SOUTHWESTIAN: hydrogen

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Monday, February 10, 2025

Green Quirk part 6: Hydrolysis and Hydrogen--Permanent Solutions For a Healthy Environment

Water=2Hydrogne+Oxygen Source: Roman From Pixabay

Green Quirk part 6

Hydrolysis and Hydrogen: permanent solutions for a healthy environment

Hydrogen is increasingly becoming the alternative Green fuel replacing fossil fuel burning, complying with Canada’s Clean Electricity Regulations of net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, and the global net-zero targets by 2050.

Hydrogen is produced using several different methods. Nearly all hydrogen is generated from fossil fuels. Most of the hydrogen comes from petroleum and is created through steam methane reforming, which is a reaction between steam and methane (natural gas). Gray hydrogen is the most common and is produced using this process. This process has a medium carbon footprint, and for one tonne of hydrogen, about 6.6-9.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide is emitted, and if carbon capture and storage is used to remove the CO2 emissions, then the product is known as blue hydrogen. Green hydrogen is produced from the electrolysis of water and has a minimal greenhouse gas footprint. Less than 1% of the hydrogen produced is low-carbon, i.e. green and blue hydrogen, and hydrogen produced from biomass.

On Earth, hydrogen is mainly locked in water and hydrocarbons. At normal room temperatures, it’s colourless, odourless, and tasteless, making detecting leaks difficult. It is nontoxic at low concentrations; however, higher hydrogen concentrations in a reduced oxygen environment can create nausea, headaches, dizziness, and loss of consciousness. Under extremely high concentrations, it can lead to asphyxiation.

Hydrogen becomes a liquid at -253°C or lower. It produces a light blue, almost invisible flame in oxygen at temperatures of 2660°C and in air at 2045°C with a heating value 3-3.5 times less than natural gas. Hydrogen is extremely flammable and explosive, with a very low flash point and ignites at extremely low temperatures. It is highly reactive and can ignite spontaneously in the presence of oxygen. If the hydrogen concentration in air is between 4-75%, it will ignite as compared with natural gas at 5-15%. It has 15 times lower spark energy to ignite than natural gas. Under certain conditions, hydrogen will ignite without oxygen when a spark is applied. It can cause metal materials to become brittle and fracture under stress, posing a hazard in pipelines and storage tanks.

Burning hydrogen produces very little pollution. When burned in oxygen or air, it produces water vapour; however, small amounts of nitrogen oxides are produced when burned in air due to the reaction of atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen molecules at temperatures greater than 1500°C. Hydrogen’s potential in clean electric energy generation is becoming increasingly recognized globally, while its use in vehicles is becoming questionable.

Hydrogen vehicles have limited production and have been vastly outpaced by electric vehicles. The two main manufacturers of hydrogen vehicles are Toyota’s Mirai with a range of 647 km (402 miles) and Hyundai’s Nexo with a range of 612 km (380 miles). The Mirai and Nexo are only available in California. Honda’s CR-Ve:FCEV is a plug-in hybrid EV and hydrogen fuel cell SUV. BMW’s iX5 hydrogen is a fuel-cell SUV still in its concept stage. California has the most developed hydrogen vehicle refuelling network in North America. Canada has a sparser network in Vancouver, BC, Ontario, and Quebec.

Hydrogen vehicles are very expensive to buy, and their performance is similar to an electric vehicle and an internal combustion engine. The refuelling costs are similar to or slightly lower than gas vehicles. The downside of the hydrogen vehicles is the limited refuelling networks, their uncertain future, and the high cost of replacing fuel cells, which in some cases are more than the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

Hydrogen is also used in portable and large stationary backup power generators. It’s widely used in the chemical manufacturing industry and the production of ammonia for fertilizers.

Green hydrogen fuel is the most likely substitute for the polluting coal, biomass, and natural gas facilities and can easily be converted to hydrogen. Energy from uranium nuclear reactors can result in radioactive contamination in the environment, as we have seen with Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island, not to mention the minor accidents. Nuclear reactors are expensive, costing billions to build. Thorium reactors are safer but also extremely costly. Wind and solar are green but not cost-effective and lack the efficiency and continuous reliability needed to maintain the current large electrical grid system. Hydro dams, like nuclear, are expensive, costing billions, upsetting the ecology and settlements in the flood zone and downstream from the dam. This leaves green hydrogen as a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable alternative and a healthy environmental solution for powering the electrical grid infrastructure.

Recently, Alberta has been moving in that direction with their Battle River Carbon Hub (BRCH) test project. This is the world’s first using hydrogen fuel to generate clean electricity. The facility is located 14 km SW of Forestburg, Alberta. TransAlta Corporation’s (formerly Heartland Generation) Battle River Generating Station initially had coal-fired boilers and, through the Hydrogen Burner Test Program, is being retrofitted to hydrogen-fired boilers, replacing the current natural gas operation. The goal of the test, according to Alberta Innovates, is “to determine the optimal design and operating conditions to ensure safe, reliable and effective operation of the boiler with hydrogen fuel.” The benefits of the successful testing to Alberta will be a major technical advancement in the transition from coal and natural gas to hydrogen. The research findings will be shared across Canada and the US. The technical developments will significantly extend the operational life of existing electrical generation assets, reduce carbon emissions, and promote the growth of hydrogen in power generation. The project is also tied into rural economic development, projected to create 1200 plus jobs during construction and development and 100 jobs during operations. The test program began in March 2023 and ended in November 2024 with a budget of $6.19 million, with an additional award of $2 million through the Government of Alberta’s Hydrogen Centre of Excellence.

The Battle River facility is one of eleven facilities eventually planned to be converted to hydrogen burning. Hydrogen will be produced on-site using natural gas. From a year-old post on Heartland’s linkedin.com; the test successfully ignited and sustained hydrogen combustion without using natural gas as a support fuel and achieved zero-carbon combustion for the first time at the facility. This is the first step in a multi-phase program to understand how to utilize hydrogen while maintaining the facility’s safety and reliable track record. It’s an excellent project still in its early test stage, showing great promise with much more to come soon.

Another Alberta company, Carbon Alpha, is participating in TransAlta’s decarbonization project to sequester 2.1 million tonnes/year of CO2 from BRCH to produce 800 tonnes of blue hydrogen/day and generate around 400 megawatts of clean electricity. An additional 5 million tonnes of CO2/year from other regional sources of emissions or carbon capture and storage hubs will be sequestered.

TransAlta is supporting Alberta’s natural gas industry to produce grey hydrogen using the steam methane reforming method. The added step to sequester CO2 in blue hydrogen production could be eliminated if a more cost-effective process using the water electrolysis process were employed. This process can also be on-site using water which is abundant even if drilling for it is necessary.

Hydrogen-burning power plants can be built anywhere, requiring no smokestack. They are non-polluting and genuinely renewable, compatible with small communities and scalable, growing with the community. All coal, natural gas, and biomass plants can be converted to hydrogen-burning facilities. Solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro can become a thing of the past and be replaced by clean, reliable, preferably green, hydrogen-powered electrical generators.

Green Quirk part 1 Introduction

Green Quirk part 2 Radiation Remediation and Thorium Reactors

Green Quirk part 3 Over Unity/Free Energy

Green Quirk part 4 Internal Combustion Engine Efficiency

Green Quirk part 5 Electrogravitic Space and Personal Vehicles

Green Quirk part 6 Water Electrolysis and Hydrogen

Green Quirk part 7 Conclusions

Temperatures Table For Different Fuels Source: ThoughtCo

Colours of hydrogen depend on how it’s produced. Source: Applied Economics Clinic

References:

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Castiglieg, Joshua; Stasio, Tanya; The “Colors” of Hydrogen; Applied Economics Clinic; June 24, 2021; The "Colors" of Hydrogen — Applied Economics Clinic; Site accessed 5-26-2025.
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Government of Canada; Clean Electricity Regulations; Last modified January 31, 2025; Clean Electricity Regulations – Canada.ca; Site accessed 2-9-2025.
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, PhD; Flame Temperatures Table for Different Fuels; ThoughtCo; Updated May 19, 2024; Typical Flame Temperatures for Different Fuels; Site accessed 2-9-2025.
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Teague, Chris; Hyundai Quoted $113,000 to Replace Aging Hydrogen Fuel Cell; The Truth About Cars; August 15, 2023; Hyundai Quoted $113,000 to Replace Aging Hydrogen Fuel Cell | The Truth About Cars; Site accessed 2-7-2025.
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Charles Kuss

2025

Updated: 05-26-2025

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Green Quirk Part 1: Introduction--Permanent Solutions For a Healthy Environment

Image: AdobeStock

Green Quirk part 1

Introduction: permanent solutions for a healthy environment

The four main renewable energy sources, hydro, biomass, wind, and solar, are the main alternative energy sources to electric power produced from fossil fuels and nuclear-powered generating stations. The renewables are much cleaner, but biomass burning has issues with environmental contamination, mainly air quality.

Fossil fuel burning, as we know, has a very high ecological footprint because of various pollutants released into the environment. Nuclear, although clean, produces radioactive wastes and has the potential to release radioactive contamination lasting for millions of years (Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island).

Wind turbines and solar panels are inefficient for a large-scale electrical grid system that requires a continuous, reliable source of electricity. Solar and wind are very expensive and not very cost-effective since the sun doesn’t shine every day, and windless days are common even on the prairies.

In 2025, the most efficient solar panel available to the public was 22.8% efficient, and that of wind turbines is roughly 20-45%. Dust, snow, and ice build-up further reduced the efficiency of solar panels. The panels have to be replaced every 25-30 years and are 94-96% recyclable. If the solar cells are disposed of in landfills, chemical pollution (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide, Cadmium Telluride, Cadmium Hallium (di)Selenide, Hexafluoroethane, Lead, Polyvinyl Fluoride) can become an environmental hazard. Modern wind turbines have a life expectancy averaging 20 years, and the 15% that can’t be salvaged end up in the landfill. Solar and wind farms are open to the destructive influence of hail and strong winds, and they take away the allure from the landscape.

Biomass and biofuel-burning electric generating stations have been sold to the public as a clean, renewable green energy solution to coal and are popular in the US, Canada, and Europe. Biomass burning consumes millions of acres of forests annually, mainly in Canada, Indonesia, and South America. The forestry companies export chips or pellets worldwide to biomass-burning plants for a clean and efficient burn. However, some biomass facilities burn green and damp trees, producing temperatures below the optimal level, which is generally around 600°C or higher. To raise the temperatures, some US plants supplement the biomass with natural gas, tire chips, and old creosote and PCP (pentachlorophenol) treated railroad ties. Some biomass power stations in eastern US cities are garbage incinerators. This leaves one to question whether biomass burning is actually green. The response to this question must consider the extensive destruction of forests, the displacement of indigenous people in South America and elsewhere, the endangerment and extinction of wildlife, and health hazards caused by air pollution. This is the opposite of what has been sold to the public. What exactly is renewable Green Energy? How serious is the concern about the environment? Is Green Energy just another exploitative capitalist tool creating corporate shareholder value and making a few people extremely rich?

There are more challenges to the extensive electrical grid infrastructure. The system is vulnerable to solar activity, heavy frost, ice, aging, wildfires, hurricanes, and cyberattacks. Wind and other induced atmospheric vibrations such as sudden changes in temperature and pressure can cause transmission lines to vibrate creating high amplitude and low frequency (known as “conductor galloping”), or low amplitude and high frequency (known as “aeolian vibrations”) fluctuations that can place additional stress on the grid infrastructure that can cause blackouts. The cost-effectiveness of the grid itself is affected by the reduced electrical power loss during transmission. The power loss occurs when electrical energy is converted into heat because of the resistance in the transmission lines, and this loss can be significant over long distances. There is another challenge: repairing and maintaining this elaborate grid system can cost in the millions and billions of dollars.

Solar activity can cause periodic major and even smaller solar events that can cause major challenges to the grid infrastructure. Examples are Solar Cycle 10 or the Carrington Event of September 1 &2, 1859, where a major solar geomagnetic storm caused sparking and even fires in telegraph stations. On July 23, 2012, a larger and possibly stronger solar disturbance than the Carrington Event missed Earth by roughly 9 days. The Quebec Blackout of 1989 was caused by a significant solar storm, resulting in massive outages caused by transformer failure. The interaction between the solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the Earth’s magnetic field can lead to electromagnetically induced currents along the transmission lines, causing high-voltage transformers to overheat and fail, resulting in power outages.

The electrical infrastructure is further challenged by the arrival of electric vehicles.

Battery-powered electric vehicles (EV) have become an alternative to the polluting internal combustion engine (ICE). The EV has overcome many of the initial challenges, making them as reliable as the ICE vehicles, and their low maintenance has made them attractive initially; however, the replacement battery can be expensive, and in 2025, it is roughly 32-35% of the cost of the EV. The battery and access to a charging station are limiting factors for the EV. The size of an average EV battery is roughly 40-71 kWh, lasting about 10 years with an 8-year warranty in the US and Canada.

The Green Quirk blogs parts 2 to 5 are stories of suppressed, genuine alternative green energy and healthy environmental solutions that conflict with the established energy infrastructure. The conflicts go further into the ‘shoddy’ environmental solutions attempting to solve man-made environmental problems, which in some cases appear to be deliberately introduced. Brave, well-meaning innovators and their fate for trying to insert their environmentally clean innovations into the established energy and environmental sector will also be discussed. Once you see what has been suppressed, you might want to ask yourself a question: How serious is all this ‘environmental talk’, or is it simply exploitive capitalism or a clever way to raise taxes? While you’re pondering that question, take a deeper look at the driving forces and mechanisms behind the global economic system, and look at what’s being exploited to sustain an economy. Anyone offering a permanent, genuine solution to disease, stress, war, catastrophic events, and other problems can easily upset the global financial structure and threaten the national security of any nation.