The Hydrogen Future

“We are in a definitive moment when it comes to climate change. By powering the energy transition with our
technology, PDC Machines has the ability to make a positive impact for generations to come.”

Kareem Afzal, CEO

 

The Energy Transition

“Hydrogen is today enjoying unprecedented momentum, driven by governments that both import and export energy, as well as the renewables industry, electricity and gas utilities, automakers, oil and gas companies, major technology firms and big cities. The world should not miss this unique chance to make hydrogen an important part of our clean and secure energy future.” – Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, 2019 [1]

Why Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth and plays a crucial role in sustainable energy solutions as the world moves to electrification.

Hydrogen in Transport

Hydrogen is an ideal zero-carbon fuel to replace fossil fuels in transport because of its energy density.

Green hydrogen can be created in situ using renewable energy and water through a process called electrolysis. Renewable energy is used to split the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen, and the hydrogen can then be compressed and used to fill a fuel tank.

While battery electric is appropriate for passenger vehicles, it is less appropriate for decarbonizing other mobility segments due to battery weight, range and charging time. Heavy-duty trucking and bus segments, for example, demand long-range requirements and fast refueling due to their high utilization. Hydrogen as a fuel is ideal, as its refueling and range characteristics are similar to those of gasoline. For aviation, hydrogen is an ideal fuel due to its energy density – batteries are prohibitive due to their weight.

As a result, hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles have a key place alongside battery electric vehicles in the clean transport ecosystem.

Hydrogen in Energy Storage

The key issue with renewable energy is that we have little control of when the energy is produced – we cannot get solar energy at night or wind energy when the wind does not blow. Also, the times when clean energy facilities produce renewable energy in large volumes may not align with peak human demand. Hydrogen plays a critical role here as the energy storage buffer. During periods of low energy demand, renewable energy can be used to make hydrogen, which, with its energy density, can be used to power civilization when renewables are not creating electricity. Hydrogen, therefore, represents a power we can harness to close the green energy loop.

We now have the tools to enable the energy transition. It is up to us to drive these changes to ensure lasting impact for the planet.