Hybrids kinder to our world

[brodfloyd]

Originally Posted by HSE2

That’s not entirely correct.

"More than 95 percent of hydrogen produced today is by the Steam Methane Reformation (SMR) of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas, a process that liberates massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants to the atmosphere. The SMR process provides a net energy loss of 30 to 35% when converting methane into hydrogen since a great deal of fossil energy or electrical power is required to operate the process. Hydrogen is also produced by electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. Although electrolysis itself can be quite efficient in converting electricity into hydrogen, the electricity used for electrolysis is often primarily generated from fossil fuels. Therefore, traditional hydrogen production methods result in a net increase in air pollution and are highly inefficient from an energy conversion perspective.

Solar hydrogen production provides a net energy gain when converting methane into hydrogen since the energy used to drive the process is from the sun, says SHEC. Since SMR is not typically cost-effective at small to moderate production levels, SHEC's technology is particularly attractive for smaller and distributed hydrogen production. The environmental benefits of generating hydrogen using renewable energy include significant greenhouse gas reductions, and the reduction of smog precursors, acid gases, and mercury as a result of reduced local need for oil, coal, and natural gas.

To add even greater value, the process has the ability to use a renewable source of methane and carbon dioxide, such as biogas from municipal wastewater plants and landfill gas. Renewable methane generated from biomass results in no net increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere when the methane is converted into hydrogen by SHEC's solar hydrogen generator.

The next generation of solar hydrogen involves direct water splitting with only water as the primary feed component. According to SHEC scientists, six of the ten steps needed for this process are already integrated into the current system."

Source: renewable energy access.

In addition to this there is a trial being conducted in the UK using wind power to make Hydrogen for London buses.

Hydrogen will be the next fuel source it’s just what form it will take.

It may not be entirely correct, but 95% is good enough for me