Are utility companies afraid of the hydrogen highway?
Fuel cell cars: The greatest fear of power companies?I've long been a huge fan of hybrid cars and, especially, of plug-in hybrid vehicles. For the last several years, I've believed that plug-in hybrids made fuel cell vehicles and, more important, the hydrogen highway irrelevant to a new energy paradigm. In fact, I started to believe that the hydrogen highway was the quickest path away from a new, clean and green energy paradigm.
Lately, however, I've been buying into the hydrogen economy, and I'm starting to wonder if utility companies and some of their plug-in hybrid-supporting friends are fighting against the hydrogen economy for all the wrong reasons. (Finish)
Labels: Foreign Oil Dependency, fuel cells, global warming, Hybrid Vehicles, hydrogen highway, plug-in hybrid vehicles, v2g
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:09 AM
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Complete Story
I've long been a huge fan of hybrid cars and, especially, of plug-in hybrid vehicles. For the last several years, I've believed that plug-in hybrids made fuel cell vehicles and, more important, the hydrogen highway irrelevant to a new energy paradigm. In fact, I started to believe that the hydrogen highway was the quickest path away from a new, clean and green energy paradigm.
Part of the reason for my disdain of the hydrogen highway was the way the last Republican-led Congress tried to fund the hydrogen highway through our current energy paradigm, which meant that hydrogen would be developed via big oil, big coal and nuclear power. Hopefully, Democrats will do better, but they are not off to a good start on energy policy.
Consequently, I've been very interested in V2G technology and the partnership between utilities and plug-in hybrids as a way to usurp the hydrogen and big oil connection.
Many environmentalists have also seized upon the hydrogen, big oil and coal connection. Thus, not just plug-in hybrids, but pure electric vehicles have become the 'future' for much of the alternative energy movement, and electric utilities have seized upon this momentum.
Numerous electric utilities are now involved in programs that are testing the effects of plug-in hybrids on the electric grid, and developing distributed energy ideas, such as V2G. Is this all about altruism, or is there something else at stake?
Jeremy Rifkin's classic, The Hydrogen Economy notes, "If just a small percentage of drivers used their vehicles as power plants to sell energy back to the grid, most of the power plants in the country would be eliminated altogether. That is because a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered transportation fleet of 200 million vehicles has four times the generation capacity of the entire national power grid."
Talk about V2G.
Sure hydrogen critics will argue why convert natural gas into hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles when it can be used to power battery-powered electric vehicles more efficiently.
While that sounds like a great point, it loses power when one considers that many energy analysts believe that peak natural gas will quickly occur after peak oil - which might already be happening. Additionally, a significant percentage of natural gas is found in OPEC countries and Russia. So, while natural-gas produced electricity could reduce global warming emissions compared to oil, it would only reduce foreign oil dependency in the short term.
Quite quickly, unfortunately, foreign natural gas dependency would become just as dangerous as foreign oil dependency, especially if China and India were also forced to significantly increase their use of natural gas. Moreover, considering that peak natural gas would be just around the corner, why not focus on a real, long term solution?
Why not try to lead the world into the next energy revolution and be the first to develop the products that the entire world will want and need?
Equally important, the national electric grid is very exposed and very old - very vulnerable to terrorism. Imagine how easily our economy could be disrupted if transportation were added to our already exposed electric grid.
Of course, I'm sure billions and billions of dollars could make the grid safer. Again, however, this is a short term solution. Natural gas and clean coal will run out. Why not invest billions and billions in a viable long term solution rather than a short-term band-aide?
And, I don't know about you, but I'd much rather head down the hydrogen highway instead of the nuclear - ticking bomb - power path.
Today, natural gas is a good hydrogen kick-starter, however, the future of hydrogen is renewable. Solar power, wind power, geothermal power, etc could all be made significantly more effective via the use of hydrogen and fuel cells, especially if there are are millions of fuel cell vehicles on the road. More important, this path of distributed power generation has the ability to "democratize" the new energy paradigm in America and the world.
Inevitably, the hydrogen highway is not a battle of fuel cell vehicles versus plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles - all have a place in the energy paradigm. Inevitably, I believe the best vehicles for the hydrogen highway would be plug-in hydrogen-powered fuel cell hybrid vehicles, and many automakers are exploring such technology.
Ultimately, the hydrogen highway can be a battle of democratized power versus monopolized power controlled by a couple of big energy companies, and their cronies in Washington. If pursued correctly, the hydrogen highway is about far more than just clean transportation, it is about almost unlimited, clean, green, distributed and democratized power.
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