April 2007

"Where will the Energy for Hydrogen Production come from?
– Status and Alternatives –"

"Woher kommt die Energie für die Wasserstofferzeugung – Status und Alternativen"

"¿A partir de qué fuentes de energía se obtendrá el Hidrógeno? – Situación y alternativas"

Published by the European Hydrogen Association (EHA)
Commissioned by the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV)
Authors: J. Schindler, R. Wurster, M. Zerta, V. Blandow and W. Zittel of Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST)
Brussels, Belgium, 2007

In recent years, the question has been asked repeatedly “Where will the hydrogen come from?”. This question is important, but can only be answered if one considers a more fundamental question “where will our energy come from in the coming decades?”. Today, it mainly comes from finite fossil and nuclear energy carriers; in the long term, it will come from renewable energies. The basic question of availability of raw energy materials is to be covered in this brochure and an answer proposed.

To do this, it is first necessary to clarify how long production rates can follow and meet the growing demand for crude oil, natural gas and coal. Furthermore, particularly for coal, we need to understand whether, to what extent and over which period of time, the separation and safe storage of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is possible – a basic requirement for carbon-based energy production. In addition the contribution that nuclear energy can realistically make needs to be assessed.

The potential of renewable energies to cover the energy demand is estimated, cost reductions in wind power and photovoltaics are presented, as well as the possible growth of regenerative vehicle fuels specifically in hydrogen terms.
In conclusion it can be stated that the expected reduction in oil production will leave a gap that cannot be filled by fossil and nuclear energy resources. On the other hand, renewable energies will significantly increase in the coming decades, however, for some time will make too small a contribution to close this gap. Moreover, no production or application solution should exclude a more efficient use of energy. It also shows that biofuels alone cannot keep the world moving and, therefore, that hydrogen will become an important fuel in the transport sector. Only when it is possible to develop electric automobiles with
acceptable features (storage density, durability, cold start, price) will the use of hydrogen be unnecessary. In any case, from today’s viewpoint, this is highly improbable.

As a short-term introduction strategy for Germany for example, it is possible to use hydrogen by-product from the chemical industry for the first captive vehicle fleets. This hydrogen will today primarily have a thermal use and mainly be cofired with natural gas but could, in fact, be completely substituted by natural gas. In some locations, a total of over 500 million Nm³ of hydrogen can be made available, which would be enough to power at least 300,000 efficient fuel cell passenger cars.

The report is available in English, German and Spanish language.