A tank of hydrogen not the same as H Bomb [1]
Monday, November 23, 2009 - 21:30. Updated on Monday, December 16, 2013 - 22:22.
Editor,
I noted with interest a letter to the editor which raised issues and concerns surrounding the energy conference held in Vava'u and the planed offshore energy buoy system we are working to test next year. I would like to briefly address a few of these concerns.
But first I would like to compliment Hon. 'Akau'ola on a job well done in bringing most of the top infrastructure funders in the world and specifically the Pacific, to a joint meeting to address the energy needs and goals in Tonga. Working with the Prime Minister, he has been laying the ground-work for this meeting with these outstanding humanitarian and infrastructure organizations for more than a year, all with the bold goal of moving Tonga away from so much dependence on expensive diesel generated electricity. And what is very important for Tonga is that these organizations are working together to help solve the problem of high cost power, and are using internationally renowned energy consultants to examine the alternatives. Their cooperation during the meeting and their unified decision to move forward for Tonga's benefit, were very heartening to watch. It was an honor for me to be an observer, and I am convinced that all those involved are sincerely trying to make a positive difference for the people of Tonga.
I am not sure whether 'Akau'ola works for the Prime Minister's team or some other branch of the Tongan government, but regardless, Tonga is luckily to have him attacking the problem and working with so many organizations to make a difference.
The company that I work with is called MAETEC LLC and in Tonga MAETEC LLC LTD. Our company is a renewable energy development and deployment company. Although founded originally in the United States, the company is owned by some very notable American-Tongan's as well as American engineers and businessmen. Using our offshore energy system, we should be able to produce electricity for much less than the cost of diesel generated electricity.
Let me give you a little background on the challenge of renewable energies and then I will explain briefly how our system is different, how it will works, and why it is safe.
Wind studies have shown that like most medium size islands, there is not enough wind on Tongatapu to run the large US or Dutch style wind turbines. Inland wind speeds average only 4 knots. At the very edges of Tongatapu, some of the beaches average about 6 knots. This is not enough wind to get any significant power from a big turbine, which really needs 12 to 14 knots minimum. Even if there was more wind, the power grid here is so small that the big turbines would make it very unstable. Wind shifts constantly even in the course of a single hour. The result would be that the already overworked diesels at Tonga Power would have to contend with constant line surges, increasing wear and tear on the diesels and perhaps even adding cost. And then there are the times when the wind does not blow at all.
Solar has a similar challenge. The sun only shines for half the day and less during the colder season. Even during day time, cloud cover can greatly reduce the energy capture for solar panels. In addition solar takes up a lot of space and as you know, on an island, taking up large tracts of land reduces some other resource like food production. It still could be a great solution but for the cost. It would need to be subsidized. However if funding partners are willing to purchase it with a grant, it would be very helpful for Tonga.
Solar and wind systems are sometimes hooked to large battery banks to store the power and then give it to the power line. This makes these systems more stable and usable. The down side to this is that large lead acid battery banks are not terribly efficient, are very expensive and some question the environmental safety and impact presented by them.
Our MAETEC system captures energy from wind and wave, but our units are buoys positioned farther offshore in deep water. Here we can run smaller specially designed marine blades in the higher average offshore winds. Just like other wind systems we use the wind energy to make electricity. But instead of sending the electricity to shore, we use it on the buoy to make hydrogen from the ocean water. The gas is then stored in a tank on the buoy.
A natural gas line runs along the sea bed, (same technology that is used all over the US and Asia for moving natural gas underwater), and then up to a small generator building built on land at a good place to connect to the grid. At the generator building, a natural gas generator runs on the gas and creates stable steady state electricity to feed to the grid. The great thing about this approach is we have the ability to store the energy, like a battery, without using lead and acid, or even more toxic cadmium or lithium. So when the wind is not blowing in the day, we are still producing inexpensive electricity on land. And when the wind is howling in the night but no one needs it for power, the buoy is storing up the energy for use later.
Some people are concerned that hydrogen is somehow more dangerous than other gases. The truth of the matter is that it is really no more dangerous than propane or natural gas, and is some ways it is safer. For instance, both LP gas and Natural gas are heavier than air. In the event of a leak, these gases tend to settle in the lowest place. Unfortunately they sometimes fill up a space until they find a source of ignition, like a pilot light, and then whoosh! Hydrogen on the other hand is lighter than air and it diffuses rapidly. So in the event of a leak it moves up rapidly and usually away from sources of ignition. In the case of all three gases, and even gasoline, none of these fuels can burn without oxygen. So sitting by itself in a tank, it simply cannot burn or explode. On the other hand all these fuels would be useless in cars or stoves or hot water heaters, if they could not burn in the presence of oxygen.
The idea that a tank of hydrogen is the equivalent of an H bomb is completely misinformed. The H bombs tested in the 1050's did not contain hydrogen, but were uranium-plutonium bombs with compressed deuterium and tritium gases, radioactive cousins of hydrogen, but certainly not hydrogen, and certainly nothing I would have anything to do with no matter how much money was involved.
Prior to the advent of using crude oil, there were communities in Europe which used hydrogen as "Village Gas". They created it out of a reaction with iron ore. It was the natural gas of its day, running street lights and even house lights, the "Gaslight" era. This was done very successfully for many years in some places but eventually lost ground to natural gas which was a byproduct of processing crude oil and finally natural gas light was replaced by electric light.
Splitting water in hydrogen and oxygen using electricity has been done for more than 100 years by chemists in Europe and the United States and it is now a key backbone process of major portions of the chemical processes industry with millions of tons created around the world. Hydrogen is used extensively in the refining, chemical processing and even integrated circuit industries world-wide.
Personally I have made hydrogen not only in the lab but even in large quantities in my garage at home. There is an acquaintance of mine, an author, who has run his car on homemade hydrogen for nearly twenty years. He even generates hydrogen off of his treadmill for use in his lawn mower or car.
So hydrogen is safe. Like any energy stream, it needs to be respected, but when properly understood and handled by trained professionals, it is safe.
What our buoy project means to Tonga is that Tonga may be able to use the largest solar collector in the world, the Pacific Ocean, to capture energy and turn it into more affordable electricity. People often ask me if I think it will work, and if it will really save Tonga money on power. It will. I have been involved in engineering on the project for more than 5 years with some very sharp engineers from around the world. Our prototype buoy worked well. Now what remains to be seen is how the full scale unit will do here. Our company and its funding partners in the States are putting up all the money to see it work, so the people of Tonga are not at risk. When it is up and running we will all celebrate together and enjoy the birth of a new day in which Tonga becomes just a little more independent.
The first buoy here in Tonga should be in the water and testing before halfway through next year. When the tests are successful, this beautiful island and people of Tonga will make worldwide renewable energy history again, less than a year after the historic energy conference held in Vava'u.
Malo 'Aupito,
Johnny Kraczek
Director of Engineering
MAETEC LLC
johnny [at] maetecengineering [dot] com