Abstract
The growing consumption of energy produced from fossil fuels contributes to an increased CO_2 concentration in the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming. To alleviate the problems associated with the enhanced greenhouse effect, one can use greenhouse gas neutral energy carriers such as sustainably produced hydrogen instead of fossil fuel-based energy carriers. Thermochemical gasification of biomass is one of the routes to produce sustainable hydrogen on a large scale. To make a successful transition to a sustainable hydrogen-based energy system, the cost of hydrogen production based on sustainable produced biomass must be decreased. To enable the large scale introduction of sustainably produced hydrogen, one has to address a number of technical and non-technical issues such as production, storage, integration into the existing energy system and social acceptance. The section Thermal Power Engineering of the Delft University of Technology is involved in two multipartner projects aimed at the development of cost-effective production of sustainable hydrogen from biomass. Both project proposals are currently being evaluated for funding. The content of both projects is described and discussed.
