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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Question

  • 18-12-2009 8:27pm
    #1
    AugustusMaximus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭


    A very simple question.

    Hydrogen fuel cells give off water vapour as their only exhaust. Water vapour is many many times worse as a greenhouse gas in comparison to CO2.

    Now, you'll prob say, this is irrelevant as it will fall as rain anyways. Or will it ?

    In a country like Ireland, where the air is usually close to saturated with water all the time, it will indeed fall as rain.

    But what if you are in the middle of a desert where humidity is low ? The water vapour will enter the atmosphere and almost certainly not fall as rain as the air will not near be close to saturation point.


Comments

  • #2
    mickdw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,685 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    The whole fuel cell thing is bull anyway. Much energy will be used getting the hydrogen from water and then burning it to produce water. Is it not better to use the energy that was used to make the hydrogen directly in the car thereby removing a hugely inefficient step from the process.
    Thats a good point too about the water vapour going into the air. This might be huge for climate change!


  • #3
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73,520 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    mickdw wrote: »
    The whole fuel cell thing is bull anyway. Much energy will be used getting the hydrogen from water and then burning it to produce water. Is it not better to use the energy that was used to make the hydrogen directly in the car thereby removing a hugely inefficient step from the process.
    Thats a good point too about the water vapour going into the air. This might be huge for climate change!

    Depends on how you're generating the electricity to create the hydrogen. If wind power/solar power or nuclear energy is used, there is no CO2/greenhouse impact.

    Similar to using a cordless drill to drive a screw. power station burns fuel, sends electricity to your house, you convert AC to DC, charge up the battery - only to discharge it again by using the drill. sounds complicated when you put it like that, but not as complicated as having a small petrol engine on all your power tools.


  • #4
    JHMEG
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,686 ✭✭✭JHMEG


    Is water vapour from cars going to be a problem when 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water, which evaporates?
    mickdw wrote: »
    Much energy will be used getting the hydrogen from water and then burning it to produce water.
    Fuel cells don't burn hydrogen.


  • #5
    Fishtits
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,382 ✭✭✭Fishtits


    (Thread drift.. sorry)

    I've worked/lived/visited over 50 countries, I still find it hard to comprehend how we can have water shortages in the wettest place in the developed world :rolleyes:


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