CO2 Emissions from Goods Transportation Can Be Reduced By Scandinavian Fuel Cell
CO2 emissions are likely to be reduced by development of fuel cells intended to power trailers and fork-lift trucks. The electricity generated by these mini power-stations will be capable of stopping the engines of heavy goods vehicles from having to run in neutral when their drivers are at rest, as well as allow for the replacement of diesel in fork-lift trucks. A total of 1.1 million tons of CO2 are emitted each year in the United States alone, by HGVs that run in neutral during rest pauses. This amount of CO2 emitted is more than the total of CO2 emissions recorded by all road transportation vehicles in Norway. Read More About: Developing a Hydrogen Economy: Challenges and Potential
A single fork-lift truck which is powered by these fuel cells is able to reduce CO2 emissions at an equivalent of the CO2 emissions produced by 8 private cars.
Scandinavian car companies have collaborated in the development of a new hydrogen-driven fuel-cell system that will be an important factor in the efforts pegged at reducing CO2 emissions.
Hydrogen is produced through the use of electricity to break down water into water and hydrogen, or fossil fuels into CO2 and hydrogen. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are far from being a new invention. However, the fuel cell in the fork-lift truck is a special version and few of its kind exist. This fuel cell can be powered by hydrogen which is generated from the diesel fuel carried inside the truck.
Fuel cells are mini power-stations which when powered with hydrogen will only produce water, and no CO2, as their waste product. Hence, the fuel cell is an ideal energy source to power the HGVs and fork-lifts, as well as offering significant environmental benefits through the reduction of CO2. The use of fuel cells in fork-lift trucks would therefore completely replace the use of diesel fuel, thus reducing CO2 emissions in the process.
Out of the 2.3 million HGVs on American roads, 600,000 are fitted with sleeping alcoves, and the diesel engine is kept running in neutral so as to power the vehicles’ heating, lighting, refrigeration, air conditioning and television. Such HGVs are estimated to run in neutral for about 1800 hours or roughly 11 weeks per year, thus producing a total of 11 million tons of CO2 each year in the United States alone.
Large diesel-powered fork-lift trucks are so frequently and intensively used in the transportation industry such that the CO2 emissions from a single truck are equivalent to the CO2 emitted by 8 private cars.
Read more about Developing a Hydrogen Economy: Challenges and Potential
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