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the category your question relates to: |
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Why
Hydrogen |
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CA
H2 Net Blueprint Plan |
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Hydrogen
Fuel |
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Hydrogen
Production |
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Hydrogen
Vehicles |
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Fuel
Cells |
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Safety |
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Big
Picture Policy |
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Why
hydrogen?
Hydrogen has many important advantages
over other fuels. Hydrogen can be made
from renewable sources, it is clean to
use, and it is the fuel of choice for
energy-efficient fuel cells. Hydrogen
is first on the periodic table of the
elements, is the least complex and most
abundant element in the universe. Hydrogen
will play a critical role in a new, decentralized
energy infrastructure that can provide
power to vehicles, homes, and industries.
Hydrogen has the ability to address several
high-priority areas for California: |
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- Energy
security and diversity: Hydrogen can
be produced from a variety of domestic
sources, including renewable sources.
This enables diversification of our
energy supply, especially in the transportation
sector, which is currently almost
100% dependent on petroleum fuels.
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- Synergy
among energy use sectors: Hydrogen
“energy stations” can
provide heating, cooling and power
for homes and businesses, while co-producing
hydrogen for use in vehicles. As an
energy carrier, hydrogen can store,
move and deliver energy in a usable
form to consumers. This useful attribute
can help improve and stabilize the
ways our electricity system meets
growing consumer demand.
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- Environmental
protection: Hydrogen fuel can be used
in vehicles powered by either internal
combustion engines or fuel cells,
resulting in near-zero or zero tailpipe
emissions. When hydrogen is produced
from renewable resources and used
to power fuel cell vehicles, the entire
chain of processes (fuel production
through end use in a vehicle) results
in extremely low environmental impacts.
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- Economic
development: California has long been
at the forefront of emerging high-technology
industries. State officials have recognized
that early support for these industries
can translate into job-creation benefits
as technologies flourish in the marketplace.
If California continues to lead in
creating demand for hydrogen fuel
stations and products, companies with
related technologies are more likely
to choose our state to locate new
technology centers and manufacturing
facilities.
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What
is the California Hydrogen Highway? |
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The
California Hydrogen Highway is a vision
for a network of hydrogen fueling stations
located across the state in such a manner
that California motorists have ready access
to refueling. |
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What
makes a hydrogen station a CaH2Net station?
CA H2 Net stations will provide some form
of public access and meet the environmental
standards established in the blueprint
plan. |
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What
are the goals of the CaH2Net?
to match fueling station availabilty with vehicle deployment. It is estimated that 5 to 10 new stations are needed in California (primarily in the Los Angeles area) by 2010. |
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How
will the CA H2 Net be funded?
Initial risks and investments will be
shared between industry and government
through a public-private partnership.
Specific mechanisms for funding will be
developed in conjunction with the Legislature.
The current pace to develop hydrogen-fueled
vehicles and products is hindered by the
need to solve the so-called “chicken-or-egg”
question: which should come first, commercialization
of vehicles that run on hydrogen, or building
of the fueling stations that dispense
it? Who should take the initial risk with
expanded investments: hydrogen producers
or vehicle manufacturers? What is the
appropriate role of the government? Past
experience with clean, alternative fuels
in California has helped answer these
questions: the early risks must be shared
in order for a technology to progress.
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What
is the strategy for siting hydrogen stations?
To match the early deployment strategies of the OEMs, stations will be focused in the Los Angeles area. Starting with key early adoption communities along the Western edge of the L.A. Basin and growing outward and beyond L.A. The network aims at creating an efficient system of stations providing maximum public access to hydrogen vehicle drivers. |
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How
will the hydrogen be produced?
The blueprint plan recommends utilizing
a mix of hydrogen production pathways
that meet the environmental guidelines
and work toward the long-term goals of
the CA H2 Net. This strategy provides
flexibility to test a broad range of production
methods in order to maximize experience
gathering and allow superior pathways
to evolve, while ensuring adequate infrastructure
exists to support maximum deployment of
hydrogen vehicles. |
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What
safety measures will be taken?
Strict codes, standards and permitting
requirements for hydrogen stations in
California already exist. However, the
blueprint plan recommends a process for
updating those requirements to support
more widespread deployment of hydrogen
production and fueling facilities as well
as ensuring comprehensive information
sharing and training for local permitting
and emergency response personnel. |
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| HYDROGEN
FUEL |
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Why
use hydrogen as a fuel? |
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When used as a fuel, hydrogen
produces zero or very low emissions. The
emissions from a hydrogen fueled fuel
cell engine contain only water vapor.
Even when burned in a conventional internal
combustion engine, the emissions are significantly
lower than when using a carbon based fuel.
Hydrogen can be produced through a variety
of clean and/or renewable energy sources,
and hydrogen can be produced from non
petroleum sources thereby reducing the
state's dependence on petroleum. |
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What
are the differences between hydrogen and
other fuels? |
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Hydrogen can
be produced from a fuel such as ethanol,
gasoline, natural gas, methanol, or through
the electrolysis of water. Carbon based
fuels are harvested from limited, naturally
occurring, underground reserves.
Hydrogen contains about 2.6 times the
energy per unit mass as gasoline (i.e.:
1 kg of hydrogen has 2.6 times more energy
than 1 kg of gasoline). However, hydrogen
needs about 4 times the volume for a given
amount of energy (i.e.: it takes 4 gallons
of hydrogen to have the same amount of
energy as is contained in 1 gallon of
gasoline). Hydrogen readily disperses
upwards, whereas gasoline is a liquid and therefore pools on the ground.
The burning of carbon based fuels emits
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxides
of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, particulate
matter and other potentially toxic compounds.
Whereas combusting hydrogen produces heat,
water, and some oxides of nitrogen. In
hydrogen fueled, fuel cell engines, only
heat and water vapor are produced. |
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How
much will consumers pay for hydrogen compared
to gasoline?
Ultimately, hydrogen
will be competitive
with gasoline. The DOE has set a milestone
target of $1.50/gallon of gasoline equivalent
by 2010 (DOE Posture Plan, February 2004).
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Where
will I get hydrogen and who will sell
it ? |
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Eventually
hydrogen will be as readily available
as gasoline today. Until then, hydrogen
stations will be strategically located
throughout the state. The current
fuel providers and entities currently
active in hydrogen related industries
would sell hydrogen. |
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If
hydrogen can be produced from natural
gas, or water and electricity, can it
be produced at homes or offices ? |
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There
is a possibility that hydrogen could be
produced at home. Work is ongoing by vehicle
manufacturers, hydrogen infrastructure
providers, and energy providers on low
volume hydrogen generators. These devices
could be based on natural gas reformation
or electrolyses of water. Initial devices
will most likely be able to refuel one
car per day. |
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How is hydrogen used today? |
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Hydrogen
is used today in a variety of industrial
settings such as chemicals production,
petroleum refining, and metals treating.
Products that use hydrogen during the
production process include fertilizers,
glass, vitamins, cosmetics, soaps, lubricants,
even margarine and peanut butter. |
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| HYDROGEN
PRODUCTION |
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Where
does hydrogen come from? |
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Hydrogen
is the most abundant element in the
universe, and can be found in water,
fossil fuels and other sources. It bonds
with other elements to form commonly
known molecules such as water, methane
(natural gas) and methanol. Hydrogen
is produced by unlocking the chemical
bonds in these molecules that form these
substances. The water molecule, for
example (H20), consists of two hydrogen
atoms bonded to an oxygen atom. One
way to produce hydrogen is to use energy
to break water apart through a process
called electrolysis. In this process,
electricity and a catalyst combine to
separate the hydrogen from the oxygen
in the water. Another approach is to
liberate the hydrogen by "reforming"
fuels such as gasoline or natural gas. |
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Is
there enough natural gas to meet increased
hydrogen demand ? |
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There
is enough natural gas to meet initial
hydrogen demand. In addition, natural
gas reserves are more equally distributed
worldwide than those of oil. Future production
of hydrogen will result through a variety
of methods such as using solar or wind
energy, bio-mass, or even through photo
biological means. |
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Doesn't
using natural gas prolong California's
dependence on fossil fuel ? |
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Currently
most of California's natural gas comes
from domestic sources or from politically
stable countries such as Canada or Mexico.
The use of natural gas for hydrogen is
a near term solution. Long term strategies
for the production of hydrogen focus on
renewable sources. |
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Does
it take more energy to produce hydrogen
than you get out of it ? |
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Any
conversion of one form of energy to a
different form of energy consumes energy.
It is also true that the production of
gasoline from crude oil uses less energy
than the production of hydrogen. However,
fuel cell engines are capable of operating
at much greater efficiency than the
internal combustion engines (ICE). Therefore,
the well-to-wheel efficiency (point of
fuel production to the point of fuel use)
for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is greater
than petroleum fuel ICE vehicle. |
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| HYDROGEN
VEHICLES |
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Who
will make hydrogen vehicles? |
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All
of the world’s major auto manufacturers
have well-established hydrogen vehicle
research and development projects. Many,
including Ford, General Motors, Honda,
Toyota, Daimler, Chrysler, Nissan, Volkswagen and Hyundai
have already begun deploying these vehicles
in everyday, real world applications. |
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What
are the major activities that must be
accomplished in order to commercialize
fuel cell vehicles? |
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Prove the reliability and durability
of the fuel cell
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Increase range by improving how hydrogen
is stored on board the vehicle
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Reduce the cost of building fuel cell
vehicles to be competitive with today's
cars
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Invest in infrastructure to support
wide-scale vehicle introduction
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Secure public acceptance to create
demand for this technology
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When
will hydrogen vehicles to be made available
to the general public? |
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Commercialization
of hydrogen vehicles will take time. It is the auto makers belief that
hydrogen vehicles, at launch, must be
as good or better than today's internal
combustion engine vehicles for successful
market adoption. From setting
proper codes and standards for safe operation
and maintenance of the vehicles, stations
and fuel, to creating a new fueling infrastructure
and educating consumers…it takes
time. |
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| FUEL
CELLS |
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What
is a fuel cell?
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device
that produces electricity efficiently,
silently and without combustion. Hydrogen
fuel (which can be obtained from methanol,
natural gas, water, or petroleum products)
is combined with oxygen (from air) to
produce electrical energy. |
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How
do hydrogen and oxygen produce electrical
energy?
A Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell is
made of two plates sandwiched together
with a plastic membrane coated with a
catalyst. Hydrogen and
oxygen (from the air) are fed through
channels in the plates on either side
of the membrane. The hydrogen and oxygen
atoms are attracted to each other; however,
only the proton part of the hydrogen atom
can pass through the membrane to reach
the oxygen. The electron has to take the
long way around the membrane to reach
the oxygen atom - creating energy in the
process. The hydrogen electron is eventually
united with the proton and oxygen atom
to create water (H2O). |
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What
are the benefits of fuel cell technology?
The most impressive fuel cell benefits
are their high fuel efficiency and zero
emissions. In addition, fuel cell technology
can help us reduce our dependence on petroleum
because fuel cells use hydrogen, and hydrogen
can be produced from many sources, including
renewable sources. When using hydrogen,
fuel cells don’t emit any pollution
or greenhouse gases either. The only by-product
is water vapor.
The electric drive train of a fuel cell
vehicle provides other benefits, too.
An electric motor gives these vehicles
a very high torque for quick starts and
quiet ride. Fuel cell vehicles refuel quickly. Fuel cells are
powerful, have the potential to be easy
to maintain, and can contribute to reducing
noise pollution, a significant issue in
urban areas. |
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What
is the difference between a fuel cell
and a battery?
Fuel cells and batteries are similar as
they both deliver electrical power from
a chemical reaction. However, in a battery,
the chemical reactants are stored within
the battery and are used up during the
reaction. Then, the battery must be recharged
or thrown away. In a fuel cell, the reactants
(Hydrogen and Oxygen) are stored externally to the
fuel cell, so it will keep producing electricity
as long as reactants are delivered to
the fuel cell. Therefore, a fuel cell
vehicle is refueled instead of recharged. |
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Isn't
it better to use renewable energies in
the power-generation sector rather than
the transportation sector ? |
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It
is important for California to develop
renewable energy resources and look to
distributed generation, that is energy
production that is independent of the
electricity grid. However, it is also
important to invest in hydrogen fuel for
the transportation sector as well since
it is the largest consumer of fuel in
the State. |
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| SAFETY |
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Is
hydrogen safe? |
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Hydrogen
is no more and no less safe than gasoline
and other motor vehicle fuels. Hydrogen,
which exists as a gas under normal atmospheric
conditions, is odorless, colorless,
tasteless, and non-toxic. It can also
be safely transported.
Like any fuel, hydrogen is flammable.
Hydrogen’s flammable properties
are different than those of gasoline
and, therefore, it has different handling
requirements. Hydrogen, for instance,
can ignite with less energy than gasoline,
but requires a greater concentration
of hydrogen and oxygen to burn. Hydrogen
is extremely light and buoyant, so it
dissipates into the open air very quickly,
making any flammable concentration of
hydrogen unlikely.
Hydrogen
stations and vehicles utilize many redundant
safety systems to ensure the fuel system
shuts down and concentrations of hydrogen
are too low to be unsafe. Large amounts
of hydrogen have been produced for commercial
and manufacturing uses for many decades,
with an exemplary safety record. |
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What
about the Hindenburg?
Unfortunately, hydrogen has gotten a bad
rap from the Hindenburg tragedy. The airship
was not destroyed because it was filled
with hydrogen. It turns out that the material
used as the skin of the dirigible was
highly flammable and caught fire from
static electricity. When the skin burned,
the lighter-than-air hydrogen escaped
and, as would be expected with any flammable
substance, it also burned. The largest
contributor to the fire was from skin
of the dirigible, not hydrogen. |
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| BIG
PICTURE / POLICY |
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What
should the role of government be? |
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The
public sector needs to focus on how it
can help set the stage for hydrogen commercialization
so that investment by the private sector
can take place - by looking at incentives,
loan guarantees, revenue bond funding,
education and training, and codes and
standards. Investors have also called
upon government to set goals, deadlines,
and priorities, such as the vision of
the California Hydrogen Highway Network. |
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Why
does the State need to be involved - why
can't industry do this?
Timing is a critical issue. Because the
transition to a hydrogen economy is in
the public's interest, the State needs
to take the responsibility for a longer
focus than industry is compelled to do
for shareholders. The longer vision requires
this up-front investment in research,
development, and demonstration of technologies
that have multiple benefits. It's also
in the State's best interest to aggressively
explore options to ensure a secure and
sustainable energy future for our residents.
The State can also help expedite and coordinate
activities such as implementation of codes
and standards that will facilitate deployment
of the stations.
Government plays an important role, and
can help create the foundation for hydrogen
commercialization so that investment by
the private sector can take place. Activities
such as establishing incentives, loan
guarantees, revenue bond funding, education
and training, and codes and standards
are critical activities that require government
leadership. |
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How
can we be sure the hydrogen vehicles will
be there to support the stations?
Stations will be located and built in
coordination with the expected availability
of vehicles and expanded to more areas as commercial
availability of vehicles expands. The
concept of the Blueprint plan is to determine
the effort necessary to advance a hydrogen
economy in California. This means the
state will provide leadership, incentives
and policies that drive advancement of
hydrogen vehicle technology as well as
station deployment. |
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Is
California moving too quickly on hydrogen?
A hydrogen economy is already evolving
around us - auto manufactures are investing
billions in hydrogen technology, oil companies
are diversifying their portfolios, including
clean, renewable fuels, and other states
and countries are creating policies and
investing in hydrogen in various ways.
Meanwhile, petroleum supply constraints,
national security implications, and threats
to human and environmental health accelerate
the State’s need to develop sustainable
solutions. California has the opportunity
to provide the needed leadership that
will nurture these efforts, foster collaboration
and create momentum in a way that will
benefit our state as much, and as soon
as possible. California historically has
led economic and environmental policies
and initiatives that have spurred technological
development, and which other states and
countries have used to model their efforts.
We should continue to provide the same
leadership now at a time when there is
so much to gain. |
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What
are other States doing?
Other states are investing greatly in
hydrogen, as well as other countries.
California's leadership is not without
collaboration, partnerships and tremendous
support from other states and countries.
Yet, hydrogen provides many localized
benefits as well as global ones. |
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Will
hydrogen will cause more pollution? |
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Hydrogen
vehicles, themselves, are near-zero or
zero emission vehicles. Depending on how
the hydrogen fuel is produced, there can
be some greenhouse gas emissions and that
is why it is important to emphasize producing
hydrogen from clean sources of energy
such as renewables and natural gas in
California. If you examine the total emission
from the production and use of the fuel,
hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles are
the cleanest. |
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How
does this focus on the CA H2 Net impact
other advanced vehicle technology options?
The CA H2 Net, like programs associated
with other technologies, will not exclude
other beneficial technologies, but rather
will work with them, and likely contribute
to their advancement as well. Technologies
such as battery electric, plug-in hybrids,
compressed natural gas (CNG), and others
can contribute significantly to meeting
our state's goals, along with hydrogen.
Fuel cell vehicles ARE electric vehicles,
and many ARE hybrid electric vehicles.
In fact, all the work that auto companies
have done with battery electric and hybrid
electric vehicles is helping advance the
further evolution to fuel cell electric
vehicles. There is a misconception that
there is a sole "winner" in
technology and fuel choice. In reality,
there are many applications where different
technologies will exist and overlap, especially
in the transition from current fuels to
hydrogen. Electric, hybrid electric, fuel
cell, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion
engine vehicles will all play a role in
this transition, and the intent of the
CA H2 Net will help to identify those
applications where specific technologies
may best thrive.
Hydrogen is only one piece of Governor
Schwarzenegger's two major environmental
initiatives - the Energy Action Plan,
and the Environmental Action Plan. Those
initiatives recognize the unique attributes,
and support the important roles other
technologies play. However, there are
many compelling reasons why it makes sense
for California to pursue hydrogen: |
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- Fuel
cell vehicles are zero emission
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Hydrogen can be made from clean renewable
sources
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Hydrogen fuel can be produced domestically
and within the state
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It can bring energy and economic security
to California
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It can create jobs
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There is a very strong, broad stakeholder
force behind hydrogen
- Auto
manufacturers are producing and planning
to market hydrogen cars
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Hydrogen technology can apply across
product lines, from sub-compacts to
large trucks and SUVs
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Hydrogen vehicles can reach consumer
marketability in high numbers
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How
can I find information about hydrogen
legislation? |
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Click
here
to view state and federal legislation
related to hydrogen and fuel cells. |
