Business | Opinion
Energy, a bane or a boon?
The UAE, one of the highest power consumers per capita in the world, faces immense pressure to limit its carbon emission and environmental pollution
- By Dr Ayoub Kazim
- Published: 00:00 June 1, 2010
- Image Credit: Illustration: Nino Jose Heredia/©Gulf News
With the UAE considered as one of the highest energy consumers per capita in the world, environmental pollution and carbon emission have been major challenges facing the country due to the unprecedented economic growth rate and abnormal population increase.
Utilisation of hydrogen energy to fulfil the UAE's energy needs would be one of the key measures that the country could undertake to achieve a sustainable development without major environmental consequences.
Environmentally clean, storable, transportable and inexhaustible, hydrogen energy can be produced by utilising conventional or renewable resources. Conventional resources such as crude oil and natural gas can produce hydrogen by steam-reformation while hydrogen can be produced from coal through gasification.
On the other hand, hydrogen production through renewable resources can be achieved through biomass gasification, solar-hydrogen, wind-hydrogen and hydropower electrolysis process. Other renewable resources such as geothermal, wave and tidal energy can also contribute to hydrogen production although at a marginal level.
Crude oil
The UAE is considered one of the world's foremost oil and gas-producing countries with approximately 10 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves. The country's current share of oil export is approximately 2.5 million barrels per day. However, a major limitation to Opec's oil production and the pricing of crude oil in dollars has resulted in a severe loss to the UAE economy.
It has been estimated that hydrogen production capacity of world refineries is 1.15 × 1010 ft3/day. Moreover, if hydrogen was burned as it was produced, the rate of energy release for the world's refineries would be 46 GW(t). In general, hydrogen is added to heavy crude oils to produce gasoline, diesel, jet, and other fuels.
The UAE's reserves of natural gas are about 224.9 X 109 GJ — the world's fourth-largest after Russia, Iran and Qatar. Globally, around 400 billion cubic metres of hydrogen are produced annually with the natural gas steam-reformation process, considered the most cost effective hydrogen producing method.
Recently, a comprehensive analysis was performed based on the UAE's current production of natural gas, which is about 1.1X109 GJ/year as opposed to the average production in the next 100 years period of 2.11X109 GJ/year to fulfil the energy market demand. Clearly, the higher the utilisation rate of natural gas in the gasification process, the more cost effective hydrogen is produced and stored.
Hydrogen can be produced from nuclear energy by means of steam methane reforming using nuclear energy for the endothermic heat of reaction, conventional electrolysis using nuclear-generated electricity, thermo-chemical cycles for water splitting, hybrid cycles combining thermo-chemical and electrolytic steps or high temperature electrolysis using nuclear electricity and heat.
Despite lacking this non-conventional energy source, the UAE is planning to forge joint ventures with foreign investors to build and operate potential power plants using advanced third-generation light water reactors.
The plan would be to establish a $100 million agency to look into developing nuclear energy to satisfy rising electricity demand. In addition, forging major agreements with South Korea on building $20 billion nuclear plants would definitely help us seek this type of energy in hydrogen production.
The UAE has a great potential of solar energy with an average solar insulation exceeding 8.5 GJ/m2Year, which could be used to generate electricity through photovoltaic cells and hydrogen through electrolysis.
Solar hydrogen could play a key role in bridging the gap between the UAE supply of fossil fuels and the world energy demand, which is going to increase at an exponential rate as a result of unprecedented demand from emerging markets such as China and India.
Implementing solar hydrogen energy system on the overall energy picture in the UAE would lead to generating additional income for the country, hence improving the per capita income of the country.
Electricity production
A recent study was conducted to determine the benefits associated with the introduction of hydrogen energy into power generation system in the UAE. The study proposed hydrogen fuelled proton exchange membrane (PEM) cell to be introduced in 2010 to generate electricity and co-exist with other conventional power generating sources using oil and natural gas. It is gratifying to note that the rate of producing power by PEM fuel cells is being increased gradually.
One of the major advantages in utilising a PEM fuel cell in the country's power generation sector would be the environmental savings that could be achieved as opposed to the fossil fuels.
In general, a low effective hydrogen cost is desired in order to have a low annual fuel cost for the fuel cell to be generating electricity at a competitive rate in the market. The UAE government can adopt a policy to achieve greater economical and environmental benefits associated with the introduction of PEM fuel cell vehicles in the transportation sector as well.
Dr Ayoub Kazim is the Managing Director of Education Cluster — TECOM Investments, a member of Dubai Holding. He is responsible for strategically steering the Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village and further consolidating their status as the region's leading centres of excellence for learning and human capital. Dr Kazim, has worked for over 15 years on various renewable and hydrogen energy research projects and published numerous articles and technical papers on renewable energy, hydrogen energy, fuel cells, environment and water resources, as well as energy policy and economics.
Comments (1)
|
More from Business Opinion
More from Business
Business Editor's choice
-
China breaks West's solar monopoly
Some countries in the world, especially Germany and the United States, have made considerable efforts to invest in developing solar energy cells
-
Burberry store spree will cut profit
Trenchcoat maker forges ahead with investment strategy targeting emerging markets
-
Laws needed to spur region bond markets
UAE Central Bank calls for creation of a centralised Sharia board to facilitate the sale of sukuk
