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Because the years go and extra re-enactments of the Odyssey of the Hydrogen Fleet are performed out, they get staged in a number of settings, very like Shakespeare’s Tempest being staged in a waterpark in Germany in 2019. In current months, I’ve curated a few lists of hydrogen bus and practice trials and associated judgments, virtually solely in opposition to hydrogen. Now it’s time for water.
Let’s begin with Norway, the frozen fjordtress, recognized for the thick slurry of inexperienced electrical automobiles over its huge fossil gas wealth. Unsurprisingly, it has a subset of thermodynamically and economically unenlightened varieties who suppose hydrogen is the reply to most questions. The query on this case is, “If we have now a 12 kilometer complete ferry crossing of a fjord just a few occasions a day in a rural space 315 kilometers from Oslo, how can we make it as costly, excessive emissions and failure inclined as potential?” Enter the Hjelmeland–Nesvik–Skipavik route in Norway the place the MF Hydra was transformed to hydrogen. The ferry primarily operates on a brief, fastened route as a part of the native transportation community, and has been in service since 2023.
Hydrogen followers like to level to this instance, as if it’s a harbinger of doom for electrical ferries. What they don’t each to search for and ignore if compelled to confront it, is that there are about 80 battery electrical ferries within the nation, fortunately and far much less expensively and reliably crossing the waters between towering cliffs. Whereas it hasn’t failed and been deserted but, along with gas cells from perpetual cash loser Ballard — $1.3 billion since 2000 with zero worthwhile years ever — it additionally options liquid hydrogen, including one other 33% power loss to the super inefficiencies of the hydrogen drive practice.
The prices of all of this aren’t shared, however provided that the hydrogen capability is vastly overbaked for the necessities, with a single refueling of liquid hydrogen being adequate for 12 days of crusing or 1,850 kilometers, far past the service necessities, they’re undoubtedly excessive. The quantity of liquid hydrogen requires about 4 diesel powered tanker vehicles to drive 1,275 kilometers from the Linde plant in Leuna, Germany full and return to Leuna empty afterward. That’s 10,000 kilometers of truck diesel each couple of weeks to permit a ferry to journey between three cities that may see each other just a few occasions a day. That’s about 9 tons of CO2e each 12 days, or about 275 tons yearly.
After all, as I famous not too long ago relating to the hydrogen provide chain, each level in it leaks as a result of hydrogen is likely one of the smallest molecules within the universe, and the excessive pressures and a number of motion factors all find yourself emitting a bit. Peer-reviewed research out of Europe and California counsel 10% isn’t an unreasonable assumption for lengthy provide chain complete leakage, for instance plenty of 1,300 kilometer highway journeys from an electrolyzer to compression tanks to a liquifier to liquid hydrogen storage tanks to tanker vehicles to boil off on the 2 full days of driving per truck to switch to ferry tanks to turning right into a gasoline to compressing to the correct quantity for gas cells to feeding into the gas cell.
That 4 tons of liquid hydrogen, in different phrases, goes to be leaking within the vary of 0.4 tons of hydrogen each couple of weeks, one other effectivity loss. And liquid hydrogen has a excessive world warming potential, 13 to 37 occasions as unhealthy as CO2 relying on whether or not you take a look at 100 or 20 years, as a result of it stopping methane from breaking down within the ambiance. Each 0.4 tons of hydrogen that leaks, in different phrases, is like a further 5 to fifteen tons of CO2e, for an additional 150 to 450 tons of CO2e per yr, including as much as 430 to 730 tons of CO2e yearly.
This, in fact, ignores the manufacturing and liquification of the hydrogen in Leuna. Linda does purchase licensed renewable electrical energy for its electrolyzer, however it didn’t construct new wind and photo voltaic crops, so doesn’t meet the additionality requirement. It takes the electrical energy from the grid at handy occasions for electrolyzer operation, not when the solar is shining and the wind is blowing, so it doesn’t meet the temporality requirement. The licensed wind and photo voltaic crops are in the identical grid area, so it does meet the standards for locality.
The 4 tons of liquid hydrogen would require about 260 MWh to fabricate and liquify and giving the Leuna facility the advantage of the doubt given the shortage of additionality and temporality, even at 50% of Germany’s grid depth, that’s one other 45 tons of CO2e each couple of weeks, or about 1,400 tons per yr.
We’re now as much as 1,800 to 2100 tons of CO2e per yr to make and ship the hydrogen. Clearly, they’re doing this for carbon advantages, so the MF Hydra will need to have been a very excessive emitting ferry beforehand. Properly, no. For ferries of MF Hydra’s dimension and responsibility cycle, about 900 tons a yr of emissions is extra probably. So far as I can inform from this emissions work up, they’ve radically elevated the greenhouse gasoline emissions from the ferry versus scale back them even a tiny bit.
Against this, delivering electrical energy to the 80 or so electrical ferries doesn’t require any diesel vehicles driving 4 days backwards and forwards, doesn’t leak any inexperienced home gases and doesn’t lose 80% of the power that’s put into it to electrolyzer effectivity, liquification power necessities, boil off and leakage. They plug in on the docks utilizing Norway’s 30 grams CO2e per kWh electrical energy, 10% of the carbon depth of German’s due to all of the hydropower. These 80 ferries are vastly lowering the greenhouse gasoline emissions of the ferries, and at a lot decrease expense and complexity. An MF Hydra dimension ferry powered by batteries charged with Norway’s inexperienced electrical energy would probably emit about 50 tons of CO2e per yr dam-to-wake, an enormous enchancment over diesel and an enormous enchancment over hydrogen.
That is on high of the very vital power price variations of creating hydrogen at Germany’s larger electrical energy charges, throwing away most of it between electrolyzer, compression, liquification and gas cell inefficiencies, compounded by a lot of it leaking. Industrial electrical energy charges are roughly double in Germany and about 5 occasions as a lot is required per kilometer of ferry motion, so power prices are about ten occasions for the hydrogen ferry as for comparable battery electrical ferries.
These actually bizarre power prices, waste and distances are par for the course for hydrogen fleet trials by the best way. When Canada trialed hydrogen buses on the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort beginning with the 2010 Winter Olympics, inexperienced hydrogen was trucked in from Quebec, 4,500 kilometers away, requiring about the identical quantity of diesel burnt simply to ship the hydrogen for the distances the buses traveled.
It’s laborious to say how the MF Hydra obtained by enterprise casing, however one assumes it wasn’t a rational and clear determination, and inevitably the ferry will likely be transformed to less expensive battery electrical like the remainder of Norway’s fjord-crossing fleet.
The MF Hydra instance is an efficient one as a result of this text was triggered by the chapter of Norwegian firm TECO, with its hydrogen gas cell know-how for maritime functions. The filings have been pushed by monetary pressure, together with a chapter petition from the Norwegian Tax Authority and difficulties securing capital. The corporate cited delays in Norway’s zero-emission laws for cruise ships as an element that hindered market alternatives. I assume that zero-emission laws have been trying on the actuality of hydrogen worth chain emissions and that was an issue for the agency. In spite of everything, in the absolute best case state of affairs, a ship working on inexperienced hydrogen made with Norway’s electrical energy would price three to 4 occasions as a lot to gas and have three to 4 occasions the emissions per kilometer traveled. That’s earlier than leakage, which makes issues worse.
The redundantly named H2 Barge 2, previously generally known as FPS Waal, started working on the Rhine between Rotterdam and Duisburg in 2023. The retrofitted, 200-unit, 140-kilometer route, container cargo vessel options six 200kW gas cells from Ballard Energy Techniques. The undertaking faces challenges, together with excessive working prices, restricted hydrogen refueling infrastructure, and delays in regulatory frameworks supporting hydrogen adoption. As a reminder, there are two 700-unit container ships powered solely by batteries masking 1,000 kilometers on the Yangtze with swappable, containerized batteries sprinkled up and down the river at ports.
The undertaking obtained vital funding from a number of European and nationwide initiatives. The Clear Hydrogen Partnership contributed by the Flagships H2020 Undertaking, whereas the Interreg North Sea Area Programme supported it by way of the ZEM Ports NS initiative. Moreover, the Netherlands Enterprise Company (RVO) offered monetary backing. Although actual figures haven’t been disclosed, this mixed help enabled the retrofit and launch of the zero-emission hydrogen-powered vessel. Monetary sustainability stays a priority, with stakeholders searching for further funding to take care of operations. As is widespread with hydrogen fleets and trials, when the governmental cash dries up, the trial ends.
In neighboring Belgium the Hydrotug 1, the world’s first — and hopefully final — hydrogen-powered tugboat, commenced operations on the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in late 2023. Developed by CMB.TECH, the vessel options dual-fuel engines able to burning each hydrogen and diesel, lowering emissions by as much as a claimed 80%, though the MF Hydra case examine ought to solid critical doubts on that. As a thermodynamic reminder, inside combustion engines are even much less environment friendly than gas cells at turning hydrogen into ahead movement, so whereas the engine is cheaper, the gas prices are roughly double. As a mechanical reminder, electrical motors are very excessive torque from zero RPM in comparison with inside combustion engines, so this answer fails on that entrance as effectively. The undertaking was funded by a mixture of personal funding and public help, together with contributions from the European Inexperienced Deal initiative and the Flemish authorities, with complete prices estimated at €12 million. After all, there are effectively over a dozen battery electrical tugboats plying waters all over the world and much more on order.
The Elektra, heralded because the world’s first emission-free hydrogen-fueled push boat — a ship that pushes barges versus tows them —, was christened in Berlin’s Westhafen in Might 2022. The vessel, developed by BEHALA, integrates battery-electric propulsion with hydrogen gas cell know-how. The undertaking incurred complete prices of roughly €14.6 million, with the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport contributing €9.1 million. Extra help got here from Undertaking Administration Jülich and the Nationwide Group for Hydrogen and Gasoline Cell Expertise. The Elektra is at present operational, transporting items within the Berlin-Brandenburg area and on routes extending to Hamburg.
Germany being an epicenter of hydrogen folly, they couldn’t cease with only one hydrogen boat trial. Freudenberg e-Energy Techniques has been pushing gas cells for the maritime trade for some time, with its hydrogen gas cell know-how deployed on cruise ships just like the Silver Nova (54,700 gross tons) and the AIDAnova (183,900 gross tons). The Silver Nova, launched in mid-2023 by Meyer Werft and Royal Caribbean Group, makes use of Freudenberg’s gas cells to energy its lodge load whereas in port. Equally, below the Pa-X-ell2 undertaking, the AIDAnova integrates Freudenberg’s programs. The gas cells are designed to not solely run on inefficient hydrogen straight, however on methanol or ammonia of any provenance, probably at even larger price and emissions as the method entails stripping the hydrogen out of these earlier than placing it into the gas cell.
Undertaking 821, a 118.8-meter fuel-cell superyacht constructed by Feadship, has efficiently accomplished sea trials. The undertaking, reportedly costing over €500 million, benefited from personal funding alongside technical collaboration with hydrogen know-how corporations to make sure effectivity and security. Whereas the yacht is operational, questions stay concerning the scalability of such improvements in broader business delivery sectors. That’s, in spite of everything, on the higher finish of the price scale for yachts of that dimension, and it’s questionable how most of the world’s billionaires that may afford to blow that a lot on a floating lodge they often use, together with the probably €100 million annual working prices accounting for locating gas for the factor wherever it occurs to be, will trouble. It’s definitely not a lot of an advance in sustainability for a wealthy individual to be leaking hydrogen globally, because the MF Hydra case examine above makes clear.
Crossing the Atlantic, the Sea Change, a 70-foot, 75-passenger hydrogen-powered ferry, was launched by SWITCH Maritime in 2021 as a purportedly zero-emission vessel working within the California Bay Space. Funded by public-private partnerships, together with help from the California Air Sources Board (CARB) and Maritime Administration (MARAD), the undertaking obtained greater than $3 million in grants. Extra monetary help got here from Chevron New Energies, United Airways, and the Golden Gate Bridge, Freeway, and Transportation District. The ferry sources its hydrogen gas from native suppliers which make it from pure gasoline, with plans to transition to inexperienced hydrogen produced utilizing renewable power as availability will increase. Infrastructure limitations have posed challenges for constant refueling. Monetary sustainability stays unsure, as excessive working prices and restricted hydrogen availability have strained SWITCH Maritime’s sources.
California has confirmed itself to be resistant to actuality about hydrogen, being one of many epicenters of hydrogen folly globally. That’s an unlucky facet impact of attempting to do the correct factor early. Again round 2000, it was clear that hydrogen was costly, nobody knew about its greenhouse gasoline standing and batteries simply weren’t clearly viable, so leaders of assorted varieties determined the world would eat the excessive prices for low-carbon transportation. Time has handed, actuality has proven it’s lifeless within the water, however bureaucracies, lobbying teams, analysis organizations and granting brokers proceed to flog it, hoping that only a few hundred million extra will someway magically change the legal guidelines of physics and the fundamentals of economics.
In one other epicenter of hydrogen folly, Japan, the HANARIA, the nation’s first hybrid passenger ship using hydrogen and biodiesel fuels, started service in Kitakyushu in April 2024. The vessel employs a mix of hydrogen gas cells, lithium-ion batteries, and diesel mills, reaching a claimed greenhouse gasoline discount price of 53% to 100% in comparison with standard fossil-fueled ships. The hydrogen gas cell system, delivering as much as 240 kW of energy, was developed and provided by Yanmar Energy Expertise Co. Whereas particular funding quantities for the HANARIA undertaking haven’t been publicly disclosed, it concerned collaboration between MOTENA-Sea, Ltd., the ship’s operator, and buyers together with Mitsui O.S.Ok. Traces, Ltd. Yanmar can afford it, one assumes, because it’s a $7 billion USD annual income firm, so so long as it doesn’t waste an excessive amount of extra money on hydrogen and gas cells, it will possibly take in the inevitable losses.
After all, a part of Japan’s folly has been the idea that they might be importing hydrogen and so the Suiso Frontier, the world’s first liquid hydrogen tanker, exists. Constructed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for about $500 million, the vessel is 116 meters lengthy and may transport as much as 1,250 cubic meters of liquid hydrogen cooled to -253°C. Against this, a really massive crude provider prices about $130 million and carries round 300,000 cubic meters of oil. The 1,250 cubic meters of liquid hydrogen comprises solely ~0.093% of the power carried by a completely loaded crude provider. The hydrogen tanker accomplished its maiden voyage in early 2022, delivering hydrogen from Australia to Japan as a part of the Hydrogen Power Provide Chain (HESC) pilot undertaking. Naturally, the hydrogen was created from coal, a really excessive emissions course of. Latest information suggests Japan has lastly pulled out spreadsheets to price this nonsense, or at the very least that senior sufficient folks have began them that rational power considering is beginning to emerge.
In tiny island nation Singapore, which has a really sturdy refining and chemical trade together with no native power and therefore an attraction to the illusory guarantees of hydrogen, hosts Sydrogen Power, which has a 250kW hydrogen gas cell energy module, developed in collaboration with Shanghai Hydrogen Propulsion Expertise Co., Ltd. The system is concentrating on smaller boats and auxiliary programs on bigger ships, however isn’t deployed on any but apparently. Preliminary funding for Sydrogen’s maritime tasks has been bolstered by personal fairness investments and government-backed innovation grants from Singapore’s Inexperienced Power Initiative. The agency can be in lifeless finish grid storage and EV charging backup markets, proving that they’re bereft of financial and thermodynamic rational considering and the usage of spreadsheets in a number of goal markets.
I’m positive I’ve missed one or two makes an attempt to make hydrogen an power supply on the water, so readers please share. Simply as hydrogen is like sq. wheels on floor autos, it’s like utilizing a colander as a hull on the water.
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