Naslov
Hydrogen for Sustainable Development

Autori
Barbir, Frano

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems / Afgan, N.H. ; Bogdan, Ž. ; Duić, N. ; Guzović, Z. - Singapur : World Scientific Publishing, 2007, 143-154

ISBN
9812706402

Skup
3rd Dubrovnik Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

Mjesto i datum
Dubrovnik, Hrvatska, 05.06.2005. - 10.06.2005

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
hydrogen; renewable energy sources; global model; energy language diagram; emergy

Sažetak
Our civilization is facing an unavoidable transition from convenient but environmentally not so friendly, and ultimately scarce energy sources to less convenient, but preferably clean and sustainable ones. Regardless on the energy sources, there will always be a need for convenient, clean, safe, efficient and versatile energy carriers or forms of energy that can be delivered to the end users. Both, hydrogen and electricity are energy carries that together may satisfy all the energy needs of modern civilization. Hydrogen and electricity should not compete with each other, but rather complement each other. With their complementary versatility, they can help in increasing the acceptance and market penetration of renewable energy technologies. However, market penetration of renewable energy sources cannot be left depending solely on market forces. The benefits of a clean and permanent energy system based on renewable energy sources, and hydrogen and electricity as the energy carriers, are reaching far beyond a horizon of an ordinary customer. They are also beyond the horizon of a utility or energy company, and even the nation. The decision on employing the renewable energy sources must be a conscious one, made on a national and international level, and based on clear but far reaching benefits to the nation and to the global environment. This paper attempts to identify and quantify those benefits, with the help of a global energy/environment/economy model based on energy language diagram. Although all economic models are based on growth, from a thermodynamic point of view it is clear that no system based on finite sources can continue to grow forever. A system based on utilization of constant flow of incoming energy (such as solar energy) will eventually reach a steady state. A steady-state level which the human civilization can obtain, depends on the rate of utilization of available solar energy and the effort required to convert solar energy into more useful forms of energy (hydrogen and electricity being only the intermediary steps). The model has been used to predict the level at which the renewable energy sources would be sustainable as a function of timing and net energy (emergy) ratios.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Strojarstvo

POVEZANOST RADA