Awaited Progress on Hydrogen Energy
The year 2014 was when real progress finally started to be seen in the use of hydrogen energy. In June, the Ministry for Economy, Trade, and Industrys Council for Strategy on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells compiled its Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. And November saw a major step toward the Tokyo Metropolitan Governments goal of realizing a hydrogen society by the time of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics with the release of a list of concrete measures and budgetary provisions. Around that same time, both Honda and Toyota Motors confirmed plans to put hydrogen fuel cell cars on the market. And two other firmsIwatani Corporation and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporationannounced prices for the sale of hydrogen at hydrogen stations. All the gears seemed to have ground into action at once.
Japan had already taken the global lead in the implementation of hydrogen fuel cell technology. In 2009 Panasonic teamed up with Tokyo Gas to launch Ene-Farm, a pioneering electrochemical fuel cell for the home. And in December 2014 Toyota unveiled the worlds first mass-market fuel cell car, a development that attracted much media attention.
Spera Hydrogen
Five Potential Benefits
The great potential benefits of hydrogen energy can be summed up in five main points.
First, because the use of hydrogen as a fuel produces no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases (the only byproduct is pure water), it is considered to be a green fuel. This eco-friendly status, however, extends only to the actual use of hydrogen, and not to its initial production. Because such merits are negated if fossil fuels are used in production of the gas, hydrogen production via renewable energy sources is a preferable option in order to reap the full environmental benefits.
Second, because hydrogen fuel cells are exceptionally energy efficient, they have great potential in the ongoing drive to curb overall energy consumption. At present, around 60% of the energy at facilities operated by Japans electric power companies ultimately goes to waste, a figure that could be reduced considerably through the use of fuel cells. In addition, fitting stationary fuel cells to homes and other buildings would enable premises to cover their own heating and electricity needs, further contributing to reductions in energy use.
Third, hydrogen energy has the potential to boost disaster preparedness. In the event of a serious earthquake or other such catastrophe, homes and vehicles fitted with fuel cells could be used as emergency power sources, thereby safeguarding both lives and living conditions.
The fourth point is, because hydrogen can be produced by a broad variety of means, its applications do not end with its potential as an energy source. It can also be used as a means of energy transportation, so, when paired with other energy sources, it can play a role in making up for their shortcomings and accentuating their strengths. In some ways, it is this potential to effect an overall change in the energy industry that perhaps holds the greatest appeal. This aspect will be covered in greater detail in the second half of this article...SNIP
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Too bad the US has spent the last 40 years bombing and invading other countries, because it could have led this revolution. Now it's morally and fiscally bankrupt. A nation of arrogant, ignorant, spoiled fools that only know how to make war and lie to others. What a shame.