STEPS Researchers Involved with NRC Study and Report on Resource Needs for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
Professor Joan Ogden, co-director of the STEPS Program, recently served on a National Research Council (NRC) study on the hydrogen economy. The study entitled “Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies - A Focus on Hydrogen,” was released in draft form in July 2008. Ogden led the transition modeling effort for the study, supported by Dr. Chris Yang and Dr. Marc Melaina.
While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could alleviate U.S. dependence on oil in transportation and significantly reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, bringing the technology from its current state to market viability will require substantial time and additional investment, according to the NRC study.
The study estimates a total public-private investment of tens of billions would be required from 2008 to 2023, at which point fuel cell vehicles would become competitive with gasoline-powered vehicles. The government cost to support the transition would be roughly $55 billion. This funding includes a substantial research and development program ($5 billion), support for the demonstration and deployment of the vehicles while they are more expensive than conventional vehicles ($40 billion), and support for building an early hydrogen infrastructure ($8 billion).
The study, performed in response to a congressional request in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, estimated the maximum practicable number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that could be deployed in the United States by 2020 and beyond, together with the investments, time, and government actions needed to carry out this transition. The study also assessed the consequent reductions in U.S. oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions that could be expected and compared those reductions with the potential impact that the use of alternative vehicle technologies and biofuels might have on oil consumption and CO2 emissions.
One of the primary conclusions of the report is that:
A portfolio of technologies including hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, improved efficiency of conventional vehicles, hybrids, and use of biofuels—in conjunction with required new policy drivers—has the potential to nearly eliminate gasoline use in light-duty vehicles by the middle of this century, while reducing fleet greenhouse gas emissions to less than 20 percent of current levels. This portfolio approach provides a hedge against potential shortfalls in any one technological approach and improves the probability that the United States can meet its energy and environmental goals. Other technologies also may hold promise as part of a portfolio, but further study is required to assess their potential impacts.
The executive summary of the report can be found by clicking on “PDF Summary” in the following link: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12222#toc.
Donald Gautier, USGS geologist, presents on petroleum in the arctic