I've been thinking about installing solar panels. In my area, Alberta, if I want to sell back to the power company, they will only allow me to connect to power grid about as much as I'd consume on average. That puts a dent on building bigger capacity. They say if I could create a co-op of nearby neighbors, I'd be able to increase my capacity.
So, in keeping with the thought of having extra capacity on hand, how can that energy be utilized. A little bit of searching indicates that hydrogen energy is in the forefront of many minds.
Currently, most hydrogen is produced by using hydrocarbons as a source. It seems that solar produced hydrogen isn't quite as efficient as desired.
Once I have a few moments, I need to further my research with the following starting points:
- RH2—The ultimate decarbonizer - RH2 - renewable hydrogen. Storage and transportation seems to be a concern. How does solar produced hydrogen fit in with the fuel cell concept? say, for powering vehicles? There is a note that "hydrogen can also be transported in natural gas pipelines, with blends of up to 20% hydrogen".
- Canada is one of the largest hydrogen producers in the world. - via The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, indicates quite a bit of industry interest.
- SunHydrogen - has developed a breakthrough technology to make renewable hydrogen using sunlight and any source of water.
- Solar-to-Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency - papers via ScienceDirect describing hydrogen generation via electricity
- Low-cost direct solar-to-hydrogen ambitions see the light - from pv magazine: The road to cheap hydrogen production is riddled with potholes and energy losses. Researchers in Australia have demonstrated rethinking solar technology and skipping electrolysers could hold great promise for reaching the hydrogen holy grail. (2020/06/22)
- Canada prepares to unleash residential solar and create a green hydrogen economy—a convo with CanREA CEO Robert Hornung - An article at PVBuzz about the state of energy storage in Canada
- Micro-generation solutions - via Atco
- Canadian hydrogen and fuel cells industry - Federal Initiatives
- Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy - 2016/07/19 - current price at the pump for hydrogen gas is between $13-$16/kilogram (kg) – 1 kg of hydrogen contains roughly the same energy density as 1 gallon of gasoline. But, because a fuel cell is more than twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine, you basically need half the amount of hydrogen to go twice as far
- Canada: Micro-Generation In Alberta – Watt It's All About - 2020/11/23 - Microgeneration under the Alberta regulatory scheme means the generation of electricity from renewable or alternative energy sources for one's own use, in the amount of 5 MW or less. Another link.
- A Closer Look at Canada’s Hydrogen Future - from energyrates.ca
- Renewable energy could provide 95% of electricity in Canada by 2050 - 2021/07/22 - The small city of Summerside, Prince Edward Island in Canada installed a smart grid and five nodes in each home. They offered residents an incentive to switch from oil furnaces to electric, heat-storing units that can store up to three days of heat. With just 314 furnaces and smart water heaters installed and connected they flattened the curve on wind energy, enabling them to use all of the wind energy they were producing.
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- Alberta Hydrogen Roadmap - updated Nov 5, 2021