Following the COP 21 Paris climate Conference in December 2015, it is not only the governments of the industrial countries but those worldwide that now see it as their duty to ensure that the climate goals agreed upon are actually met. Veco is taking responsibility by actively participating in several projects to deliver products and knowledge for a sustainable world.
The Paris agreement stipulates that the world must become greenhouse gas (CO2) neutral by the second half of the century in order to limit the increase of global temperatures to a maximum of 2°C compared to preindustrial times. Climate protection therefore initially involves a drastic reduction in greenhouse gasses, which arise through the burning of fossil-based fuels such as oils, coal and gas. It is in this context that the term “Decarbonisation” has established itself in the discourse. At the same time , increasing numbers of countries and regions are striving to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel and to secure their energy supply through the expansion of renewable energy. Besides its political impact, the withdrawal from fossil raw materials also has significant economic effects. As climate protection and the secure supply of energy cannot be at the expense of economic prosperity, governmental policy is looking towards developing innovative and smart energy technologies, which will create new jobs and growth, also at Veco!
Why is Hydrogen that important and where can Veco be of help?
The production of hydrogen through electrolysis, using electricity
generated through renewable sources, offers an outstanding flexibility option for the supply of energy in the future. In contrast to electricity, it can be stored long term and in large volumes. Moreover, concerning the production through electrolysis, it is possible to balance the electricity network loads in the case of any oversupply of renewable electricity. This also applies in the opposite direction, when hydrogen is reconverted to electricity through fuel cells and is fed back into the network. Hydrogen will become increasingly important as an energy storage medium. With the current state of scientific knowledge, hydrogen is the only medium capable of storing the vast volumes required.
Veco is a supplier of anodes and cathodes for this industry. Veco products are mainly made from Nickel which is the preferred material in Alkaline fuel cells and Alkaline water electrolysis due to the fact that it is a good catalyst for hydrogen and oxygen formation.
As electroforming is an additive manufacturing process there is zero waste of materials and electroforming also gives a great freedom of design. This means that nearly any surface texture can be made in cooperation with the end users. Main advantage of these electrodes are the large surface areas that can be achieved, and if required can be combined with different coatings for further surface enlargement or to increase the catalytic function of the surface. It is also possible to produce Nickel based alloys. Veco’s anodes and cathodes are being produced under the name:
The potential of Hydrogen, where does it affect your life?
In the transport sector, hydrogen can be used as an alternative fuel in fuel cell vehicles. Our prediction is that the current combustion engines will be abandoned within a few decades.
In the supply of power, excess electricity can be stored in the form of Hydrogen in large volumes and over long periods of time. This will bring huge benefits for society.
In the building and industry sector hydrogen can be used as a component of natural gas for heating. Hydrogen that is directly fed into the natural gas network can be efficiently reconverted to electricity or turned to heat using fuel cell heaters.
Furthermore, hydrogen produced using renewable energy can be deployed in many additional industrial processes. The production of fertilizers is just one example where hydrogen is required in large volumes. There are, however, many more applications where we feel hydrogen can play an important part.
If you are interested in hearing more concerning Ni-E³ or are wondering how Veco's products or technologies can help your business, feel free to contact us.
