Abstract
Today, hydrogen is recognized as a non-polluting energy carrier because it does not contribute to global warming if it is produced from renewable energy resources. Hydrogen is the only secondary energy carrier that is suitable for wide application. At the center of attention is the fact that hydrogen can be obtained from a wide range of primary energies. It can be used advantageously for a wide range of applications. Hydrogen can be used in decentralized systems without emitting CO2. Hydrogen is already a part of today's chemical industry, but as an energy resource, its rare benefits can only be achieved through fuel cell technology. The next generations of energy systems for stationary applications based on hydrogen fuel cell have the potential of using and implementing clean energy in the residential buildings sector, as well as in the tertiary and industrial sector, thus having a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions decreasing, specific characteristics of hydrogen technology having an important role in the decarbonization of energy production systems.
TopHydrogen - Energy Vector In A Sustainable Energy System
Today hydrogen is recognized as a clean energy carrier because it does not contribute to global warming if it is produced from renewable sources. In addition, hydrogen is the only secondary energy carrier suitable for wide applications on the market. The focus is on the fact that hydrogen can be obtained from a wide range of primary energies. It can be used advantageously for a wide range of applications, from transport and portable to stationary. In addition, hydrogen can also be used in decentralized systems without emitting carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is already a component of today's chemical industry, but as an energy source, its rare advantages can only be achieved with the help of technologies such as fuel cells. (Felseghi, R.A., et.al., 2019, a; Weeda, M., & Segers, R., 2020).
As hydrogen can be produced from a wide range of primary energies and can be consumed in an even greater number of applications, it will become an energy center, just as electricity is today. The advantage of hydrogen over electricity is that it can be stored for long periods of time and transported away from the place of production. Consequently, an energy carrier helps to increase the stabilization of energy security and price, giving rise to competition between different energy sources. (Felseghi, R.A., et.al., 2019, a; Zhiznin, S. Z., Vassilev, S., & Gusev, A. L., 2019; Midilli, A., Ay, M., Dincer, I., & Rosen, M. A., 2005).
T. N. Veziroglu, editor of the journal specializing in hydrogen technology and energy, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy briefly presents some features that recommend the use of hydrogen as an energy secondary vector produced on the basis of unconventional technologies:
Key Terms in this Chapter
Fuel Cell: A device that continuously changes the chemical energy of a fuel (such as hydrogen) and an oxidant directly into electrical energy.
Renewable Energy: Often referred to as clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished.
Energy System: A system primarily designed to supply energy services to end-users.
Sustainable Development: Economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources.
Circular Economy: In the linear economy, raw natural resources are taken, transformed into products and get disposed of. On the opposite, a circular economy model aims to close the gap between the production and the natural ecosystems’ cycles – on which humans ultimately depend upon. This means, on one hand, eliminating waste – composting biodegradable waste or, if it’s a transformed and non-biodegradable waste, reusing, remanufacturing and finally recycling it. On the other hand, it also means cutting off the use of chemical substances (a way to help regenerate natural systems) and betting on renewable energy.
Hydrogen Economy: Is an envisioned future in which hydrogen is used as an energy vector for power systems, fuel for heat production, fuel for hydrogen vehicles, medium for energy storage, and for long-distance transport of energy. In order to phase out fossil fuels and limit global warming, hydrogen can be created from water using intermittent renewal sources such as wind and solar, and its combustion only releases water vapor to the atmosphere.
Stationary Application: Means any application of a Fuel Cell System in which such Fuel Cell System is designed to be attached to a fixed site, being land, a building or other immobile structure for extended use at that site, and includes stationary electrical power systems which are transportable for temporary site power supply.
Hydrogen: A nonmetallic gaseous chemical element with atomic number 1 that is the simplest and lightest of the elements.