Hydrogen Forecast Presents Hydrogen Pathways

Reykjavik, Iceland - Rising energy prices have put the spotlight on hydrogen as a potential fuel of the future. While progress towards developing viable hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars has been impressive, the question many are asking is where will the hydrogen come from?

To skeptical observers, the issue of developing a hydrogen infrastructure is one of the major stumbling blocks standing in the way of a transition to a hydrogen economy.

However hydrogen proponents counter that finding sources for the fuel and creating a distribution network are not nearly as daunting or costly obstacles as some suggest. This view is based on the premise that hydrogen, unlike crude oil, will be derived from a multitude of energy sources, including natural gas and nuclear and renewable resources, such as geothermal, wind, solar and biomass.

On the question of infrastructure, General Motors vice president of research and development, Larry Burns, points out that hydrogen is already widely available. “The infrastructure exists already, admittedly not for automotive applications, but it’s on a grand scale.”

Hydrogen Production Distribution in the U.S.

Hydrogen Production Distribution in Europe

Burns says that 50 million tons of hydrogen is produced annually, mostly for industrial processes. “If you used all of that for automobiles it could fuel 200 million hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, or a quarter of the world’s vehicle fleet. So hydrogen is not a new thing; it’s used safely on a very large scale and the know-how is there. It’s just a question of tailoring that know-how for vehicle applications.”

Regarding costs, Burns notes that GM’s research indicates oil prices staying above $50 per barrel for the foreseeable future. “At that price, there are a lot of potential pathways to hydrogen that will be cost competitive with oil.”

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