Producing Low Cost Hydrogen and Getting Excited about Technology again!

I had a fascinating discussion over recent days with a scientist who has a new approach to farming pure hydrogen from water using electrolysis. This ability to do this has been known for years (decades even) but doing it economically is the problem. This may be the answer.

This post is not designed to explain how he does this but rather to point out the excitement of the opportunities if he is correct.

It is very easy to get bored with technology and fear that 'the next big thing' will never happen. I happen to believe that the advent of an efficient touchscreen was one of these events, but then we look at the updated iPhone 5, compare it against the iPhone 4 and yawn....... We also bemoan the lack of supersonic air travel or a flying backpack......what is genuinely new and exciting around the corner we ask?

This is missing the point though.

Energy lies at the heart of our everyday lives. At a macro level, the impact of energy on Middle Eastern politics is clear, the return of Iran is a big issue I've written about and the advent of shale gas providing energy independence to the US, also has a massive impact on global politics and economics.

Renewable energy is certainly funky, but it is a let down. Solar panels for most only become economic because of government bribes (sorry I should say Feed in Tariffs!) and what happens when it is dark.....

Hydrogen can change this. If we use solar or wind to 'spark' the hydrogen production into life and sustain it to produce hydrogen from water (and not, it shouldn't be distilled, it needs to be saline or brackish for me to become excited), then we have an exciting opportunity not only to reduce the cost of energy, but more importantly to make it available to everyone.

I was reminded about this when speaking with a biodiesel executive from Burkino Faso who explained how expensive imports of carbon fuels are into his country. The spectacular impact of distributed hydrogen powered energy would be fantastic for this country and its population.

It is too early to say whether the scientist I met this week has the answer, but the good news is that scientists like him are still researching. There are more 'Next Big Things' to happen in my lifetime and I feel more confident than ever, that the world in 20 years time is going to be a better place than it is today!