Hydrogen has been a part of the alternative energy debate for well over two decades now, but the cost associated with its production, handling, and distribution, along with its poor ’energy returned on energy invested’, have often relegated it to large scale testing instead of widespread implementation. While hydrogen may still currently be one of the worst options for powering vehicles, the opportunity to use it in conjunction with renewable sources of energy (solar, wind, etc.) for power production may prove to be its best and most fitting application.
One of the biggest problems associated with wind and solar power is the inability to efficiently store excess energy created during times of surplus production and then use that energy during times of low or no production i.e. night-time for solar or no wind for wind power. Though there are now more methods being employed to achieve this function, solar thermal power plants using molten salt is a good example, the majority of utility-grade renewable power plants do not have any way of taking full advantage of the energy they can capture and create.
Hydrogen To The Rescue?
Energy technology company Jetstream Wind is currently in the process of developing the world’s first sustainable zero-emissions power plant. The 10 mW plant will use power from renewable sources such as wind and solar power to produce hydrogen without production of any emissions. This hydrogen will act as storage for the energy created from renewable sources and can be transferred back to grid as available power when needed to maintain supply; essentially mimicking the role of a natural gas power plant.
By using renewable energy sources for the energy needed to produce the hydrogen, the cost of the hydrogen energy can be kept very low. The hydrogen production process itself is completely sustainable, can use salt water and gray water, and produces no green house gas emissions. As an added plus, the hydrogen production process produces distilled water as a byproduct which hypothetically could be used to provide freshwater for areas that have no access to clean drinking water.
Jetstream Wind has already broken ground on it’s first plant in Truth or Consequences, NM, which is estimated to take one year to complete.
The Good: A sustainable method of producing hydrogen emission free while storing otherwise lost energy from renewable sources.
The Bad: It’s unclear how this system will be implemented on a larger scale and scope. Water sources for the electrolysis process may be a concern in arid areas.
The Bottom-Line: Overall the idea sounds like a creative way of harnessing renewable source energy to create hydrogen, but it remains to be seen how large of a scale and scope this type of plant will be implemented in the overall energy portfolio of the U.S. and other countries.
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