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baywax
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Could one really big hydrogen fuel cell battery replace a nuclear reactor in providing power to millions of people? This may end up being a safer option for generating power.
baywax said:Could one really big hydrogen fuel cell battery replace a nuclear reactor in providing power to millions of people? This may end up being a safer option for generating power.
russ_watters said:That sounds vaguely familiar...
Pengwuino said:No. Coincidentally someone answered a related thread with the perfect explanation. Hydrogen is not naturally occurring, you need to use energy to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is only useful as a storage medium. You create hydrogen and can use it in hydrogen powered automobiles for example. However, it's a net loss, you need energy to create it and then you use it, with less than 100% efficiency, for something else such as powering a car. It's not a fuel source such as naturally occurring oil, sunlight, wind power etc.
baywax said:So using solar power to produce the hydrogen would be redundant... when you could simply generate the power with the solar power?
RandomGuy88 said:Using solar power to produce hydrogen also allows you to store the solar energy.
Topher925 said:No. There are many prospective methods of producing hydrogen with sunlight that are much more efficient and cheaper than just using solar panels. Thermochemical and photochemical cycles can reach efficiencies more than double that of similar priced solar cells and using SOFCs (~70% efficient) to generate electricity.
You can also generate hydrogen via high temperature electrolysis in a nuclear reactor and use fuel cells generate power more efficiently than you can with a typical rankin cycle design.
No, hydrogen fuel cells cannot completely replace nuclear power. While hydrogen fuel cells can generate electricity, they are not capable of producing the same level of energy as nuclear power plants. Additionally, nuclear power plants can operate continuously, while hydrogen fuel cells require refueling.
The energy efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells is lower than nuclear power. Nuclear power plants have an efficiency rate of around 33%, while hydrogen fuel cells have an efficiency rate of around 60%. This means that nuclear power plants can generate more electricity with the same amount of fuel compared to hydrogen fuel cells.
Yes, there are safety concerns with using hydrogen fuel cells as a replacement for nuclear power. Hydrogen fuel cells require the use of highly flammable hydrogen gas, which can pose a fire and explosion risk if not handled properly. In contrast, nuclear power plants have strict safety protocols in place to prevent accidents and protect the public.
It is not currently feasible to replace nuclear power with hydrogen fuel cells on a large scale. While hydrogen fuel cells have been used in smaller applications, such as powering vehicles, the technology is not yet developed enough to handle the energy demands of a large-scale power grid. Additionally, the infrastructure for producing and distributing hydrogen fuel is still limited.
The use of hydrogen fuel cells instead of nuclear power could have both positive and negative environmental impacts. On one hand, hydrogen fuel cells produce no emissions and use a clean energy source. On the other hand, the production of hydrogen fuel itself can contribute to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the disposal of used fuel cells can also have environmental consequences.