There is no denying the fact that invention of hydrogen fuel cell as an alternative fuel is great from environmental perspective but the question is about its execution . How does that work? It can be easily said that adopting hydrogen fuel is good for saving our environment and decrease global warming but saying and embracing the facts are two different ball games
Hydrogen fuel cell: It is environmental friendly
The hydrogen fuel cell is one of the cleanest burning fuels ever developed. Hydrogen is extracted from water and put into the fuel cell as gas and it can power the vehicles. In this process the only by product that is emitted out of the fuel cell is the water vapor. Thus this is a fact that hydrogen fuel cell are good for the environment . Hydrogen fuel cell basically acts like a world’s humidifier.
Hydrogen fuel Cell: The darker side
There are some drawbacks also with the hydrogen fuel cell. It is understood that only a completely efficient system can produce, store and transport the hydrogen with no unwanted emission of gases into the atmosphere. But achieving this will be very costly affair and after all this researchers also fear that 10-20% can still leak into the atmosphere. Thus if we estimate that hydrogen fuel cell will replace all the technology that uses oil and gas then such leakages would double or triple the total hydrogen content deposited in the atmosphere . Other research point out that when this hydrogen will reach the stratosphere hydrogen would be oxidized and this will make the stratosphere more cooler leading to more cloud formation. This will in turn delay the break up of polar vortex at the poles causing holes in the ozone layer to grow bigger and larger and long lasting . The rough estimate shows the depletion of ozone in north pole to be in the range of 5-8% in North pole and 3-7% in South pole . The correct depletion will depend on some unknown quantities. Also we know little about the soil absorption capacity of hydrogen from the atmosphere . It is believed that this process can compensate for all new anthropogenic emissions.
Despite all this drawbacks and concern the use of hydrogen fuel cell in the long run will be environmental friendly. If the only emission from these hydrogen fuel cell is water vapor then this is a huge plus over the toxic gases that are released into the atmosphere with the gasoline burning cars.
We find that though there are some disadvantages of hydrogen fuel cell but advantages out weigh those and the bottom line is that Hydrogen fuel cell have a positive effect on the atmosphere . So hydrogen fuel cell holds a good promise in future among the alternative fuel.
Posts Tagged ‘Stratosphere’
Hydrogen Fuel Cell – Advantages And Disadvantages Revealed
January 3rd, 2010Hydrogen Fuel Cells – Number One Environment Friendly Fuel
December 23rd, 2009Hydrogen fuel cells help the environment a great deal, and its’ development makes it a good alternative fuel. Even though hydrogen fuel cell technology helps to save the environment by preventing global warming, we need to investigate all the facts surrounding it and understand how it all works.
The good thing that has come out of developing hydrogen fuel cells is that it is the cleanest burning fuel to come about. Hydrogen is used as a gas when it has been taken out of water and put into fuel cells, so that it can then be used to power a vehicle. Water vapour is the only emission from a vehicle powered by fuel cell. It is like a giant humidifier fit for the world. However, there are downsides to related to hydrogen fuel cells and the environment.
If the system of producing hydrogen, storing and also transporting is entirely efficient, the principles of it suggest that there would be no gas emissions.
Researchers show that that this kind of system proves very expensive, and that in fact about 10-20% of hydrogen is likely to escape into the earth’s atmosphere. If, for example, hydrogen fuel cells were used in place of gas-based and oil combustion technologies, the total of hydrogen deposits into the air would double or triple at the surface of the Earth.
Once hydrogen hits the stratosphere, some researchers say that it would oxidise, cooling the stratosphere, and so cloud formations would increase. In the North and South poles, the polar vortex would take longer to break up, so increasing the size of the holes already in the ozone layer and make them long-lasting. An estimated 5-8% rise in depleted ozone due to this excess hydrogen would occur at the North Pole and at the South Pole about 3-7%.
All this excess of ozone depletion cannot be measured exactly, as there is no known figure of unknown quantities which it is reliant on. As the amount of future hydrogen emissions cannot be measured, it is not understood how much hydrogen soil can absorb from the atmosphere. Researches that it is possible for this process to compensate for any of the new emissions dispersed into the atmosphere.
It is true to say that hydrogen fuel cells can actually be safer for the environment long term when used as a fuel alternative. As water vapour is the only emission resulting from using hydrogen fuel cells, this is a much better advantage and outweighs the use of gas powered cars which burn and produce emit toxic waste into the air.
All in all hydrogen fuel cells is more promising than other available alternative fuels, and much better all round for the environment. The advantages of hydrogen as alternative exceed the disadvantages and looks to be the best way forward.
