Hydrogen News

Hamburg

The H₂-Expo was held this year for the fourth time in Hamburg. 30 exhibitors from nine countries showed products and processes about and around hydrogen and fuel cells on 2350 m². The fair company combined the date with that of two other fairs, one of them specialized for electricians. One particular feature was the interest of school classes, some of them coming with and others without their teacher and asking for explanations at the DWV booth and elsewhere. But it can not be denied that the overall impression this year was weaker. The fair was in a smaller hall than last year. Important segments of the field were not represented among the exhibitors, in particular the car makers.

The fair was again held under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Environment and the Hamburg Senate. The ministry was represented by secretary of state Margareta Wolf, the senate by environment senator Michael Freytag. The latter announced the creation of a Hamburg state initiative for hydrogen and fuel cells.

For DWV its chairman Johannes Toepler made an opening statement. He said that the introduction of hydrogen and fuel cells in the energy economy is becoming more and more distinct. One proof for this is the remarkable development in the field of conferences and fairs about the topic. Work would become more and more international, and this necessarily so, because: „Just imagine a hydrogen car built in Germany, the USA, or Japan can not be driven in the other countries because the connectors do not fit.“ Toeplers saw no reason for exaggerations, because the hurdles still to be taken are considerable. But he saw a lot of reason for optimism.

Karlsruhe

On 27. October the Research Center Karlsruhe opened a test facility which is to become the nucleus of the largest center for hydrogen safety research in Europe. It comprises a test room (160 m³) for large scale release tests and two big experimental vessels (110 and 40 mm³) for hydrogen distribution and combustion experiments.

The new installations are the counterpart to the theoretical compentece of the Research Center in the field of numerical simulation. Developers of new hydrogen systems, like in car making or energy business, can thus obtain optimum support for the safe use of hydrogen.

Record drive

Consuming a mere 0,4 l on 100 km over a distance from Berlin to Barcelona (a bit more than 3000 km) should be enough for the Guinness book. This was achieved by a group of free time developers who built the vehicle named HYSUN in evenings and weekends. It is based on a special bycicle which was equipped with a glass fiber skin and got its energy from a Ballard Nexa generator. The big trip started on 7. September in Berlin, and on 23. September the destination Barcelona was reached on schedule. The route led over Schwerin, Hamburg (stop at the H₂-Expo), Amsterdam, Lyon, and Marseille. The fuel consumption was 3,3 kg hydrogen, corresponding to 12 l gasoline.

BMW

Hydrogen is also good for fast driving. In September BMW achieved nine world records in different categories on the test ground in Miramas, in southern France. The absolute top speed was 300,2 km/h (1 km with flying start). The vehicle was a prototype called H2R. Its twelve cylinder 6 l motor makes more than 210 kW (285 PS). It accelarates in about 6 s from 0 to 100 km/h and makes a top speed of 302,4 km/h. The combustion engine is based on that of the BMW 760i. Before the end of the model life of the current series 7 BMW will introduce a type in the market which can run both in hydrogen and on gasoline.

(BMW press release of 19. September 2004)

California

At the west coast of the USA they are now building the first Hyways (they hope that the obsolete word „Highway“ will soon be considered as bad abbreviation for „Hydrogenway“). In August the opening of the first of about 200 filling station was celebrated in Diamond Bar in the Los Angeles region. Appropriately the stationis right in front of the headquarters of AQMD, the authority responsible for the air quality. AQMD supported the building of the station financially and will do the same with twelve others in the region in which about 16 million people live, half the population of California. Board member called the filling station an important step towards the end that every Californian has access to hydrogen fuel made from clean, sustainable, and renewable sources along the main traffic ways. (AQMD press release of vom 2. September 2004)

The varions filling stations use different technical procedures. Air Products will fit two of its three stations with electrolyzers by Proton Energy with a capacity which is enough for 20 cars per day; a mobile tank unit will serve the third. (Press release of Air Products of 2. September 2004)

Rallye

The Michelin Bibendum Challenge, held this year in Shanghai, is a quite particular rallye. Emission reduced or free vehicles take part. Not speed decides, but a technical examination.

43 out of 150 vehicles came from China and represented the greatest manifold of vehicles: 8 cars, 20 cycles, and 15 buses. More than half of all participating vehicles were equipped with an fuel cell and / or a battery. What was striking was not only the number but also the technical level of the Chinese contributions. Two fuel cell cars were developed and built within two years. Volkswagen presented an Audi A2 and a Touran with fuel cell drive. VW made an agreement with the Tongji university to develop fuel cell and vehicle systems jointly. Daimler had brought two F-Cell, General Motors an Opel Zafira and (not in the contest) the HyWire. Ford, Nissan, and Hyundai presented exhibits. 15 buses were shown — all of them from China. One of them was running on fuel cells, the others on fuel cells.

Tyre maker Michelin presented in Shanghai a concept vehicle called Hy-Light which is driven by two electric motors making 30 kW together. Additionally there is a battery below the luggage compartment which stores braking energy. It delivers 75 kW for short periods. One filling with hydrogen gas makes the Hy-Light run for 400 km. It accelerates to 100 km/h in less then 12 s and makes a peak of 130 km/h. It is only a technology platform, however. There will be no serial production. (SPIEGEL online, 13. October 2004)

Biking

Masterflex AG from Gelsenkirchen and the Swiss E-Bike maker Swizzbee AG signed an agreement on cooperation on the international bicycle fari IFMA in Cologne. Both will work together in the field of fuel cell bicycles for transport. Both companies are confident that they can conquer an important share of the 120.000 electrical bikes sold last year in Europe.

(Masterflex press release of 16. September 2004)

Fuel Cells

Juelich

Scientists of the Research Center Juelich have uninstalled the batteries from a conventional electric vehicle and exchanged them against a direct methanol fuel cell driving the vehicle by means of an electric motor. „The greatest challenge was that the whole system, comprising fuel cell and all necessary components, was to fit in the vehicle. The vehicle should not change — and we have almost achieved this", describes Prof. Detlef Stolten, head of the Institute for Energy Process Technology, the task.

In regular service the fuel cell supplies the electric motor of the vehicle. The battery comes in under high loads. The fuel cell fills it up continuously. One tank is enough for about 120 km. First drive tests were successful.

Stuttgart

The f-cell, which was held from 27. to 29. September in Stuttgart for the fourth time, is meanwhile a fixed date in the event calendar. Not even the most important thing is the exhibition with 30 booths this year, but the conference. It served for taking the position. 65 speakers came and talked to more than 500 participants from 14 countries. Sometimes it was physically impossible to listen to all interesting presentations because they were given at the same time in parallel sessions.

Berlin

On 30. September Vattenfall started the operation of a fuel cell from MTU Fuel Cell Solutions in Berlin. It is running on methanol. E.ON and Bewag take part in the project. The Berlin methanol fuel cell project demonstrates the great importance of the fuel cell development for Vattenfall, according to the company. Politics was represented by the head of the Federal Chancellery, secretary of State Steinmeier. „Federal Government and energy business work together in the test of highly efficient fuel cells in order to modernize our energy supply“, Steinmeier said.

Next round

The next round of the fuel cell school contest „Fuel Cell Box“ ist going to start. North Rhine-Westfalia's science minister has set the objective: „We must create enthusiasm for research in more pupils, because they are the scientists of tomorrow. Only excellent support for the young generation can guarantee the future and competetivity of our state“. At the last time the participants had to make a mobile phone run by means of a fuel cell; this time the task is to construct a model transport system. But at first they must clarify in writing how they would achieve this.

(Press release of the State Initiative Future Energies of 27. September 2004)

Japan

After having fuel cell cars in the garage for a while now Japan's prime minister Koizumi wants to be also one of the first users in the stationary field. A new official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister is being built and will be opened next March. Power and heat are generated by a fuel cell. Koizumi wants to promote the new technology by his personal committment.

Energy and Climate

Glaciers

The glaciers melt faster and faster, and not only in Europe, but everywhere in the world.

In 2002 the ice shelf known as Larsen B in Antarctica broke apart. Investigations made by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed that the melting of floating ice contributes little to the rising of the sea level. But a nearby glacier now melts eight times as fast, and this does contribute a lot. The brake of the shelf is gone. In only 15 years a coast stretch of 250 km has changed dramatically.

Quite similar findings are reported from China. During the last 40 years the mass of glaciers has dropped by 7 %. The decrease has accelerated during the past decade. The effects on the global ecosystem could be disastrous. Half of all Asian glaciers are on Chinese territory, and 15 % of all of the world. Until 2050 64 % of the Chinese glaciers could have been melted. Under the current „alarming speed“ all of them would be gone by 2100. The long term effect would be desertification.

Politics

It's enough now

Russia joins the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. On 22. October the parliament approved a proposal of the government to this effect. The important thing is that the whole protocol could not become effective until now. At least 55 countries had to join, and they would have to produce at least 55 % of glocal greenhouse gas emissions. So far 125 states caused only 44 % of the emissions. Russia alone makes 17 % so that the second limit is now exceeded.

Environmentalists all over the world were glad about the news from Moscow, and the European Commission called it a „great success in the international fight against climate change “. Even if President Putin should hope for political deals in other fields the importance of Russia's step does not become smaller.

What else we have found ...

Eating flies

In issue 6/99 we had reported about a robot which collects snails in the garden, converts them biogas, and uses the latter to charge its battery by means of a fuel cell. Now the next generation is there: EcoBot II is running on flies which are even more abundant. Eight bluebottles make it run for five days. Insects have an external skeleton made of Chitin, a polysaccharide which is chemically very similar to common sugar. Microorganisms crack it, generate sugar, and release electrons which are made usable in a „Microbial Fuel Cell “ (MFC). The device could find toxic or other dangerous substances in unaccessible or contaminated areas.

But you should not be in a hurry because the present type makes an awesome 10 cm/h. There is no chance to catch flies with this speed, since they are considerably faster than snails. They will have to be baited. This works particularly well with ... yes, exactly. A lure concocted from human excrement is to attract the food.

Remark: Just do not stand downwind when you want to observe the miracle machine work. And it would be a really undue demand that the progress smell like rose essence and musque, to say it more or less with the words of Heinrich Heine.