We interviewed Dr. Benjamin Scharifker, a scientist and humanist who has distinguished himself in his role as a researcher and for his dedication to training professionals and serving as president of prestigious universities. His career gives us the opportunity to expand our knowledge of the latest advances in artificial intelligence and new technologies in the field of energy.
Energy Diversification
Today, major energy companies are broadening their portfolios beyond oil and gas to include renewable sources such as wind, solar, photovoltaic, and tidal power. What drives this strategic shift toward a more diversified energy mix?
Leading oil companies diversify to adapt to an evolving energy market in which renewables and efficiency have gained prominence. Several factors underpin this transition. Climate change is foremost: to mitigate it, greenhouse-gas emissions must be curbed by gradually phasing out fossil fuels and moving toward clean energy sources. Sustainability and energy security are also critical, given that fossil fuels are finite, unevenly distributed, and associated with risks of water and air pollution, glacial melt, and desertification.
The shift is further propelled by advances in renewable technologies—solar photovoltaics, wind power, and biofuels—alongside mature options like hydroelectric and geothermal energy, all essential to decarbonizing power generation. Likewise, the electrification of transport and industry accelerates the decarbonization of the global economy.
Energy Storage and Hydrogen
With this transition under way, many nations—backed by experts and energy firms—are developing large-scale energy-storage systems and green and blue hydrogen projects. What is the purpose and significance of these initiatives?
Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier vital to decarbonizing sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy industry and maritime or aviation transport. Blue hydrogen is produced through steam reforming of natural gas, a process that also generates carbon dioxide, which can be captured and reused in enhanced oil recovery, thereby sharply reducing emissions. Green hydrogen, by contrast, is generated through water electrolysis powered by wind or solar electricity, a process entirely free of pollutants. Hydrogen’s end use emits only water. It can be stored, transported, and used to generate electricity or heat, or as a chemical feedstock, making it indispensable to integrating renewables and achieving carbon neutrality.
Could you describe how these storage systems are developed and which sectors benefit most?
Beyond their environmental benefits—no hazardous by-products or greenhouse gases—hydrogen systems offer exceptional energy density, storing and releasing far more energy per unit mass than fossil fuels. Fuel cells convert a higher proportion of fuel energy into usable electricity than internal-combustion engines or conventional thermal turbines, minimizing energy loss. Hydrogen serves electricity generation, heating, and renewable-energy storage, and is crucial to transport and industry: from fertilizer (ammonia) production and hydrogenation of oils and fats to chemical and petrochemical processes such as methanol production, oil cracking, and desulfurization, as well as cement, steel, and metals manufacturing.
Venezuela’s Potential
What potential does Venezuela have to develop these clean energies alongside the recovery of its oil, gas, and petrochemical industries?
The development of clean energies complements, rather than excludes, the recovery of the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors. Venezuela faces significant deficits in electricity supply and access. We could overcome this serious shortfall by delivering power to cities and remote areas through distributed wind and solar generation, reducing the immense investments needed to transmit electricity across the country from traditional hydro and thermal plants.
Situated in the tropics and blessed with favorable topography, Venezuela’s potential for solar and wind energy generation is enormous—several times greater than its current installed hydro and thermal capacity.
Which Venezuelan states are most suitable for this production, and what output might they achieve?
Consider Margarita Island, Paraguaná, and La Guajira, where average wind speeds exceed 20 km/h and pilot projects have proven feasibility: their combined wind-power potential is estimated at more than 100 GW, far surpassing the roughly 35 GW of installed hydro capacity in the Guayana region. Solar potential is even higher—more than double wind—especially in coastal zones and the central plains, where insolation levels are exceptional.
Batteries and Fuel Cells
Could you explain for the general public what batteries and fuel cells are, how they work, and which companies are developing them?
Batteries are devices with one or more electrochemical cells that store energy chemically and release it as electricity via chemical reactions. Each cell has two electrodes separated by an electrolyte through which charged particles—ions—move. Single-use batteries are called primary; rechargeable ones are secondary and are used in computers, mobile phones, electric vehicles, and backup power systems. In Venezuela, we produce secondary lead-acid batteries for gasoline or diesel vehicle starters and UPS backup systems with technology and quality on par with international standards.
Widely used today are lithium-ion batteries, which operate by moving lithium ions between a graphite anode and a cathode of lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, or lithium iron phosphate. During discharge, lithium ions migrate from the graphite to the cathode, providing 3–4 V of electrical output; during charging, the process reverses, allowing many cycles of use.
Fuel cells also feature two electrodes and an electrolyte, but unlike batteries they do not store charge. Instead, they continuously consume hydrogen to generate power. At the air-side electrode, oxygen reacts with water to form hydroxide ions, which pass through the electrolyte to the hydrogen-side electrode, where they combine with hydrogen, releasing electrons to the external circuit and forming water. A hydrogen fuel cell thus produces electricity at roughly 1 V while emitting only water. Numerous U.S., European, and Asian companies manufacture fuel cells for marine, stationary, industrial, commercial, and residential power systems, and major automakers—Hyundai, Toyota, GM, Honda—develop them for vehicles. Likewise, firms in Belgium, Norway, Germany, the United States, and Asia produce electrolyzers for green-hydrogen generation.
Is it feasible to produce them in Venezuela? What would be required?
Venezuela enjoys comparative and competitive advantages for manufacturing certain battery types. The Orinoco Oil Belt’s heavy crudes contain significant vanadium, concentrated in the residual coke from cracking and refining. We have developed technologies to extract and recover vanadium from these vast coke deposits, currently an environmental liability.
Vanadium ions can exist in four oxidation states in solution, enabling the construction of a vanadium redox battery with two porous-carbon electrodes immersed in separate acidic vanadium solutions divided by a proton-conducting membrane. Charging raises the vanadium oxidation state from +4 to +5 in one tank and lowers it from +3 to +2 in the other; discharge reverses the process. Energy storage depends on tank volume, and output power depends on electrode and membrane area—both independently scalable. Vanadium redox batteries have long lifespans, surpass lithium batteries, are safe and low-toxicity, and are ideal for large-scale renewable-energy storage and grid load-leveling. We have the raw material and the technology; only the commitment to production is needed.
Finally, what advantages do batteries and fuel cells offer, and what are their principal applications today?
Batteries and fuel cells offer remarkable energy efficiency and low emissions, and—with no moving parts—operate silently. Fuel cells can supply continuous power as long as hydrogen fuel and oxidant are provided, making them reliable for uninterrupted energy supply and capable of delivering high power relative to size and weight. Both are scalable, suitable for high- or low-power generation in stationary or mobile applications. They power electric and hybrid vehicles, heavy transport, backup systems for buildings, data centers, and industrial plants, telecommunications stations, off-grid power supplies, portable electronics, and even satellites, space stations, and military systems where high efficiency and reliability are critical.
The views expressed by Dr. Scharifker are of his pesonal ownership and responsibility, and do not necessarily reflect the position of PDVSA Ad Hoc.
