Did you know that humans can see millions of colors (or light waves), but that each person perceives them differently? Colors are also used to categorize power sources by how they are produced. Recently, a new color of one of the most mysterious energy sources in the world has been discovered under the ocean. This source could potentially power the world for millennia.
Solving this era’s power challenges
The 21st century will go down in history books as the time of swift advancement and mass adoption of digital technologies, and will most likely be titled as the “Information Age.” But this only captures the first chapter of this era, as chapter two will most likely highlight the significant global challenges this generation faced, like climate change and the need for sustainable development to provide clean power, among others.
We all know about the impacts of climate change, as well as the contributions of greenhouse gases to the problem, but perhaps chapter three of the 21st century will explain how mankind overcame this global challenge by utilizing advanced technology to harness renewable energy sources? A new color of a particular power source has been discovered that could potentially power the world for millennia. However, it is crucial to understand when a color is renewable and when it is not.
It is crucial to differentiate between the colors of energy
The usual renewables mankind opts for include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower. Various industries, especially the mobility sector, have utilized an entirely different energy source for power. This power source is none other than hydrogen, and it is the world’s most mysterious power source. According to Science.org, researchers have discovered a vast amount of green hydrogen underneath the ocean.
In case you were wondering, yes, there are different colors of hydrogen, and specific colors are more polluting than others. These colors do not refer to hydrogen itself but to the methods of production and their associated carbon emissions, which then determine whether the hydrogen is renewable or not. According to the BAI Group, these are the following known hydrogen colors and their environmental impacts:
- Grey – The most widely produced form, and harms the environment due to the release of CO2
- Blue – Similar production form to grey, but has lower CO2 emissions
- Green – The cleanest form and emits zero greenhouse gases directly (if produced from renewable sources)
Harvesting the new color of energy
Green hydrogen could be the future of renewables, as it is produced by splitting water molecules. The US Department of Energy has been focused on enhancing electrolyzers and decreasing the cost of green hydrogen to $1 per kilogram. Should these efforts succeed, the world’s already scarce freshwater supply will be severely under pressure.
A feasible solution is to turn to the ocean to produce endless amounts of green hydrogen. The main challenge faced by utilizing seawater is corrosion of electrodes and catalysts caused by the saltwater’s chloride ions, which convert into highly corrosive chlorine gas. According to a team led by Nasir Mahmood, a materials scientist at RMIT University, Melbourne, coating electrodes with negatively charged composites such as sulfates and phosphates will prevent corrosion.
Another team led by Shizhang Qiao, a nanotechnologist at the University of Adelaide, used an electrolyzer with a membrane that only positively charged hydrogen ions can permeate, which then migrate to the cathode to produce green hydrogen. This electrolyzer reportedly split seawater for 100 hours at high currents without corrosion.
According to the World Economic Forum, while tapping the ocean for green hydrogen seems feasible, it may not be the most practical solution due to the high costs of scaling the projects and less pure hydrogen being produced. More research and enhancements will be required.
