[신년특집] Hydrogen Economy and Expansion of LNG Vehicle Supply-::: Global Green Growth Media

Young-Sam Oh Senior Researcher, Gas Research Institute, Korea Gas Corporation

Contributing to entry into the hydrogen economy by complementing the transportation niche market
Building a complex charging station using an LNG satellite is a practical alternative

[이투뉴스] We live in an era of energy mix, and as the times change, the energy environment is also changing due to the introduction of new energy sources. Accordingly, there is a great need to organize a harmonious energy mix between the existing energy source and the new energy source, and promote balance and power generation. Recently, the hydrogen economy can be said to be a new trend in the energy field, and efforts are being made to enter the hydrogen economy as a whole.

The role of existing energy sources is important in order to go to the hydrogen economy, and natural gas energy has an important meaning as a clean energy source that serves as a fuel for the hydrogen economy. In recent years, the demand for LNG in the natural gas market is increasing.In particular, in the transportation field, LNG vehicles complement a niche market that hydrogen electric vehicles cannot cope with, thereby enabling the establishment of a stable and harmonious eco-friendly transportation infrastructure as well as entering the era of hydrogen economy. will be.

Energy is needed to support human life and economy, and for this we have developed society using various energy sources. New energy sources have been continuously developed according to the changes of the times and technological developments, and the main energy sources used have been continuously replaced according to the conditions of the times. The era of using wood as the main fuel has been transformed from the era of coal to the era of oil, and oil can be said to be the main energy source supporting our economy and life.

With the recent development of shale gas and the prospect of enormous shale gas potential, gas energy usage is expected to increase in the future, and accordingly, gas-related industries are also expected to revitalize. However, even if gas energy is activated in the future, gas energy will not completely replace petroleum energy, just as petroleum energy did not completely replace coal energy. This means that one energy source cannot provide all of the energy we need.

The energy we need will be supplied through a mix of energy sources available in that era, and the ratio between energy sources is expected to be determined by factors such as economics and environmental efficiency. In the future, new and renewable energy is expected to expand further due to concerns about the global environment. According to a recent report, global electricity demand will increase by more than 1.5% per year by 2050 on average, and about 50% of the total electricity is expected to be made up of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. In addition, nuclear fusion technology, which is the ultimate energy technology, is being developed based on nuclear energy technology. If this technology is completed, the energy problem that humanity suffers may be solved, but until the ultimate energy source development is achieved, There is a need for a way to secure environment-friendly and effective energy through a mix of energy sources that can be used by the company.

◆Background and core of the hydrogen economy
Recently, environmental pollution and global warming problems caused by energy use have an important influence on energy source selection. Accordingly, it is emphasized that the energy we use should be eco-friendly, and hydrogen energy is at the center of it. With the commercialization of fuel cell technology that can generate electricity using hydrogen, hydrogen, which has been considered only process fuel or raw material, has come to be recognized as a clean energy source. In addition, as one of the measures to escape the influence of petroleum energy in the energy market that has been dominated by petroleum majors, efforts to convert to a hydrogen economy through the commercialization of hydrogen energy along with the development of new renewable energy are continuing.

The heart of the hydrogen economy is fuel cell technology that can generate electricity using hydrogen. As fuel cell technology is commercialized, hydrogen electric vehicles using the fuel cell technology are developed, which is creating a new wind in the transportation field. Since a Korean company commercialized the world’s first hydrogen electric vehicle in 2013, it has been competitively commencing the commercialization of hydrogen electric vehicles in Japan, the United States, and European countries. Since hydrogen electric vehicle technology is similar to electric vehicle technology, electric vehicles are expected to become a major means of transportation along with hydrogen electric vehicles in the future.

As a result, China has proactively declared the exit of internal combustion engine cars, and is pushing for a plan to stop production of internal combustion engine cars in 2035 and sell only eco-friendly cars, and Japan also completely banned the sale of new gasoline cars in mid-2039. We are considering how to do it. In major European cities, the supply of hydrogen electric vehicles is expected to expand further in the future, such as announcing that they will cease sales of small internal combustion engine vehicles from 2040 to eliminate internal combustion engine vehicles.

◆Conditions to accelerate the hydrogen economy
The hydrogen economy is starting with a change in transportation methods centered on hydrogen electric vehicles. Therefore, in order to accelerate the hydrogen economy, the expansion of the supply of hydrogen electric vehicles must be continuously made, and expansion of the hydrogen charging infrastructure is essential for this. Therefore, eco-friendly and economical technology for producing hydrogen and a hydrogen supply logistics system that can effectively supply the produced hydrogen to a hydrogen charging station will be the main points for realizing a hydrogen economy.

There are several types of methods for obtaining hydrogen, such as reforming natural gas, but as a method for obtaining eco-friendly, it can be said that it is a water electrolysis technology that uses electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Accordingly, it is expected that new and renewable energy facilities will be expanded in the future to generate electricity required for hydrogen production.

However, new and renewable energy sources are intermittent energy and require a means to compensate for this, and the traditional method of producing hydrogen through natural gas reforming is typical. However, there is some controversy that it is not an eco-friendly method because carbon dioxide is generated during the reforming process, but it is considered the most economical and practical method at the current technology level. The hydrogen production method through natural gas reforming is expected to secure economic feasibility in the future as natural gas prices are expected to stabilize due to the development of shale gas. Above all, it is necessary to support the hydrogen economy along with water electrolysis technology by minimizing or collecting carbon dioxide emissions generated as a by-product during the hydrogen production process through natural gas reforming and operating in an environmentally friendly manner.

◆The concept of hydrogen charging infrastructure using LNG

In order to build a hydrogen charging infrastructure through natural gas reforming, a pipeline network for supplying natural gas is required. In the case of urban areas, the construction of the charging infrastructure is not a big problem as the natural gas pipe network is well equipped, but if a hydrogen charging station needs to be installed in a highway rest area or green belt area, a new natural gas pipe must be constructed, and the charging station cannot be built due to economic burden. The situation is also expected.

In this case, the construction of a hydrogen charging station using the LNG satellite base concept can be a great alternative. This method can be used as a raw material for hydrogen production by storing and vaporizing LNG, and it can be operated as a complex charging station capable of charging LNG vehicles or CNG vehicles. Therefore, in order to economically secure the hydrogen charging infrastructure in a shorter time, the construction of a complex hydrogen/LNG/CNG charging station using the LNG satellite base will be the answer.

◆Expansion of LNG vehicles in the hydrogen economy
The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is a method of producing electricity from the fuel cell by installing a high-pressure hydrogen container on the vehicle and driving a differential vehicle by rotating a motor. In the case of using a high-pressure hydrogen storage method, since the hydrogen storage capacity is limited, a liquid hydrogen storage method is being investigated to increase storage efficiency. This is a method of storing cryogenic liquid hydrogen at -253°C in a double-insulated container, and it is the same concept as a method of storing cryogenic LNG at -163°C and the storage temperature is lower.

LNG vehicles use a method of supplying LNG stored in double-insulated LNG storage tanks within the LNG satellite base to vehicles.If such charging technology is activated, hydrogen electric vehicles can utilize the existing LNG charging station technology even if the liquid hydrogen storage method is selected. It will be able to contribute to the expansion of distribution. Therefore, the expansion of the supply of LNG vehicles ultimately contributes to the establishment of a hydrogen charging station infrastructure, thereby enabling the activation of hydrogen electric vehicles and the hydrogen economy.

In order to revitalize the hydrogen economy, subsidies and related systems in the hydrogen sector have been easing. Since it is practically difficult to enter the hydrogen economy through only hydrogen energy, we expect that the domestic LNG-related market can also be activated by actively utilizing LNG, an energy source that can support this.

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