İstanbul to become world center for hydrogen energy

The İstanbul Strait will become the world’s most important center of hydrogen energy if the construction of a second canal that has been publicized by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a “crazy project” actually happens.

However, the project was never implemented because of the heavy traffic in the Bosporus and a lack of infrastructure. In case the project is actually implemented, UNIDO-ICHET will station a turbine on a submarine in Arnavutköy-İstanbul to start generation of electricity. The center authorities who concluded that the magnitude of the undersea flow is sufficient for generation of electricity will produce 20 kilowatts of electricity by a generator to be installed on a platform in the strait.

The turbine that will generate electricity will produce energy out of the flow eight meters below the surface. Subsequent to the move of the traffic load to Kanal İstanbul, the project will be fully implemented for effective use of the flow. During the initial stages, electrical energy will be generated out of the undersea flow from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea along the Bosporus Strait.

By using this energy, the seawater purified of ions will be electrolyzed to produce hydrogen. The generated hydrogen will be stored under heavy pressure. The high-pressure hydrogen will be used as fuel in an internal combustion engine to produce mechanical energy that will be transformed into electrical energy for future use. On the other hand, the high-pressure hydrogen will also be filled in tanks for end-use. Use of this sort of energy will help combat environmental degradation because it does not produce exhaust gas.

The biggest handicap with hydrogen energy despite it being renewable, sustainable and highly efficient as well as environment-friendly is lack of the necessary technological infrastructure, and its excessive cost. Current projections note that Europe will completely abandon oil and natural gas as energy sources and embrace hydrogen energy in 2030, whereas this will be the case in the entire world by 2070.

Turkey believes that it seized a chance to become a world center of hydrogen energy after the making of a deal envisaging establishment of an international center for hydrogen energy technologies in Turkey in Vienna in 2003. The UN picked Turkey over China, Japan, Canada and Norway as the host country of the center in 2004; the center has done remarkable work to fulfill its mandate over the past years.

The center, which was assigned the task to ensure information flow between developing and developed countries in respect to the development of hydrogen technologies, install pilot facilities operable by hydrogen energy, identify hydrogen energy policies and produce fuel batteries and deal with environmental affairs, storage techniques, transport systems and applications for vehicles, has successfully completed some pilot projects so far.

The center, set to implement a hydrogen-run three-wheel vehicle project in India, a hydrogen island project, hydrogen-run marine vehicle project in Turkey and production of hydrogen out of solar energy project in Libya, seems to have made visible progress in respect to hydrogen technology and storage.

One of the biggest projects of the center was launched on Feb 16. ICHET decided to launch the first hydrogen filling facility in Eyüp-Feshane.

A hydrogen filling station that generates hydrogen by use of electrolysis, a first in Turkey, will be constructed by Hydrogenics, a leading company in the sector specialized in generation of hydrogen and fuel cells. Turkey’s first hydrogen filling station will meet the fuel needs of the land and sea vehicles.

The station, the only station in the world that will offer hydrogen filling services for both land and sea vehicles, will also address the needs of special vehicles operated by hydrogen technology. The hydrogen filling operation will be performed under 350 bar pressure. After the launch of the station, Turkey will become one of the countries with a hydrogen station in Europe after Norway, Iceland and Germany.

ICHET also placed orders for bus and automobiles for use in the hydrogen station that will be in service by the end of 2011. The first tender will be held in the days to come. On the other hand, the first hydrogen-run boat in Turkey is being constructed in the Tuzla shipyards. The project, ordered by Istanbul Seabus Enterprise (IDO), is being implemented jointly with Istanbul University.

The project attracts attention of Japanese and Korean firms

Turkey’s works on hydrogen energy has attracted a great deal of attention from countries in the Far East. Japanese automobile firm Mazda has decided to introduce its RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars, offered for sale in Europe last month, to the Turkish market. Hyundai also reportedly is getting ready to offer its Tucson cars for sale in Turkey. Reports also indicate that the authorities are holding meetings and negotiations with some firms in Hungary for purchase of hydrogen-operated buses that will be mainly used at the airports.

The center’s ambitious projects include meeting the energy needs of an entire island using hydrogen technology, as 1,000 houses in Bozcaada will be heated and illuminated by hydrogen energy, while 60 vehicles on the island will also use hydrogen for fuel. A similar project will be implemented on Sedef Island as well. Another project will ensure that the entire energy needs of a hospital in Ankara are met by hydrogen energy. Within the project, hydrogen energy will be used for all battery-operated wheelchairs. Moreover, hydrogen technology will be used as source of fuel for information-based sectors because of its ability to provide uninterrupted energy.

Boron for storage safety

UNIDO-ICHET also launched joint projects with the Turkish Boron Institute to minimize the danger associated with the storage of hydrogen energy. To this end, boron will be used as a hydrogen carrier. When used in the vehicles, hydrogen remains under 350 bar pressure. This poses a great danger for vehicles; for this reason, this project was drafted for implementation jointly with the Boron Institute. The boron is able to store hydrogen in the form of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). This way, it becomes possible to use hydrogen by reliance on a simple chemical process.