Oct 21 2007
Similarity of Hydrogen and Electric Power
Many kinds of energy sources which available in the nature but not all could be easy used by human being. We have to convert itself become one kind of energy which easy transport/distribute and used for widely applications. By research, we choose electric power as media for store energy and until nowdays electric power still become the mainly media for storing energy. Because the capability on storing energy and not available naturally, we can said the electric power as energy carier. We have to produce electric power by converting energy sources which available naturally, like using steam turbine, photovoltaic, wind turbine, etc.
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We can see that the daily using of electric power limited on static application, like lighting, industrial, housing, etc. There are big barier when we force using electric power on dinamic applications, we need complicated system and highly cost investment. Example: electric power as energy input in electric train system. We need build a long electrical network and amplified power after pass away for long distant, and also we should consider the safety of electrical network for people.
Nowdays, many scientists and engineers consider new way to store electric or other power in a material which have high power density and easy take to everywhere. Then we choose hydrogen because has promise on highly energy conversion and environmental-friendly. But hydrogen not available naturally, we should produce hydrogen. For widely hydrogen production we have to use water as raw-material, then by electrolysis process we will could get purely hydrogen. On electrolysis process, we need thermal and electric power as energy input. Then energy input will store in hydrogen.
Hydrogen that been produced will used as fuel on fuel cell system. Fuel cell is engine to convert chemical energy which bounded in hydrogen into electric power. Fuel cell system have high efficiency (twince of internal combustion engine) and very safe for environment because not produce CO2, just energy and watervapour.
We can conclude that hydrogen is similar with electric power. But hydrogen more better than electric power, because it can bring to everywhere, likely gasoline or diesel oil. Very flexible!
By using hydrogen as fuel, we could generate electric power on remote area and don’t need grid connection to the national power generation. Build a locally power generation more feasible than build grid connection to remote area or other islands.
Storing energy in hydrogen could also solve the mainly problem of renewable energy power plant generation. Renewable energy have low power density and always fluctuate, this the reason why renewable energy can not used for primary energy generation on the world.
Beside that, storing electric power in the hydrogen better than on the battery because when you charger the bettery need long time, storing energy in battery also have big possibility on energy losses and battery lifetime is shortly.
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