Arctic Hydrogen Economy

This slide deck outlines how Yukon Territory in Canada's North can produce its own 100% renewable hydrogen fuel and distribute it all over the Arctic to eliminate all diesel used for stationary electrical generation in Canada's three northern territories and a significant part of transportation GHG emissions.

Abundant clean geothermal energy is planned to be used for electrolysis and the waste heat can be used for cold climate food production.

This presentation is made by Hydrocube.org, a nonprofit facilitator that helps develop solutions and partnerships for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Canada's North.

Transcript

1. The Arctic Hydrogen Economy Decarbonizing long distance, cold climate transportation and stationary electrical power generation in Canada’s North A presentation by Hydrocube.org
2. The problem/s • 177 million liters of diesel are burned every year for stationary electrical power generation in Canada’s three northern territories • Even as more solar PV, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power systems are installed… • There will still be a long term need for wintertime backup power which will be provided by diesel unless we intervene • Batteries are expensive and heavy and are not a seasonal (long term) energy storage option • Pumped storage hydroelectricity (PSH) is very inefficient at land use per kWh stored, and affects keystone species like salmon already under threat from human caused climate change • Transportation is very difficult to decarbonize in cold climates with low population density with existing lithium battery technology • Batteries have short range, slow charge times and degrade after several hundred or thousand full cycles, requiring replacement • Logistics of battery pack replacement are very difficult in the Arctic especially for high-utilization work vehicles • Cummins and other heavy-duty transportation industry manufacturers are heavily investing in hydrogen fuel cells instead of lithium batteries due to longer range, higher reliability and quicker fill times A presentation by Hydrocube.org
3. Our vision for a hydrogen fueled North A presentation by Hydrocube.org Large scale water electrolysis to produce hydrogen in Yukon Territory using abundant, currently unused geothermal energy (and other renewable sources like wind and solar) On-site hydrogen energy storage to conserve summer renewable electricity for winter use, as a much more energy dense and environmentally friendly alternative to pumped storage hydroelectricity Trucking and shipping of compressed or liquefied hydrogen all over the North using existing roads and the soon to be ice-free Arctic Ocean as a summer shipping lane Installation of quiet, zero emission 1 MW hydrogen fuel cell power generators to replace 0.9 MW diesel generators in all remote communities Retrofitted and new on and off- road hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to decarbonize all transportation in cold climate remote areas
4. Yukon’s Next (Red) Gold Rush • 1500 MW of indicated geothermal electrical potential exists in Yukon according to the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CANGEA) • 5000 MW when inferred resources are included • We are only installing 3 MW currently in Carmacks, due to lack of a market • The entire Yukon’s electrical demand is under 100 MW and we do not have any powerlines to export this excess clean energy to BC, Alberta, NWT, Nunavut, Alaska etc. • Hydrogen production is a great use of this renewable power and (once compressed or liquefied) can be exported using existing road and shipping infrastructure all over the world • Waste heat from the geothermal binary power plants can also be used to heat large greenhouses for year-round food production • 99% of the Yukon’s food is currently imported and we would starve in 3 days without resupply (Source: Yukon Government Agriculture pamphlet, 2019) A presentation by Hydrocube.org
5. Hydrogenics® • An Ontario, Canada based hydrogen equipment supplier recently acquired by Cummins Inc. • Produces the entire end to end chain of CSA approved hydrogen equipment necessary to realize this vision: • RENEWABLE PRODUCTION: HY-STAT OUTDOOR water electrolyzers with inbuilt 200 bar compressor (see picture at right) • STORAGE: Large scale 200 bar compressed hydrogen storage tanks for seasonal (long term) energy storage • RE-ELECTRIFICATION: 1 MW fuel cell power generation platform for stationary renewable power to communities all year round • MOBILITY: Smaller scale 15 to 60 kW hydrogen fuel cells for vehicle applications (alongside Canadian competitors Ballard Power Systems and Loop Energy) A presentation by Hydrocube.org
6. Distribution A presentation by Hydrocube.org "Given the potential price at which we can import and export energy, the long transmission lines, relatively small Yukon demand, and low carrying capacity, the [power] transmission lines to either Alaska or B.C. are uneconomic," the [Yukon Energy] consultant's report reads. Instead of building expensive powerlines, hydrogen can be delivered using existing fossil fuel infrastructure (roads and shipping lanes) Commercial hydrogen transport is already covered under Transport Canada’s Dangerous Goods Regulations similarly to fossil fuels Trucking and shipping companies can apply for the permits needed to carry the new fuel with minimal investment in driver and operator safety training No truckers or distribution workers are put out of work by the transition to a clean, zero emission fuel The trucks themselves are being upgraded to run on clean, quiet hydrogen fuel cells and could be on the roads by 2022 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
7. Vehicles A presentation by Hydrocube.org Many car and truck manufacturers already sell or are working on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles • Toyota Mirai, Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, Hyundai Nexo are already commercially available in California, BC, Hawaii, and Quebec • AZETEC project in Alberta plans to have hydrogen fueled semi trucks on the road Calgary to Edmonton in 2022 • Chevrolet and GM are working on a hydrogen fuel pickup truck (pictured) • Hydrocube and others are working on hydrogen fueled snowmobiles and ATVs for remote community subsistence harvesting
8. The time is now! A presentation by Hydrocube.org Advocate for hydrogen as a renewable fuel to offset and eventually eliminate fossil fuel use in Canada’s northern territories We need climate solutions NOW and batteries are not up to the task in cold-climate, remote areas outside of very short trips within Whitehorse, Yellowknife, etc. Ensure that hydrogen is made renewably by water electrolysis and/or biomass methods and not by fracking Fracking has significant environmental and health risks aside from greenhouse gas emissions even if the CO2 is entirely captured. Pressure local, territorial and federal politicians to spend money on climate change solutions like this In the long term, Yukon and Canada will increase revenues significantly by developing and exporting a new clean energy source that does not require new powerlines to be built. Create partnerships to bring the cost of hydrogen technology down and speed up adoption A consortium of hydrogen proponents, including equipment suppliers, government funders, and key clients (e.g. First Nations, Arctic research bases, mines and industry) are required to move this project forward.
9. About Hydrocube.org • We are a renewable energy technology R&D company that licenses out patented technologies under a socially and environmentally conscious business model • Our first patent-pending is our advanced hydrogen fuel cell snowmobile engine • We have other inventions we release open source free of charge on our website • We also help with nonprofit facilitation of larger scale renewable energy systems to help solve climate change by connecting clients to suitable suppliers as a free “concierge service” • Contact us for more details at stefan@hydrocube.org • Or call +1-867-333-0753 A presentation by Hydrocube.org