Overview  Quick facts  Element makeup  Electrical demand of hydrogen  Support of evidence  Social/ political issues  Laws and regulations  Pros and cons of hydrogen (mostly environmental)  Hydrogen production  Work cited

HYDROGEN FACTS  Word origin: The word hydrogen comes from the Greek word hydro (water) and genes (forming).  Discovery: Hydrogen was recognized as a distinct substance by Henry Cavendish in  Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.  Approximately million metric tons of hydrogen are produced in the US each year; enough to power million cars or 5-8 million homes.  Hydrogen is 14 times lighter than air.

The element hydrogen  Atomic Number: 1  Atomic Weight:  Melting Point: K ( °C or °F)  Boiling Point: K ( °C or °F)  Density: grams per cubic centimeter  Phase at Room Temperature: Gas  Element Classification: Non-metal

What evidence supports the idea that hydrogen can provide a significant proportion of electrical demand in the future?  Availability  The most abundant element in the universe (about 75%)  Lightest of all gases  On Earth, it is most commonly found in water, but is also found in organic matter.  Rarely found in its pure form.  It can be produced from many other sources of energy such as oil, natural gas, nuclear power, solar power, and even biomass.  The United States alone already produces about 100 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per year.  Since it is very abundant, any region in the world could produce hydrogen from it own resources and sources of energy.

Continued…  As a resource  Hydrogen is considered to be an energy carrier  Energy must be used to produce pure hydrogen, which can then be used as fuel or electric generation.  The method used to create pure hydrogen determines the environmental impact of hydrogen.

Continued…  Uses  Fuel cells  Liquid  Past and Present  NASA  Liquid hydrogen used in space shuttles since the 1970s  Hydrogen fuel cells power the electrical systems and produce drinking water for astronauts.  Used in liquid form by other countries to launch satellites into space.  Automobiles  Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells are now commercially available in the United States and Europe.  Public Transportation.

Continued…  Cost  Hydrogen: about 1 dollar per gallon  Gasoline: over 3 dollars per gallon

Continued… Future of Hydrogen:  Ammonia pellets  Solar Hydrogen

Does everybody agree with that evidence?  No  Many people have pointed out the issues with using hydrogen for an energy source.  Steve Puma – “…it is a very impractical battery, with an extremely low energy-to-volume ratio.”  Lisa Zyga – “…the production of hydrogen depends on the availability of energy and water, both of which are increasingly rare and may become political issues, as much as oil and natural gas are today,”  Jeff Wise – “skeptics say that Hydrogen promises to be a needlessly expensive solution for applications for which simpler, cheaper and cleaner alternatives already exist.”  Erik Sofge – Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, said that, “among other things it would take four miracles for hydrogen to work…”

What social/political problems does hydrogen energy have?  Hydrogen energy in fact it can revolutionize fuel consumption and efficiency..  For example, in terms of distribution, as a very sensitive substance, transporting hydrogen from one place to another can really be a challenge.

Another threat is:  Pipe lines : are laid down on major roads in the United States to limit the exposure from Hydrogen of the surface structures.  Highly Expensive.

Do any laws or regulations prevent the deployment of new hydrogen power?  Laws and regulations purporting to the deployment, production and distribution of hydrogen are focused on the reporting dangers of producing Hydrogen energy from extraction to transportation.  United States government is strongly convinced of the benefits of developing hydrogen power in resolving the energy problems in the country and thus, instead of prohibiting or preventing the deployment of new hydrogen power is in fact encouraging the same.

Also…  Cost problems.  Taxes involved.

What environmental problems does hydrogen power pose?  Atmosphere  Research estimates emissions into the atmosphere growing from 60 to 120 trillion grams a year by replacing fossil fuel with hydrogen globally.

Continued…  Ozone  Estimates from the Caltech study of potential hydrogen fuel effects on the planet's atmosphere show a 10 percent decrease in the ozone from the inevitable leaks.

Continued…  Greenhouse Effect  A 2006 British science study names hydrogen an indirect greenhouse gas.

Continued…  Expense  One of the biggest downsides about hydrogen power is that it is woefully expensive

You’re wrong  Common Misconception  Proponents of hydrogen as a fuel believe that a switch from hydrocarbons to hydrogen fuel is advantageous to the environment.

We need a few pros  Energy  Ease of Production  Environmentally Friendly

Hydrogen production  Hydrogen Production  About 95 percent of the hydrogen currently produced in the United States comes from natural gas processing called "steam methane reforming.”

Continued…  Other Hydrogen Production  The separation of hydrogen and oxygen by hydrolysis (using electricity) is much less popular than steam methane reforming because it is so inefficient; only about 70 percent

Hydrogen Car  Hydrogen Car (How it works) Hydrogen Car (How it works)

Work Cited

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