The Hydrogen Plan

The Government actions a new provision that commits the UK to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles on British roads by 2035 and sets in motion the following:-

• Resourced by the Hydrogen Fund, plans are drawn up to provide and build a new hydrogen storage and distribution system – the H2GRID

• Using proven (patent free) Toyota fuel cell technology, the UK creates and funds new research centres and large production systems for fuel cell units.

• Provide funding and grants for UK business to research, develop and produce H2 production systems and equipment.

• Provide funding and grants to create massive solar infrastructure, both industrial sized and for homes and smaller business premises.  Some of these will be linked directly into the H2GRID providing constant power from H2 storage.

• Provide funding and grants to UK businesses to develop and employ tidal powered energy systems, linked into the H2GRID

• Provide funding and grants to help UK manufacturers of vehicles to incorporate new fuel cell technologies.

By 2035 the oil can be turned off.  Britain will lead the world in fuel cell production, hydrogen based systems and distribution methodology.  Too simple?

Hydrogen as an energy source - This is derided due to USA centric economics

Producing hydrogen as a fuel from solar, (or other renewables), is often discounted due to the efficiency arguments.  The USA (often via California) leads most discussions and research on clean energy.  But they have a completely different view on energy efficiency.  For California, they can utilise all their solar energy whenever the sun shines. This is because the grid load is very high at this time due to the load from air conditioners.

Look at most of the analysis on this subject – the battery powered vehicle verses the fuel cell vehicle – and the arguments are about direct efficiency.  This is of course ‘bollocks’, (a CST term for poor thinking), as in many parts of the world solar, wind and other renewable energy is produced when there is a low requirement from the grid, it has little to do with the efficiency within a modern USA environment.

Even in hot climates such as Africa, this analysis is flawed, as in many regions they don’t have hardly any energy at all.  So the idea that using air conditioners rather than the essential base load issues for water irrigation, sewage, production facilities and essential health requirements is ridiculous.

The energy conversion overall (from solar electricity to hydrogen storage) is about 30 percent.  This may seem low. Consider that the sun provides 20,000 times the energy we use overall, (in any given period).  If we employ massive solar capture, this energy conversion efficiency to hydrogen is fantastic, as it helps capture all the available solar energy production which is effectively limitless, so the efficiency argument is not relevant.  If you are throwing energy away, (as the UK does even after paying for it from solar and wind), or not capturing it at all, (eg many parts of Africa), then the efficiency of conversion is irrelevant, and 30 percent of something you don’t have at all is brilliant!

The world seems to be looking at this issue through the wrong end of the telescope.  Let’s have another look at it from a different perspective.  CST thinks that the world could utilise modern solar powered systems – via hydrogen as a storage fuel – to solve many of the world’s energy dilemmas. 

CST

 
The Hydrogen Plan

Simple, sustainable, effective, efficient & world-leading