Hydrogen and its competitors, 2004

Risø Energy Report 3Hydrogen in the Danish energy system 214important hydrogen technologies [7]. Danish R&D inhydrogen production, for instance, ranges all the wayfrom processes based on fossil fuels, through biomass, tobasic research on hydrogen-producing enzymes, biomimeticsand photo-catalysis.Of course, these different R&D areas are at very differentstages of development. Hydrogen production from fossilfuels is well established, and hydrogen from biomass isclose to commercial use. More direct methods, such ashydrogen from enzymes or photo-catalysis, still requiressubstantial fundamental research. Both the TechnicalUniversity of Denmark (DTU) and the Southern Universityof Denmark (SDU) have strong backgrounds in thesenew methods of producing hydrogen.Fuel cells probably take up even more of Denmark's R&Dresources than do hydrogen production technologies.Danish researchers have a good basic background in fuelcells, especially in the development of electrodes (bothanodes and cathodes). Both PEMFCs and SOFCs facesimilar issues when it comes to basic research on electrodes,and this work also applies to fuel cells run inreverse to produce hydrogen by electrolysis. Danishresearchers are also working hard to develop better electrolytes.Fuel cell technology has already entered the demonstrationphase, but new materials are needed before the technologycan become viable for mass production. Forexample, platinum and related metals have been used ascatalysts in demonstration PEMFCs, but the total worldproduction of platinum could only equip fuel cells for amaximum of 10-20 million cars a year. Platinum musttherefore be replaced by materials that are available ingreater quantities.Risø National Laboratory, DTU and the University ofAarhus are particularly strong in developing new electrodematerials. The same three institutions, plus theAalborg University and SDU, are active in optimising thedesign and manufacture of fuel cells and developing newmembranes.Danish researchers are also working on hydrogenstorage. Their emphasis is mainly on metal hydrides andhydrogen-carrying compounds, but they are also lookingat the problem of hydrogen embrittlement of materials.Hydrogen storage in metal hydrides is being studied inclosely related projects at the University of Aarhus, RisøNational Laboratory and DTU, and DTU is also investigatingalternative hydrogen carriers such as ammonia.Carbon-based hydrogen carriers such as methane andmethanol are well known, but practical alternatives willrequire a good deal more research. We are not aware ofany Danish research in the important area of the environmentalimpact of hydrogen.The R&D barriers to affordable and efficient hydrogenuse are too large to be overcome by incrementalimprovements of existing technology. Instead, realbreakthroughs are needed – and these will require largeinvestments. Danish companies such as Haldor Topsøe,IRD Fuel Cells and Danfoss are certainly capable ofpicking up on any such breakthroughs.We should probably not expect hydrogen technology tobe implemented through standard market mechanisms.Fossil fuels are still too cheap for this to happen atpresent. We must hope that they remain cheap for aconsiderable time to come, given the current lack oftechnically and economically competitive hydrogen andfuel cell technologies.Instead, the driving forces for a hydrogen-based societyshould be found in the ability to reduce environmentalimpact and provide a safe and sustainable energy supply,on both short and long perspectives [4]. Focused technologypush, regulation and market incentives areneeded to bring these new technologies to market beforeour energy demands start to exceed our resources.There is, however, a growing niche market for hydrogenand fuel cells in applications such as portable powersupplies and backup systems, where cost and efficiencyare less important than weight and reliability. Suchapplications could help drive the technology forward tothe point where it is cheap enough for large-scale use andpenetration into the energy sector.Another area that may be worth exploring is the productionand consumption of hydrogen by fuel cellsconnected directly to wind turbines, since Denmarkalready has a unique market position in wind energy.ConclusionAs this chapter has shown, Denmark has a strong R&Dcommunity in hydrogen and fuel cells, whose work is ofhigh scientific quality and market relevance. Thecompetitiveness of Danish R&D is due to a continuedeffort by both research institutions and industry,supported by public funds. The emphasis is on SOFCs,but good work is also being done on basic research incatalysis, hydrogen storage, and demonstration of smallenergy conversion units. A less concerted effort has beenmade in demonstration technology for stationary andtransport applications, mainly financed through theshort-lived Hydrogen Research Programme.Over the years, Danish researchers have worked on anumber of European R&D projects, especially in fuelcells. Recently Danish partners have also been involvedin projects dealing with safety (HySafe) and distribution(Naturalhy).A big challenge is how to get the best results from R&Dinvestment in new energy technologies. Experienceshows that close collaboration across disciplinary andinstitutional boundaries is essential to progress in developingnew energy systems and to the competitiveness ofDanish industry. To work effectively with research teamsabroad and to be an attractive partner in large internationalprojects, Denmark needs a research communityon a national level. It is therefore important to have R&D