Solar-hydrogen: an energy system for sustainable development in Spain

Achieving sustainable development is a target that is becoming more and mor e important to world-wide public opinion. Energy is one of the issues that is causing the most controversy, as fossil fuels are the greatest pollutant s and the greatest contributors to the greenhouse effect. It therefore stan ds to reason that industrialised countries, which are the greatest consumer s of fossil fuels, should be investigating new energy systems based on rene wable energies that do not pollute and which are inexhaustible, such as the solar-hydrogen system. Central and southern Spain exhibit an excellent solar climate which makes t hem ideal places for producing hydrogen by photovoltaic-electrolysis system s. A model for a solar-hydrogen system for Spain has been developed and its advantages have been studied in terms of import dependency on fossil fuels , the gross national product per capita, the reduction of pollution and imp roved quality of life. If the solar-hydrogen system is not introduced, Spain will continue to impo rt large amounts of fossil fuels during the next century and at the same ti me damaging the environment. On the other hand, producing solar-hydrogen vi a photovoltaic-electrolysis, using the unproductive land in central and sou thern Spain, will reduce its dependency on external energy, and Spain may e ven become an energy-exporting country, which would have a favourable effec t on GNP growth and the quality of life. Also, as a result of the greater efficiency of hydrogen, major energy savin gs will be made, and, as it is practically a non-polluting fuel, pollution and environmental damage will be reduced and/or eliminated. (C) 1999 Intern ational Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.