Intelligent Energy (IE) chief executive Dr Henri Winand has presented to the US senate his company’s vision of the synergistic relationship between hydrogen fuel cells – IE’s forte – and renewable electricity generation.

Winand called for plans to be set in motion for the establishment of a hydrogen generation and distribution system and for hydrogen fuel cells to be linked into electricity grids to iron out the intermittent nature of renewable power sources such as wind and solar.

The briefing was held in co-operation with the National Hydrogen Association, the US Fuel Cell Council and the Methanol Institute.

“Together, hydrogen and electricity have the potential to offer significant additional profit opportunities for national electricity and power-generating companies, both in terms of reduced capital expenditure and increased energy efficiency,” Winand told the senate.

Power generators could use excess capacity to produce hydrogen centrally from natural gas or coal in tandem with carbon capture and storage, suggested Winand.

This hydrogen could be distributed for use in hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, using the same network as exists for petroleum distribution. Even if they were not used for transport, hydrogen fuel cells could be charged with electricity at times of high production and low demand and then feed electricity back into the grid at times of low production and high demand.

Wind and solar power are intermittent in nature. For example, the power output of wind turbines can vary enormously and they may not be able to meet demand sometimes, yet suffer an abundance of output at others. If wind turbines are used to generate hydrogen via electrolysers, this has a number of benefits.

Hydrogen is produced by excess electricity that otherwise would be wasted. When the wind drops and the turbines cannot meet demand, the stored hydrogen is used to supply fuel cells which make up the shortfall.

Using this scheme, the wind turbine operators also have the opportunity to trade in the commodity they have produced, Dr Jon Moore, IE director of communications told BusinessGreen.com.

“They can trade it with other power producers or provide fuel to the transport sector. The hydrogen produced is renewable and used as a transport fuel will not be subject to price rises; the only expense is the capital cost associated with the turbines and electrolysers, which will reduce over time,” said Moore.

Hydrogen produced from natural gas (as it is produced today) and then used in a hydrogen fuel cell, delivers a 30 per cent reduction in the emissions produced by burning the natural gas.

“But hydrogen produced via renewable energy and electrolysis and then used in a fuel cell is as emission free as it is possible to be,” added Moore.