What is the future of hydrogen (H-2) produced from nuclear energy? Assuming that economically competitive nuclear H-2 can be produced, production of H-2 may become the primary use of nuclear energy and the basis for both a nuclear-H-2 renewable (solar, wind, etc.) energy economy and a nuclear-H-2 transport system. The technical and economic bases for these conclusions are described. In a nuclear-H-2 renewable energy economy, nuclear energy is used to produce H-2 that is stored and becomes the energy-storage component of the electrical generating system. The stored H-2 replaces piles of coal and tanks of liquid fuel. Capital-intensive renewable energy sources and nuclear reactors produce electricity at their full capacity. The stored H-2 is used in fuel cells to produce the highly variable quantities of electricity needed to fill the gap between the electricity demand by the customer and the electricity generated by the rest of the electrical generating system. Hydrogen is also used to produce the liquid or gaseous transport fuels. This energy-system architecture is a consequence of the fundamental differences between the characteristics of electricity (movement of electrons) and those of H-2 (movement of atoms). Electricity can be generated, transformed, and used economically on either a small or a large scale. However, it is difficult to generate, store, and transform H-2 economically on a small scale. This distinction favors the use of large-scale nuclear systems for H-2 production. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
