Bianca Brinner and her father Andreas are bringing out a hidden picture book explaining how hydrogen is produced and used
Also known as wimmelbooks, there’s a hidden picture book for almost any everyday situation. These children’s books depict richly detailed scenes, mostly in large-format illustrations – they are literally teeming with information, all presented through pictures. But Bianca and Andreas Brinner are on a mission to show that wimmelbooks can also explain far more complex topics than life in the city, the fire service or a day at the zoo. This autumn, Steinbeis-Edition will publish their hidden picture book on hydrogen “Grüner Wasserstoff für Anfänger” (A Beginner’s Guide to Green Hydrogen). TRANSFER magazine spoke to the father-daughter duo about this unusual publication project.
Ms. Brinner, electrolysis and hydrogen production are a complex, highly technical topic. A hidden picture book isn’t necessarily the most obvious way of explaining it. But as an illustrator, this is exactly how you chose to go about it. What gave you the idea for this unusual project?
Bianca Brinner:
Hydrogen was always an everyday topic in our family – my father spent decades working in this field. The idea for this project came to us after I finished my first hidden picture book last summer. At the time, there was a lot of concern about high energy prices, while our family was also thinking ahead to my father’s upcoming retirement.
When I started asking around, I realized just how little people actually know about hydrogen production and hydrogen in general. It didn’t take us long to come up with the idea of drawing on my father’s expertise to create a children’s book, since easily understood information about hydrogen production is hard to find at the moment. It’s a complex topic that I had also shied away from until now. But working with my father showed me that the processes involved in hydrogen production are actually relatively simple.
We looked at photos from his work and he explained the processes to me. I had the opportunity to visit the hydrogen project in Esslingen learned about, for example, where they’re incorporating hydrogen into an urban development project. It really caught my imagination.
Hidden pictures and wimmelbooks are a great medium. There’s so much to discover in them, and they explain a topic without using or needing language. You don’t have to be able to read – you learn by discovering what’s in the pictures. So we hit on the idea of bringing the technological content to life and setting it in real projects that have already been implemented. It’s not as if hydrogen production is completely uncharted territory – it can actually be traced back to the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta around 225 years ago. This is also covered in our book.
But our hidden picture book doesn’t stop at explaining the complex process involved in hydrogen production – it provides an introduction to various other aspects, too. For instance, not many people know what an electrolyzer actually looks like or that they come in different types. We show all this in the book, which is intended as a fun beginner’s guide to hydrogen for all ages.
Mr. Brinner, you’ve worked with fuel cells and hydrogen throughout your professional life, since long before the technology was on everyone’s lips. What fascinated you about this technology from such an early stage?
Andreas Brinner:
I find it fascinating that you can produce hydrogen gas, a chemical fuel, from water and electrical energy in a single process step and use the same process to convert the hydrogen back into electricity. You’re not tied to a thermodynamic cycle with limited efficiency. There are no harmful waste products, since rather than being burned like a conventional fuel, the water is simply split into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen, which are then recombined back into water at another time and place. Moreover, hydrogen can be widely used as a secondary energy source, a transportation fuel and as a chemical feedstock. No moving parts are required for the electrochemical process step, which was discovered about 60 years before the invention of the internal combustion engine. It is silent and extremely efficient, too.
Where would you say the development and use of green hydrogen is currently at, technologically speaking? And what are the main barriers we need to overcome?
Andreas Brinner:
As far as the technology’s concerned, we’ve fully developed all the necessary components and most of them can now be produced on an industrial scale. We have decades of global experience in using and operating electrolyzers and fuel cells in all areas of application. We started developing hydrogen safety technology and establishing the relevant testing agencies over 150 years ago. So the technology is already very advanced. The biggest barrier is still the fact that fossil fuels are too cheap and the environmental costs of using them are still not properly reflected in their price. Another problem is that although facilities for storing renewable energy in hydrogen can help to ensure a secure energy, fuel and feedstock supply, they are actully not being built at the same rate as renewable solar, wind and hydropower installations. Storage facilities enable a more stable energy supply and prevent the need for curtailment at times when there is an oversupply of electricity.
Ms. Brinner, Steinbeis-Edition is publishing your hidden picture book in October, just in time for the Frankfurt Book Fair. What’s your target group – who is your beginner’s guide to hydrogen aimed at?
Bianca Brinner:
I’d say it’s aimed at people just like me. Anyone who’s looking for an introduction to the world of hydrogen but doesn’t want to read technical publications or is put off by complex topics. First and foremost, the book is for people who want to gain a better understanding of the future innovations and opportunities that hydrogen technology has to offer. As for the age of our readers, it’s intended to appeal to both children and adults.
The hidden picture book “Grüner Wasserstoff für Anfänger” is available from Steinbeis-Edition’s online store: www.steinbeis-edition.de
Contact
Bianca Brinner (interviewee)
Interior Design & Illustration (Rutesheim)
www.biancazeich.net
Andreas Brinner (interviewee)