Pacific Hydrogen Hub - blog
The Green Hydrogen Micro-Hub Comes Alive across the Pacific
By Toby Kinkaid
The Pacific Rim is a special place. The air, the sea, the flora and fauna, the culture – the life!
When it comes to power systems, however, there is a disconnect. Traveling in younger years I was in the Maldives on the other side of the world. The islands of the Maldives, are much different than any I’ve seen before. In the Pacific, the islands come from volcanoes under the sea.
The Hawaiian islands are a sequence of volcanoes which were born, live, and fade over eons. In the Maldives the islands are completely different. Although emerging from the bottom of the sea they didn’t come from volcanoes, but rather from millions of years of coral forming great spires.
Like Hawaii – life everywhere. To my amazement in the Maldives every island, being very small and isolated were all power by diesel Gensets. Despite their best efforts to muffle the sound always around you was the distant faint but present rumble of the diesel engines powering the islands lights and appliances.
How to power an Island in the Middle of the Ocean?
It’s as if the timeless scenery seen for thousands of years was being trampled on by the modern age and our need for noisy polluting machines for energy.
The modern life takes energy. We use a lot of energy per man, woman, and child in our modern age. Our problem, of course, is basic toxicity. The purpose of my journey to the Maldives was a site survey for solar powering the islands. I was based in Fukuoka, Japan and even as far away as Japan was from my home in Oregon. It was a lot further again from Japan – always traveling west.
These beautiful coral islands in the middle of the Indian ocean with traditions reaching back thousands of years, yet always intruded upon by the constant whine of the diesel burning electrical generator.
There are things that strike you in the Maldives. The fantastic air. In the middle of the Indian Ocean the air has a special quality. Most pleasing and fresh almost soft. Though hot and humid the air had a special quality. Until the diesel Genset catches a different wind and brings you back into the present – noise, pollution and cost. I was struck by how culturally unique the island, and how common the need for local power.
In fact, it’s what we all need. Onsite modern power with no toxicity or fuel costs from onsite resources.
How to get the fuel to remote Islands?
The physical issues of powering an island in the middle of the ocean are many. Even the traditional diesel generator needed fuel imported from far away, stowed at port, then distributed to each island – often hundreds of miles away from the Capital island.
The people of the Maldives are master boat builders. The traditional “Dony” style has low draft excellent capacity and piloted by those who know their waters.
To transport the diesel from the Capital island “Dony’s” would haul in barrels of diesel fuel to be motored out to the distant islands. These fuel deliveries were vital to the surrounding islands. Hospitals are few and far between and reliable seafaring is required.
As I watched these small boats being loaded with a few 55 gallon drums at a time with very limited capacity I realized they’re making a dangerous journey. A journey those distant islanders need for the very energy of their connection in the modern world. Watching the long supply chain for remote islands I’m struck by how this is the reality for all of us.
We’re all on the remote islands of respective towns and cities. The island lessons apply to all of us around the Pacific Rim and indeed anywhere you are.
The key to powering any site, for any purpose, with the renewable energy available onsite comes down to design. Is there a universal platform which can be adjusted to individual needs? Can this platform “standardize” the power block?
The Green Hydrogen Micro-Hub standardizes Local Power
The Green Hydrogen Micro-Hub is a self-contained power system with renewable energy on the front-end. It all comes down to “green electrons making green molecules.” The traditional method of powering remote islands is with diesel Gensets. As mentioned, the logistics of this from cradle to grave is a nightmare for remote communities.
The answer? The Green Hydrogen MIcro-Hub. The Micro-Hub combines three essential systems: energy in, energy storage, and energy out each being 100% non-toxic. The energy-in is with renewables (green electrons) driving an electrolyzer. The energy storage is the result of the electrolyzer which produces hydrogen the universal energy carrier storing bulk energy safely, for any length of time required short and long term, and can be done anywhere on earth for anyone.
Hydrogen makes an excellent “battery” and in fact – the highest specific energy density of all battery types. The specific energy density of Lithium-ion batteries, for example, is actually very low compared to fossil fuels. Even the best battery technology has yet to achieve 300 wh/Kg in energy density.
What’s the energy density by weight of Hydrogen? Well, by energy content, Hydrogen holds around 32,000 wh/Kg. When it comes to storing energy Hydrogen is king.
Everyone is looking for their own unique solution – a system to solve their energy needs. Everyone tends to think they’re in this alone, and until this time – they were. When you drive up and buy fuel from a traditional gas station – it’s you, a single consumer standing before a highly organized and entrenched industrial “Rockefeller.”
The answer is not in our different situations – it’s in the common architecture – and employing a standardized common local solution.
Green Hydrogen Micro-hubs are a game changer in the energy world.
Hydrogen Compression, Storage Dispensing (CSD)
Once Hydrogen is produced by the Electrolyzer it must be processed. All Hydrogen tends to come out of Alkaline and PEM Electrolyzer’s a bit wet. The first step in processing Hydrogen is the desiccant. It’s vital to remove all moisture from the Hydrogen which is achieved by the dryer (desiccant) system.
The second step is to filter the Hydrogen through a super HEP filter which removes any other gases or material present. Once emerging from the filter the Hydrogen is typically 99.999% pure. If additional stage filters are added then a whopping 99.9999% purity can be achieved. This is the ideal purity for hydrogen Fuel Cell stacks.
Once Hydrogen is purified it’s safe to handle properly. Compressors then compress the hydrogen into a suitable vessel for storage. Once inside the tank Hydrogen is totally inert and chemically inactive. Hydrogen stored this way can remain ready to be used for years, possibly decades – totally stable.
After your hydrogen is produced from electrolysis it’s dried, filtered, and compressed into storage tanks. Add a dispenser and you have a CSD (Compression, Storage and Dispensing) system.
A universal platform is described which provides a system where all components can be sized and balanced to convert your “inputs” into “storage” and “outputs.” The green hydrogen Micro-Hub converts the “variability” of natural energy systems into the “on-demand” requirements of modern civilization.
Output- H2 Directly for fuel, or through the Fuel Cell for electricity
Once hydrogen has been produced, dried, filtered, and compressed you now have hydrogen safely stored. Once in storage vessels now comes the good part. How do you wish to use your clean hydrogen fuel?
Everything comes down to what you’re doing. What is the purpose of the power system specifically? Human energy consumption across all sectors and applications need both Electricity and Chemical Fuel. Hydrogen use in this Micro-hub provides both answers. If you want electricity, then the power output comes from the on-station fuel cell stack.
If you need hydrogen fuel, then storage is designed to either store the amount of fuel you’ll use over a given time, and at the pressures required. Or, you can design your storage to be of a lesser pressure, and use a second compressor on the output side to bring up the dispensing pressure to H35 typically used for larger vehicle fueling. Connect your dispenser choice, often with a chiller to cool it just before fueling, and you have your green hydrogen system.
Green Hydrogen Micro-Hub technology from EV4 LLC is a game changer. Reach out to EV4 LLC, through the Contact Page if you’re interested in consulting services for your next green hydrogen power project. All sites have a renewable energy resource of some kind. The Hydrogen Micro-Hub makes the solution universal in architecture, and site-specific for affect.
The Hydrogen Micro-hub provides a total power and energy solution for remote sites – or any site with proper sizing – because in all cases it’s the same hardware.
Using your local power supply from renewables, which are variable in nature, the electrolyzer converts those green electrons, when you do make them, into green molecules.
Specifically, clean hydrogen fuel from water electrolysis using an electrolyzer. After drying, filtering, and compressing clean hydrogen storage can be tapped to produce electricity through the on-board fuel cells or dispensed directly for fuel at any time day or night.
The Micro-hub with renewable energy inputs produces clean fuel and electricity, respectively, independently, and together onsite and with no toxicity or fuel cost – all available on-demand 24/7. Isn’t that what we’re trying to do? Isn’t that what the world is looking for? Energy independence for all with no toxicity and no fuel costs. Sound’s like a future to me.
The green hydrogen economy applies what we all have in common to solve our common global problems with a common local solution: green hydrogen.
