埃隆·馬斯克在最近的一次采訪中稱,,氫燃料電池是“我能夠想象到的最愚蠢的能源儲(chǔ)存技術(shù)”,。這是一項(xiàng)大多數(shù)人都沒有聽說過的技術(shù)。少數(shù)人就算聽說過,,八成也會(huì)聯(lián)想到興登堡號(hào)(Hindenburg)飛艇,。這是一艘充滿氫氣的飛艇,在85年前起火爆炸,,起火原因至今不明。
不過有能源專家表示,,目前的氫燃料電池已經(jīng)在安全性和效率方面取得了長足進(jìn)步,,有潛力在能源轉(zhuǎn)型過程中扮演重要角色。
簡單地說,,這項(xiàng)技術(shù)就是從水或者碳化石燃料中提取氫,,然后再逆轉(zhuǎn)這個(gè)過程,在電化學(xué)電池中讓氫原子和氧原子發(fā)生反應(yīng),,產(chǎn)生電,、水蒸氣和熱量。氫燃料電池的能源效率可以達(dá)到傳統(tǒng)汽油發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的兩倍到三倍,,它所需的電池也比一般的電動(dòng)汽車小得多,,因此有潛力為輕型卡車和重型卡車、火車、公共汽車,、小型飛機(jī),、遠(yuǎn)洋船舶提供動(dòng)力,甚至為醫(yī)院和數(shù)據(jù)中心等場所充當(dāng)備用電源,。
阻礙氫燃料電池發(fā)展因素主要包括較高的制造成本,、氫燃料灌注設(shè)施較少、生產(chǎn)綠色氫能的成本較高等等,。但是這些情況已經(jīng)開始有所改變了,。
近日,豐田公司(Toyota)宣布將與五十鈴(Isuzu)等廠商合作開發(fā)氫能源輕型卡車,,并計(jì)劃于明年在日本上市,。雷諾(Renault)和現(xiàn)代(Hyundai)也正在測試氫電混動(dòng)車型,而且近年來,,這方面的專利數(shù)量也在飛速增長,。隨著研發(fā)投產(chǎn)規(guī)模的擴(kuò)大,相關(guān)成本預(yù)計(jì)也將進(jìn)一步下降,。
美國總統(tǒng)喬·拜登簽署了《降低通脹法案》(Inflation Reduction Act),,其中一項(xiàng)內(nèi)容就是為綠色氫能生產(chǎn)提供每千克3美元的稅收抵免。綠色清能要比所謂的藍(lán)色氫能(從天然氣中提?。┖突疑珰淠埽◤拿禾恐刑崛,。└蓛舻枚唷T摲ò高€將擴(kuò)大新能源汽車的稅收抵免范圍,,預(yù)計(jì)會(huì)將氫燃料汽車包括在內(nèi),,屆時(shí)一輛電動(dòng)汽車最高能夠享受7500美元的稅收抵免。
乘著新能源的東風(fēng)
電動(dòng)汽車正在迅速走進(jìn)千家萬戶,。但是在乘用車市場上,,氫燃料汽車卻顯得入局太晚,規(guī)模也太小,。截至2021年6月,,全球上路的氫燃料汽車大約只有4萬輛,還不到全球汽車總保有量的0.01%,。
美國環(huán)境保護(hù)署交通與空氣質(zhì)量辦公室(EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality)的前主任,、氣候工作基金會(huì)(ClimateWorks Foundation)的研究員瑪爾戈·奧格說:“對汽車市場,我非常懷疑?,F(xiàn)在電動(dòng)汽車已經(jīng)贏得了這場比賽,,目前路上的電動(dòng)汽車已經(jīng)達(dá)到了1500萬輛?!?/p>

奧格表示,,美國加利福尼亞州曾經(jīng)試圖投資燃料電池技術(shù),,但最終還是以失敗告終,就是因?yàn)樗^于依賴藍(lán)色氫能,,而且缺乏加氫站網(wǎng)絡(luò),。“司機(jī)找不到給車加氫的地方,?!?/p>
奧格認(rèn)為,綠色氫能“在經(jīng)濟(jì)低碳化總體進(jìn)程中可以發(fā)揮一定的作用”,,但它主要將應(yīng)用于乘用車以外的領(lǐng)域,,比如發(fā)電、綠色鋼鐵生產(chǎn),,以及其他交通方式等,。

到目前為止,所謂的綠色氫能是少之又少的,,因?yàn)殡娊馑夹g(shù)十分耗能,,而且成本很高,可供利用的可再生能源又不夠,。因此,,目前占市場主流的仍然是不那么環(huán)保但卻便宜很多的藍(lán)色氫能。
奧格表示:“如果我們需要用更多的天然氣來生產(chǎn)藍(lán)色氫能,,那我們就只是在延長化石燃料的壽命,。”
良性競爭
也有一些樂觀人士認(rèn)為,,氫能有利于交通的可持續(xù)發(fā)展,,并且為電動(dòng)汽車提供了一個(gè)替代選項(xiàng)。
位于美國印第安納州的一家發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)制造公司康明斯公司(Cummins)的燃料電池和氫能技術(shù)副總裁艾米·亞當(dāng)斯稱,,只要通過技術(shù)創(chuàng)新進(jìn)一步降低成本,,并且擴(kuò)大加氫站網(wǎng)絡(luò)建設(shè),最多十年,,氫燃料汽車就能夠與傳統(tǒng)汽車和電動(dòng)汽車呈鼎足之勢,。
亞當(dāng)斯指出,氫燃料汽車的增長可能會(huì)有相當(dāng)一部分來自商用車市場,,因?yàn)闅淙剂掀嚨哪芎男矢撸入妱?dòng)汽車更具優(yōu)勢,。
“電動(dòng)汽車的電池重量很大,,因此需要犧牲一部分載重,這對物流公司來說很不劃算,?!彼f,。
亞當(dāng)斯還表示,近年來,,生產(chǎn)綠色氫能所需的可再生能源成本大幅下降,,而材料與技術(shù)的進(jìn)步“也降低了氫燃料電池的材料成本?!?/p>
在康明斯公司,,亞當(dāng)斯親眼見證了氫燃料電池能耗效率的提高。這項(xiàng)技術(shù)現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)可以帶動(dòng)200兆瓦的微電網(wǎng),,市場對電解裝置的需求也在大幅提升,,從而進(jìn)一步降低了成本。去年,,康明斯公司為法國鐵路設(shè)備制造商阿爾斯通(Alstom)開發(fā)了專用燃料電池模塊,,使后者成功推出了全球首款氫動(dòng)力電池列車Coradia iLint。
豐田的燃料電池解決方案團(tuán)隊(duì)的總經(jīng)理道格拉斯·摩爾也看好氫燃料電池的潛力,。他表示,,對那種大載重、長旅程的重型卡車來說,,“燃料電池解決方案顯然更占優(yōu)勢,因?yàn)樗軌驖M足物流公司為動(dòng)力和續(xù)航里程的要求,?!?/p>
除了應(yīng)用在交通和電力領(lǐng)域,他認(rèn)為,,氫燃料電池技術(shù)“可以為碳中和做出積極貢獻(xiàn),而且能夠以一種可再生的方式,,促進(jìn)人的交通,。”
落基山研究所(Rocky Mountain Institute)的商用可再生能源中心(Business Renewables Center)的金融分析師帕特里克·莫洛伊指出,,電動(dòng)汽車和氫燃料汽車之間是一種“良性競爭”,,它為我們提供了另一種選擇,讓人們可以在可適當(dāng)?shù)挠猛局羞x擇氫能,。
他說:“在有些用途中,,其中一種技術(shù)或許比另一種更合適,。我們的目標(biāo)是促進(jìn)整個(gè)交通系統(tǒng)轉(zhuǎn)型,塑造一種商業(yè)上可行的零碳路徑,,并且在所有市場和所有領(lǐng)域部署,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
埃隆·馬斯克在最近的一次采訪中稱,,氫燃料電池是“我能夠想象到的最愚蠢的能源儲(chǔ)存技術(shù)”,。這是一項(xiàng)大多數(shù)人都沒有聽說過的技術(shù)。少數(shù)人就算聽說過,,八成也會(huì)聯(lián)想到興登堡號(hào)(Hindenburg)飛艇,。這是一艘充滿氫氣的飛艇,在85年前起火爆炸,,起火原因至今不明,。
不過有能源專家表示,目前的氫燃料電池已經(jīng)在安全性和效率方面取得了長足進(jìn)步,,有潛力在能源轉(zhuǎn)型過程中扮演重要角色,。
簡單地說,這項(xiàng)技術(shù)就是從水或者碳化石燃料中提取氫,,然后再逆轉(zhuǎn)這個(gè)過程,,在電化學(xué)電池中讓氫原子和氧原子發(fā)生反應(yīng),產(chǎn)生電,、水蒸氣和熱量,。氫燃料電池的能源效率可以達(dá)到傳統(tǒng)汽油發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的兩倍到三倍,它所需的電池也比一般的電動(dòng)汽車小得多,,因此有潛力為輕型卡車和重型卡車,、火車、公共汽車,、小型飛機(jī),、遠(yuǎn)洋船舶提供動(dòng)力,甚至為醫(yī)院和數(shù)據(jù)中心等場所充當(dāng)備用電源,。
阻礙氫燃料電池發(fā)展因素主要包括較高的制造成本,、氫燃料灌注設(shè)施較少、生產(chǎn)綠色氫能的成本較高等等,。但是這些情況已經(jīng)開始有所改變了,。
近日,豐田公司(Toyota)宣布將與五十鈴(Isuzu)等廠商合作開發(fā)氫能源輕型卡車,,并計(jì)劃于明年在日本上市,。雷諾(Renault)和現(xiàn)代(Hyundai)也正在測試氫電混動(dòng)車型,而且近年來,這方面的專利數(shù)量也在飛速增長,。隨著研發(fā)投產(chǎn)規(guī)模的擴(kuò)大,相關(guān)成本預(yù)計(jì)也將進(jìn)一步下降,。
美國總統(tǒng)喬·拜登簽署了《降低通脹法案》(Inflation Reduction Act),,其中一項(xiàng)內(nèi)容就是為綠色氫能生產(chǎn)提供每千克3美元的稅收抵免。綠色清能要比所謂的藍(lán)色氫能(從天然氣中提?。┖突疑珰淠埽◤拿禾恐刑崛,。└蓛舻枚唷T摲ò高€將擴(kuò)大新能源汽車的稅收抵免范圍,,預(yù)計(jì)會(huì)將氫燃料汽車包括在內(nèi),,屆時(shí)一輛電動(dòng)汽車最高能夠享受7500美元的稅收抵免。
乘著新能源的東風(fēng)
電動(dòng)汽車正在迅速走進(jìn)千家萬戶,。但是在乘用車市場上,,氫燃料汽車卻顯得入局太晚,規(guī)模也太小,。截至2021年6月,,全球上路的氫燃料汽車大約只有4萬輛,還不到全球汽車總保有量的0.01%,。
美國環(huán)境保護(hù)署交通與空氣質(zhì)量辦公室(EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality)的前主任,、氣候工作基金會(huì)(ClimateWorks Foundation)的研究員瑪爾戈·奧格說:“對汽車市場,我非常懷疑?,F(xiàn)在電動(dòng)汽車已經(jīng)贏得了這場比賽,,目前路上的電動(dòng)汽車已經(jīng)達(dá)到了1500萬輛?!?/p>
奧格表示,,美國加利福尼亞州曾經(jīng)試圖投資燃料電池技術(shù),但最終還是以失敗告終,,就是因?yàn)樗^于依賴藍(lán)色氫能,,而且缺乏加氫站網(wǎng)絡(luò)?!八緳C(jī)找不到給車加氫的地方,。”
奧格認(rèn)為,,綠色氫能“在經(jīng)濟(jì)低碳化總體進(jìn)程中可以發(fā)揮一定的作用”,,但它主要將應(yīng)用于乘用車以外的領(lǐng)域,比如發(fā)電,、綠色鋼鐵生產(chǎn),,以及其他交通方式等。
到目前為止,,所謂的綠色氫能是少之又少的,,因?yàn)殡娊馑夹g(shù)十分耗能,,而且成本很高,可供利用的可再生能源又不夠,。因此,,目前占市場主流的仍然是不那么環(huán)保但卻便宜很多的藍(lán)色氫能。
奧格表示:“如果我們需要用更多的天然氣來生產(chǎn)藍(lán)色氫能,,那我們就只是在延長化石燃料的壽命,。”
良性競爭
也有一些樂觀人士認(rèn)為,,氫能有利于交通的可持續(xù)發(fā)展,,并且為電動(dòng)汽車提供了一個(gè)替代選項(xiàng)。
位于美國印第安納州的一家發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)制造公司康明斯公司(Cummins)的燃料電池和氫能技術(shù)副總裁艾米·亞當(dāng)斯稱,,只要通過技術(shù)創(chuàng)新進(jìn)一步降低成本,,并且擴(kuò)大加氫站網(wǎng)絡(luò)建設(shè),最多十年,,氫燃料汽車就能夠與傳統(tǒng)汽車和電動(dòng)汽車呈鼎足之勢,。
亞當(dāng)斯指出,氫燃料汽車的增長可能會(huì)有相當(dāng)一部分來自商用車市場,,因?yàn)闅淙剂掀嚨哪芎男矢?,比電?dòng)汽車更具優(yōu)勢。
“電動(dòng)汽車的電池重量很大,,因此需要犧牲一部分載重,,這對物流公司來說很不劃算?!彼f,。
亞當(dāng)斯還表示,近年來,,生產(chǎn)綠色氫能所需的可再生能源成本大幅下降,,而材料與技術(shù)的進(jìn)步“也降低了氫燃料電池的材料成本?!?/p>
在康明斯公司,,亞當(dāng)斯親眼見證了氫燃料電池能耗效率的提高。這項(xiàng)技術(shù)現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)可以帶動(dòng)200兆瓦的微電網(wǎng),,市場對電解裝置的需求也在大幅提升,,從而進(jìn)一步降低了成本。去年,,康明斯公司為法國鐵路設(shè)備制造商阿爾斯通(Alstom)開發(fā)了專用燃料電池模塊,,使后者成功推出了全球首款氫動(dòng)力電池列車Coradia iLint。
豐田的燃料電池解決方案團(tuán)隊(duì)的總經(jīng)理道格拉斯·摩爾也看好氫燃料電池的潛力。他表示,,對那種大載重,、長旅程的重型卡車來說,“燃料電池解決方案顯然更占優(yōu)勢,,因?yàn)樗軌驖M足物流公司為動(dòng)力和續(xù)航里程的要求,。”
除了應(yīng)用在交通和電力領(lǐng)域,,他認(rèn)為,氫燃料電池技術(shù)“可以為碳中和做出積極貢獻(xiàn),,而且能夠以一種可再生的方式,,促進(jìn)人的交通?!?/p>
落基山研究所(Rocky Mountain Institute)的商用可再生能源中心(Business Renewables Center)的金融分析師帕特里克·莫洛伊指出,,電動(dòng)汽車和氫燃料汽車之間是一種“良性競爭”,它為我們提供了另一種選擇,,讓人們可以在可適當(dāng)?shù)挠猛局羞x擇氫能,。
他說:“在有些用途中,其中一種技術(shù)或許比另一種更合適,。我們的目標(biāo)是促進(jìn)整個(gè)交通系統(tǒng)轉(zhuǎn)型,,塑造一種商業(yè)上可行的零碳路徑,并且在所有市場和所有領(lǐng)域部署,?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
When Elon Musk called hydrogen fuel cells “the most dumb thing I could possibly imagine for energy storage” in a recent interview, most people had probably never heard of the technology. And if they had, it’s likely they associated it with the Hindenburg, the hydrogen-filled airship that famously caught fire and exploded 85 years ago.
But hydrogen fuel-cell technology has come a long way in terms of safety and efficiency, and it could play a significant role in accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels, energy experts say.
Essentially, the technology works by extracting hydrogen from water or carbon fossil fuels and then reversing the process, combining hydrogen and oxygen atoms across an electrochemical cell to produce electricity, water vapor, and some heat. Fuel-cell technology is two to three times as efficient as a gas-powered engine. It also requires much smaller batteries than electric vehicles do and has the potential to power light and heavy-duty trucks, trains, buses, small aircraft and oceangoing vessels, as well as generate backup power for hospitals and data centers.
High manufacturing costs, a lack of refueling infrastructure, and the considerable expense of green hydrogen have held hydrogen back so far. But that is finally starting to change.
Toyota recently announced that it is teaming up with Isuzu and other partners to develop light-duty fuel-cell trucks, aiming to roll them out in Japan next year. Renault and Hyundai are testing hybrid electric-hydrogen vehicles, and patents on the technology have skyrocketed in recent years. As it scales up, costs are expected to drop further.
President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains a landmark climate initiative that offers $3 per kilogram in tax credits for green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is much cleaner than blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas, and gray hydrogen, produced from coal. The bill also expands the electric vehicle tax credit to include hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles—offering up to $7,500 for new EVs.
Riding electric’s tail
With widespread adoption of electric vehicles already underway, it might be too little too late for hydrogen fuel cells in the passenger car market. As of June 2021, there were only 40,000 fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on the road around the world—less than 0.01% of the total stock of vehicles globally.
“When it comes to cars, I’m very skeptical. The race has been won by electric cars—of which there are 15 million on the road,” says Margo T. Oge, former director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality who now serves as a distinguished fellow at the ClimateWorks Foundation.
California made a concerted effort to invest in fuel-cell technology, but Oge says the initiative failed because it relied on blue hydrogen and lacked the infrastructure to support hydrogen cars: “Drivers couldn’t find places to fuel their vehicles.”
Oge believes that green hydrogen “has a role to play in decarbonizing the economy as a whole,” but for applications other than passenger cars, such as electricity, other modes of transportation, and green steel production.
Very little hydrogen is green so far, because electrolyzing water is energy intensive and costly, and there isn’t enough renewable energy available. As a result, less-sustainable blue hydrogen is still dominant and significantly cheaper.
“When we start investing in more natural gas to produce blue hydrogen, we just continue to extend the life of fossil fuels,” Oge says.
Healthy competition
Others are more optimistic about hydrogen’s potential to make transportation more sustainable and offer an alternative to electric vehicles.
Amy Adams, vice president of fuel-cell and hydrogen technologies at Cummins, an Indiana-based engine manufacturing company, predicts that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will reach parity with the traditional internal combustion engine, diesel, and electric by the end of the decade—as long as technological innovations bring costs down and the refueling infrastructure is built out.
Adams notes that much of this growth could come in commercial vehicles, where more efficient fuel cells have an advantage over the heavy batteries electric requires.
“If you reduce the amount of goods that trucks are able to deliver, that’s a bad business model for shipping companies,” she says.
Adams adds that the cost of renewable energy to produce green hydrogen has come way down in recent years, and advances in materials and technology have “reduced the material cost of the actual fuel cells.”
At Cummins, she’s seen the increase in fuel-cell efficiency up close. The technology is now able to power 200-megawatt microgrids, and demand for electrolyzers has grown significantly, further reducing costs. Last year, Cummins developed fuel-cell modules for French railway manufacturer Alstom, which introduced the world’s first passenger “hydrail,” the Coradia iLint.
Douglas Moore, general manager of Toyota’s fuel-cell solutions team, agrees about hydrogen’s potential. For heavy-duty trucks that require big payloads and go long distances, he says, “the fuel-cell solution is a clear winner, in the sense that it’s able to achieve that power in that range and that distance for those shipping customers.”
Along with other applications in transportation and power, he believes that hydrogen fuel-cell technology “can be a real contributor to carbon-neutral solutions and actually enable mobility through a very renewable process.”
As Patrick Molloy, a financial analyst at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center, puts it, the contest between electric and hydrogen fuel-cell technology is “good competition.” It will offer choice, ensuring that hydrogen is used wherever it is the better option.
“There are certain use cases that will provide stronger opportunities for one or the other,” he says. “The objective has to be transforming our total transportation system and making it a zero-carbon path that is commercially viable and deployable across all sections and segments.”