Energy carrier

An energy carrier is simply any system or substance used to transfer energy for conversion to another form of energy for use somewhere else. Electricity itself is the most obvious energy carrier, one that can carry renewable energy such as wind and hydro power long distances along high-voltage transmission lines. The problem with using electricity as an energy carrier are the imposing barriers hindering expansion of the grid. Transmission lines are expensive and environmentally and politically/socially controversial. They are much harder to put up now than they were only a short time ago. As a result, it will take decades to sufficiently expand the grid in North America to accommodate all the sources of clean, renewable energy that are poised to be tapped. In BC's Peace region alone, a remote area far from major load centers, it is conservatively estimated that there are 20,000 MW of untapped wind energy. Simply put, if we are to liberate ourselves from fossil fuels—before the carbon content of the atmosphere pushes us beyond the global warming tipping point—by tapping into clean renewables such as those in the Peace, we need an energy carrying solution that can be activated now that will complement expansion of the grid over the upcoming decades.

Another highly touted energy carrier is hydrogen. If electrical energy generated at a wind farm or hydroelectric dam is used to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, and that hydrogen is burned in a fuel cell to drive a car, then hydrogen is the energy carrier moving the renewable wind or hydro energy to the vehicle. The problem with hydrogen as an energy carrier, however, is storage and transportation. Pressurized hydrogen gas takes up a great deal of volume compared with diesel or gasoline of equal energy content. And although hydrogen can be condensed, the cost of doing so is prohibitive. As for the transportation of hydrogen, the high initial capital costs of new pipeline construction constitute a major barrier to expanding hydrogen pipeline delivery infrastructure. There are also technical concerns related to pipeline construction, including the potential for hydrogen to embrittle the steel and welds used to fabricate the pipelines, and the need to control hydrogen permeation and leaks.

None of the problems associated with electricity or hydrogen as energy carriers exists with Blue Fuel™. Blue Fuel™ is an ideal medium for carrying renewable energy because it can be transported using existing infrastructure, such as railways, propane and natural gas pipelines, and LPG tanker trucks and ships. Further, it can be transported as safely as propane, with which it shares many properties, and is non-toxic, ozone-friendly and does not contribute to global warming or environmental degradation in the event of leakage or spillage.