Geothermal project in Japan aims to produce liquid hydrogen on Iojima
Satsuma-Iwo-jima island, Japan (Source: Flickr, CC, By: Tsuda)
Alexander Richter
4 May 2015
The geothermal project would use geothermal power to generate the electricity necessary to desalinate sea water which would then be used to extract the hydrogen.
Hydrogen is currently trying to build a name for itself in the renewable energy industry. Japan is one of the countries that has been spearheading the use of this new green fuel and now it is looking to use the 2020 Olympics as a showcase for this technology. One of the main issues behind hydrogen fuel generation is that it usually requires traditional fossil fuels to generate the electricity necessary to make it, however, when using renewable sources such as geothermal to create the electricity, the aforementioned caveat can be averted.
According to local news, a geothermal project in the island of Iojima would use the geothermal power to generate the electricity necessary to desalinate sea water which would then “will be used to extract the hydrogen, which will then be liquefied at minus 253 C and kept in storage until it is shipped out of the island in a container.”
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., along with Obayashi Corp., have announced “to start a drilling survey this fiscal year in preparation for building a demonstration plant there.”
Source: The Japan News
