Addressing the Global Energy Crisis Via a Solar to Hydrogen Pathway
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POINTOFVIEW Hydrogen Without Tears: Addressing the Global Energy Crisis via a Solar to Hydrogen Pathway By DEREK ABBOTT, Fellow IEEE School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia countries seeking to rapidly industri- alize, it is clear that energy consump- tion and production as we know it must drastically change. Butwhatisthewayahead?How do we sort through the complexity of multiple possible energy-supply pro- posals? Where are we heading and what is our long-term vision for energy policy as a planetary commu- nity? Are we forced to precariously juggle a mix of energy sources, hoping that a winner will emerge and save the day? Or is it possible to identify a dominant future solution, where we can begin to plan our strategy now, invest, and build massive scale over the next few decades? If a dominant solution with long- term sustainability can be identified now, this will help mankind to build an energy policy roadmap so that investment and focus is not overly locked in to solutions that are not he total world power consumption by humans currently lies at globally scalable or that have short- about 15 TWVthis figure includes power in all its forms from lived utility times. A clear end-vision electricity through to gasoline combustion. Given our finite fossil- provides a fixed point from which we fuel resources and growing world population, our current can plan out an energy policy mix for Tpatterns of energy supply and usage are clearly unsustainable. the transitionary phase toward a Imagine, for example, that everyone in the world boils water in an electric sustainable future. kettle only once a day to make a hot drink. If each person overfills their kettle In a forthcoming issue of the with as little as 100 ml of water, this amounts to an enormous wastage equal to PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE [1], it will the whole power output of the Hoover Dam. With prospects of developing be shown that order-of-magnitude calculations are sufficient to identify Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/JPROC.2009.2032826 a solar-hydrogen economy as the 0018-9219/$26.00 Ó2009 IEEE Vol. 97, No. 12, December 2009 | Proceedings of the IEEE 1931 Authorized licensed use limited to: University of Adelaide Library. Downloaded on December 31, 2009 at 19:52 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. PointofView dominant solution. The key conclu- resource that has a host of industrial simply do not scale for a global sions are foreshadowed as follows. usesandisusedineverylaptop solution due to the use of expensive computer and mobile phone. Reclaim- membrane technology and exotic ing lithium from seawater is question- chemicals that would stretch the I. THE NEGATIVE able in terms of recovery rates and world reserves inventory. Moreover, PICTURE scalability, given that it is dispersed at a Bossel has shown that if we assume The picture at present is a poor one, as concentration of 0.1 ppm. standard production techniques for our current pattern of energy supply This leaves us with renewables hydrogen, the inefficiencies simply simply does not scale. Fossil fuels such as wave, wind, hydroelectric, render the costs of storage and such as oil, coal, and natural gas do biomass, geothermal, and solar power. transportation too high [2]. not scale. Regardless of carbon emis- Wind, wave, biomass, and hydroelec- sion debates and regardless of the de- tric power are all indirect forms of bate over whether oil will be critically solar energy with enormous conver- II. THE SCALABLE VISION low in 40 years, we can argue that we sion efficiency losses. So this leads us So far, the only truly scalable power cannot continue to burn these re- to ask: why not go direct to solar? The source in Section I is solar; however, sources, as they are critical for em- fact is there is about 350 times more the primary collection method using bodying industrial products such as solar power available than all other semiconductor technology does not plastics, paints, tires, and a host of renewables put together. In terms of scale. Thus the solution lies in finding petrochemicals. We need oil to lubri- recoverable power, renewables per- an alternative collection method. cate engines and machines for many form poorly and do not scale to pro- However, in order for solar power to centuriestocome.Thuswithoutany vide the world’s power needsVwith properly scale with population, our green agenda, we can argue that fossil the exception of solar that can provide profligate energy consumption pat- fuels are resources that are too valua- many times our needs. terns must first be addressed. ble to burn, and thus energy alter- However, solar power looks bleak natives are urgently needed. when we calculate the PV silicon solar A. Energy Conservation If we met the world’s present 15 TW cell area required to supply the world’s If everyone on the planet drove a demand with nuclear fission, it would power consumptionVthe semiconduc- car for one hour a day, we would use require the building of 15 000 nuclear tor manufacture would require on the two thirds of our present world power power stations at 1 GW each. The order of 1017 g of water and 1014 gin consumption. If there were a billion decommissioning costs at $8 billion toxic chemicals. Given that the cells domestic dwellings on the planet, each would alone exceed the world’s would have to be replaced every 20 years, without double glazing, wall insula- gross national product. Also, at this rate or less if we consider efficiency drop over tion, and roof insulation, we would of consumption, we only have econom- the lifetime, this level of chemical use is exceed our present world power con- ically recoverable uranium reserves to unsustainable. For example, the arsenic sumption alone if each house was last five years, and thus global-scale dopant alone would exceed world re- attempting to cool or heat to maintain investment is not justified. Even exten- serves. Even if we reduce solar cell area a5C difference from the outside tem- sion of fuel lifetimes with breeder by using solar concentrators, the rate of perature. Thus the cornerstone of all cycles does not justify this level of chemical usage is still not tenable. energy policy is, first, conservation. investment given the costs and risks. In terms of mobile energy storage Governments need policies and incen- Leaving aside issues of safety, storage of for cars, electric vehicles appear tives to ensure every building is fully waste, and proliferation, nuclear fission attractive but are unscalable as the insulated in both hot and cold climates. simply does not scale, and the high world reserves of lithium for batteries Public education programs are re- decommissioning costs render it un- would rapidly become exhausted. quired to better manage energy waste economical on a global scale. Running cars off biomass derivati- in the kitchen and bathroom and to We cannot formulate energy policy vesVeven if we ignore the hydrocar- encourage shared rides. Advances in based on nuclear fusion, as it is a bon issueVdoes not scale due to the global positioning systems, cell phone technology that does not exist yet. We large effective land area required to technology, and Web-based social have no guarantee that fusion will be grow the required biomass. networking sites could be combined both safe and economically viableVany The most sensible option for cars to usher us into a modern age of claims are far too premature. Even if we appears to be hydrogen, as it can be scheduling shared rides. hypothetically consider fusion, the fact obtained from splitting water and is the reactor still becomes irradiated turns back to water on combustion. B. Energy Production with neutrons and the decommission Thus it is infinitely sustainable and In tandem with sensible conserva- costs will still apply. Furthermore, mimics the Earth’s natural water tion schemes, we need a scalable there is the issue that fusion irreversibly cycle. However, the density of hydro- source of power, which is sunlight. transmutes lithium. Lithium is a scarce gen is low, and hydrogen fuel cells This is clear as the Sun’s power warms 1932 Proceedings of the IEEE | Vol. 97, No. 12, December 2009 Authorized licensed use limited to: University of Adelaide Library. Downloaded on December 31, 2009 at 19:52 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. Point of View the surface of our planet, delivering ciency at which it happens to sit. We The end consumer wins, as energy 5000 times our present global power show in [1] thatVeven taking into ac- supply together with sensible conser- needs. A solar economy is desirable, count all the inefficienciesVto meet vation scales with our increasing re- as it has plenty of room for growth and present consumption, the total solar liance on electricity-driven technology. expansion. A scalable vision is to step footprint required is 500 by 500 km2 Governments win, as they can build back from semiconductor solar cells and the low-tech collector technology solar farms on a grand scale, with high and go low-tech. Using either large would cost less than all the decom- levels of public acceptance, building trough-shaped or parabolic-shaped mission costs of all the nuclear power stability and economy of scale. mirrors, it has been demonstrated stations needed to generate an equiv- The fossil-fuel industry wins, as its that focused sunlight can viably alent energy. resources become increasingly valued superheat water for generating elec- in the petrochemical industry rather tricity via a conventional steam tur- than being irreversibly burnedVthen bine (e.g., Rankine cycle engine) III. LOW-TECH IS THE KEY together with recycling, the long-term [3]–[7].