SCIENCE AT THE SHINE DOME canberra 3 - 5 may 2006

Symposium: Science on the way to the hydrogen economy

Friday, 5 May 2006

Dr Catherine Grégoire Padró
Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA

Catherine Grégoire Padró is a licensed Chemical Engineer and has more than 20 years of experience in the design and analysis of conventional and alternative energy systems. In 2003, Cathy joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory as Project Leader for Hydrogen Systems, and is a technical staff member of the Institute for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research. Prior to 2003, she was the Hydrogen Program Manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Cathy frequently represents the Program at domestic and international meetings, presenting technical seminars at scientific and policy symposia. Currently, Cathy is the Laboratory lead for the Department of Energy’s International Partnerships activities in the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program, with a focus on the development of performance-based codes, standards and regulations for hydrogen applications. She is also the US technical lead on a joint USChina project to produce hydrogen from renewable resources for buses that will be used to transport athletes and spectators during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Production of hydrogen

The world relies on energy to power industry, move people and products, and keep us safe and comfortable. Fossil fuels provide much of the energy we use today, but their supply is inherently and geographically limited, and there are significant environmental impacts to their use. To address issues of social equity, global climate change, urban air pollution, energy security and economic growth, new energy solutions are needed.

Hydrogen has the potential to provide all energy services with little or no impact on the environment, both locally and globally. It can be made from domestic resources, offering opportunities for energy independence. Hydrogen is an energy carrier, as is electricity, and can be produced from many resources. Unlike electricity, hydrogen can be produced at one point in time and used at a later time. This is an important characteristic, especially when we consider storing large amounts of intermittent renewable energy, or distributing large quantities of energy from one region to another.

Molecular hydrogen is not found in substantial quantities in nature – hydrogen atoms (H) are almost always associated with other elements, principally oxygen (i.e., H₂O) and carbon (ie, CH₄ , coal and organic matter). Energy must be used to produce hydrogen. This energy can be thermal, photonic, or electrical energy, and can be provided by renewable, fossil, or nuclear resources. It is important to consider the process by which hydrogen is produced, as well as the feedstock from which it is produced, when evaluating the environmental, security, efficiency and economic impacts.