Production and Distribution of Energy

This chapter highlights various technical options for supplying mobile vehicles with energy. The energy chains from the provision of primary energy to the energy carriers at the filling or charging stations are presented. First, the most important primary energy sources and energy carriers are presented with their chemical properties. In the case of finite primary energies, the currently available reserves and the achievable ranges are presented. For renewable raw materials, the land requirements are estimated accordingly. An extensive section is devoted to electricity production from conventional and renewable energy sources, including the necessary distribution grids and their stability. The chapter concludes with a section on hydrogen. The various options for producing hydrogen and distributing it at filling stations are briefly presented. A further section highlights the many ways in which hydrogen can be used in vehicles, for grid stabilization and in industrial processes.