Page 18 - Introduction to Transfer Phenomena in PEM Fuel Cells

Introduction to Hydrogen Technology 7
This hybrid plant, which combines wind power, biogas and hydrogen, is
part of the overall policy of developing renewable energies, supply of
carbon-free energy, and better integration of intermittent renewable energies
into the electricity grid.
It presents a perfectly balanced system between the fluctuation in the
production of the different associated renewable energies and the actual
electricity needs. Three wind turbines produce electricity and they are used,
in part, to produce hydrogen. This CO 2-free vector is stored and, in addition
to the biogas, can then be converted into electricity and heat in the event of
peak consumption. Hydrogen also offers a CO 2-free flexible solution at total
power stations in Berlin and Hamburg. The investment is estimated at
approximately 21 million euros [MIS 13].

1.1.1. Production methods

Hydrogen is a good choice as a future non-polluting energy source for
many reasons. Here are some of these reasons:

– hydrogen can be produced using several sources. It is quite renewable
because the most abundant and clean starting element for producing
hydrogen is water;
– the hydrogen can be stored in the gaseous state, in the liquid state or in
the solid state. It can also be stored in different chemical substances such as
methanol, ethanol or metal hydrides;
– the hydrogen can be produced by means of an electrochemical
converter or efficiently converted into electricity;
– hydrogen can be transported and stored as safely as the fuels used
today.

The hydrogen sector, or in other words, the production and applications
of this very important energy vector, is composed of several variants. Figure
1.6 shows an overview of this sector. We can see three areas of application.
Indeed, in the field of transport, hydrogen can be used in internal combustion
engines and in electric motors powered by fuel cells.