Perspectives on the Development of Technologies for Hydrogen as a Carrier of Sustainable Energy

Abstract

Hydrogen is a prospective energy carrier because there are practically no gaseous emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere during its use as a fuel. The great benefit of hydrogen being a practically inexhaustible carbon-free fuel makes it an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. I.e., there is a circular process of energy recovery and use. Another big advantage of hydrogen as a fuel is its high energy content per unit mass compared to fossil fuels. Nowadays, hydrogen is broadly used as fuel in transport, including fuel cell applications, as a raw material in industry, and as an energy carrier for energy storage. The mass exploitation of hydrogen in energy production and industry poses some important challenges. First, there is a high price for its production compared to the price of most fossil fuels. Next, the adopted traditional methods for hydrogen production, like water splitting by electrolysis and methane reforming, lead to the additional charging of the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. This fact prompts the use of renewable energy sources for electrolytic hydrogen production, like solar and wind energy, hydropower, etc. An important step in reducing the price of hydrogen as a fuel is the optimal design of supply chains for its production, distribution, and use. Another group of challenges hindering broad hydrogen utilization are storage and safety. We discuss some of the obstacles to broad hydrogen application and argue that they should be overcome by new production and storage technologies. The present review summarizes the new achievements in hydrogen application, production, and storage. The approach of optimization of supply chains for hydrogen production and distribution is considered, too.

Optimization of Emergency Alternatives for Hydrogen Leakage and Explosion Accidents Based on Improved VIKOR

“…In the context of the global energy transition and carbon emission reduction, hydrogen, as a renewable and clean fuel, has garnered widespread attention and research [1,2]. However, with the rapid development of hydrogen technology and its application potential gradually emerging [3][4][5], the issue of hydrogen safety has garnered significant attention. In recent years, hydrogen accidents of varying degrees in South Korea [6], Norway [7], the United States [8], China, and other places have posed significant challenges to human safety and property safety [9].…”

Efficiency of Using Heat Pumps in a Hydrogen Production Unit at Steam-Powered Thermal Power Plants

“…Nowadays, serious scientific work is being carried out all over the world aimed at developing and justifying technical solutions that help reduce the negative impact on the environment through the production of carbon-free fuel and effective waste disposal. Research is being conducted on various technologies for hydrogen production (for example, electrolysis [7], steam methane reforming [8], method of methane pyrolysis [9], coal gasification [10], gasification of woody biomass [11], and their comparative analysis (for example, [12][13][14])) and also evaluates the economic efficiency of individual methods in different energy systems (for example, Croatia [9], Sweden [15], Germany [16], Poland [10,17], Great Britain [14], and Slovenia [18]). The technical and economic aspects of hydrogen production at existing power plants are considered (for example, thermal power plants [9], hydroelectric power plants [18,19], and nuclear power plants [20]).…”