Hydrogen News

Innovation Award

The winners of the DWV Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Innovation Award for this year are Dr. Andreas Schmitz, now Leuven (Belgium), for Ph. D. theses and Mrs. Julika Bleil from Hamburg for diploma theses.

Mr. Schmitz developed a new type of a miniaturized PEM fuel cell running on hydrogen at the Technical University of Berlin. He also developed a simulation model to verify the domain of validity on the basis of experimental characterizations.

Mrs. Bleil made her thesis „New energy systems for future aircrafts“ at Airbus in Hamburg. It deals with the integration of a fuel cell into the energy system of a passenger aircraft.

Berlin Number two

On 14. March another hydrogen filling station was opened in the Berlin city district of Spandau. Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) is a joint project of the companies Aral, BMW, Berlin Transport Utility (BVG), DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM/Opel, Hydro, Linde, TOTAL, and Vattenfall Europe. Federal transport minister Tiefensee did the formal opening together with his French colleague Dominique Preben. The latter's interest in the station has to do with the fact that it is integrated in a conventional station of the French TOTAL company which joined CEP recently.

The station serves as a basis for zero emission public transport in Berlin. The Berlin Transport Utility (BVG) will operate a fleet of 14 hydrogen buses in the framework of the European hydrogen project HyFLEET:CUTE.

Linde AG, which has also developed the filling technology, will deliver liquid hydrogen to the station. It can be dispensed in liquid or gaseous form. The gas will be compressed to 415 bar in order to fill 350 bar car tanks.

Tiefensee said in his speech that hydrogen and fuel cells are key technologies for jobs and exports of tomorrow. A far-sighted transport policy is more necessary than ever before. Politics should do something against the fragmentation of responsibility and organize the market entry. He announced that the Federal government will support hydrogen and fuel cell technology in Germany with a new National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Investment Program. Additional funds of 500 M€ will be made available over the next 10 years. (See also the news item „Federal Program“.)

Hannover

The Group Exhibit „Hydrogen and Fuel Cells“ was held for the 12^th time in the framework of the Hannover Fair. The general mood was the same as on the fair as a whole, which was very positive. It appears that the group exhibit „Hydrogen and Fuel Cells“ has found a stable size of about 1300 m² for the last years. But around it you will find other exhibits from the field. This testifies the rising attraction of the topic. Even the distant Samoa was represented this time, one of the countries which have to fear most from global warming.

This year again the show was a meeting point for politicians of all parties and other important guests. Most prominent of them was Federal Chancellor Merkel who listened to a lecture on fuel cell heating appliances. Transport minister Tiefensee reserved a lot of time and listed to presentations from a number of companies. Also seen was Michael Glos, minister for Economy.

This was the first time for years that cars were shown: Honda presented a prototype running as well at freezing temperatures. Visitors could take a ride with the Hydrogenics Midi-Bus. Among the products already on the market there are small generators from the British company Voller. The US-Israeli company Medis does not yet offer a substitute for the cell phone battery, but at least a charger. The one-way device will be marketed in the USA at the end of this year for about 30 $.

Hamburg

On 25. February Hamburg's environment senator Freytag and the Alstertouristik company presented the „Zemship“ (Zero Emission Ship). In the summer of 2007 it will circulate on Hamburg's Alster river. It is 25 m long, 5 m wide, and accommodates 100 passengers. The costs are 5 M€ of which one half will come from the EU project „Life“. 3 M€ alone are for the fuel cell which deliver about 100 kW. The project will last until 31. August 2009.

From Hamburg to India

Late March Hamburg's environment senator Michael Freytag and a delegation from local companies made a trip to Madras, Bombay, and New Delhi to enhance the economical cooperation between Hamburg and India. One of the things he wanted to offer was cooperation in the hydrogen and fuel cell field, in particular for transport. „Due to the bad air quality in the cities India has a great interest in alternative driving systems“, he said and referred to the city's experience with clean buses. And Airbus has similar know-how.

(Die Welt, 26. March 2006)

Linde and BOC

Linde AG and the British industrial gas producer BOC have come to an agreement about a take-over. It will cost Linde about 12.4 G€. Joining with BOC will bring Linde to the top of the world industrial gas business. Linde chairman Wolfgang Reitzle said that it is a „historical transaction“ based on the idea of growth. Both companies would fit together „perfectly“ in terms of their product range and geographical representation. There are very few overlaps.

Infrastructure

Until 2009 a consortium of 16 companies, city utilities, and research institutes from four EU countries will demonstrate hydrogen infrastructure in the Rhine-Main area (around Frankfurt) and in the Italian region of Lombardy. This includes hydrogen production plants as well as pipelines and filling stations for extensive tests with hydrogen cars. The companies, which include Agip, Daimler-Chrysler, Linde and from Italy Eni (energy), Sapio (gases) und CRF (Fiat research centre) invest a total of 13.5 M€. The EU will support them with 7.5 M€. This spring Infraserv Hoechst will start building a 1.7 km long hydrogen transport line. It will bring hydrogen from the industrial ground of Hoechst to the planned Agip hydrogen filling station at the limits of the ground.

Railway

The Japanese railway company JR East develops what they call the world's first fuel cell train. A first test version is expected to be ready in July. From the middle of next year the trains will operate on normal lines. Most of the power will come from a Diesel generator; about one third will be delivered by two fuel cells running on hydrogen. The new train will consume 20 % less energy than conventional ones. It will also be less noisy. And these hybrid trains do not need ugly wires.

(dpa, 12. April 2006)

North Atlantic

The formal foundation of the North Atlantic Hydrogen Association (NAHA) will be held on 8. August 2006 in Greenland's capital Nuuk (see No. 6/05 „North Atlantic“). On 9. August a meeting will be held to present the potentials and initiatives of the partners. NAHA will have members from Iceland, Norway, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Fuel Cells

Hexis

It may be not yet quite official who saved the Swiss fuel cell maker Hexis (see No. 1/06 „Next chapter“). But there is some news. The newspaper Der Landbote from Winterthur reports that Bruno Stefanini, 81, a local real estate merchant, is behind it. For the moment the existence of the company is guaranteed for one year.

Switzerland

Swiss companies and research institutes try to establish a national fuel cell network. Brennstoffzellen-Newsletter reports with reference to the newspaper Der Landbote from Winterthur that Hexis AG is at the hub of it. A first meeting was organized by the company in February, and „all Swiss players from the fuel cell field“ were said to have been present. This includes ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich and EMPA (materials research and testing) in Duebendorf near Zurich.

Flashlight

Angstrom Power from Vancouver sells a fuel cell flashlight under the name A2 micro hydrogen. With a total time of 24 h it lasts much longer than comparable products and gives light of constant brilliance all the time. The energy comes from hydrogen which is kept in a hydride storage in the handle. There is also a bicycle lamp of this type which makes 20 h per tank filling.

Education

18 participants of the pilot course „H2-Profi“ received their diploma at the Elektro-Ausbildungszentrum (Centre for professional education in electrical technology) at Aalen after 420 hours of learning. Since October 2005 they acquired a lot of knowledge on fuel cell technology, their function, and applications in heating appliances and cars in a course which is unique in Germany. The program was completed by planning, operating, and maintenance of small power stations. A particular feature was the high percentage of practical work in the various parts of the course. Apart from the participants in this great course more then 4400 participants of shorter seminaries were educated on fuel cells for the last two and a half years.

Energy and Climate

Vattenfall

The power utility Vattenfall Europe will step up its commitment for wind power. Board chairman Klaus Rauscher told dpa that in a few years Vattenfall will probably be the greatest wind power operator. Germany's third largest power company will test the operation of 12 wind turbines with a total output of 60 MW offshore together with E.ON and EWE. The park will be built some 45 km north of the island of Borkum in the North Sea. But Rauscher does not think that wind power can replace nuclear energy or coal.

Politics

Federal Program

From 2007 to 2016 the Federal government will invest a total of 500 M€ in hydrogen and fuel cell research. Wolfgang Tiefensee, federal minister for transport, announced this on 31. March in Leipzig at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) fair. We must get rid of the oil in the long term, he said. This holds both for heating and for alternative car drives. The entry in the mass market for hydrogen and fuel cells might be possible by 2020. Until then hydrogen will probably used as additive to biological and synthetical fuels. Industry representatives announced that they will support the initiative of the government with funds of about equal size.

Future Mobility

As a part of a mobility initiative of the Federal Transport Ministry transport minister Tiefensee and EU commissioner Günther Verheugen visited on 11. April the hydrogen infrastructure of the Clean Energy Partnership. CEP organized hydrogen cars for Verheugen. They made a ride from the centre of Berlin to the hydrogen filling station near the fair ground (Aral).

(BMW press release of 11. April 2006)

USA

On occasion of this year's US president Bush visited the California Fuel Cell Partnership. It will be a „hard summer“, Bush said with reference to the current fuel prices. He expects that hydrogen technology can contribute to a clean environment and a strong economy and the same time as well as helping to overcome the dependency on foreign oil. Bush said: „I believe that today's children will one day take a driver's test in a hydrogen-powered, pollution-free car“. Since 2003 the lifetime of the stacks in the fuel cell cars was doubled, the costs were cut in half. The federal funding is getting results.

Further reading

Hydrogen Production and Storage — R&D Priorities and Gaps

Published by: International Energy Agency (IEA); the booklet is available for free in the Internet.

(http://www.iea.org/Textbase/publications/ free_new_Desc.asp?PUBS_ID=1591

What else we have found ...

Naked Emperor

Under the heading „Good bye, hydrogen“ the April number of the German issue of Technology Review published an article about the future prospects for hydrogen fuel, which were said to be bleak. Axel Friedrich, department head of the Federal Environment Agency, said that the truth about hydrogen is similar to that about the emperor in the fairy tale about the new clothes: „The emperor is naked.“ Due respect to crowned heads demands that we have a second look at it. Result: the sensational text is a collection of outdated trivialities. Surprising insights include:

• Free hydrogen is not found in nature, but must be generated using energy. (Quite unlike gasoline. By the way, has anybody ever paid for the production of crude oil?)
• Not more of 25 % of the energy arrive at the wheels of a hydrogen car. (Could somebody please tell them in a nice way the figures for an ICE. 25 % are excellent.)
• Fuel cells for cars cost more than 100 times as much as conventional motor technology in terms of power output. (Can anybody remember the prices for the first cell phones or video recorders? Today be careful when you pass a supermarket - you might be hit by one of them.)
• The contents of a hydrogen tank disappear into thin air after a short time because the hydrogen molecule is so small. (You can easily keep gas for a few thousand years. Just try it.)
• The Federal Ministry for Economy has slashed hydrogen funding almost completely, although the government plans a National Hydrogen Technology Investment Program. (For ten years the ministry of economy has done more or less nothing at all for hydrogen. But the investment program is working splendidly — it is run by the transport ministry.)

Remark: Correct figures and facts can lead to totally wrong conclusions when you measure with different standards. Who cares for the efficiency of a gasoline car? People ask for power and comfort. And we have not heard about a tree growing in Germany from which you can plug full gasoline canisters. The paper does not show an alternative. But the facts are simple and clear: We must convert road traffic to renewable sources, like the whole rest of the energy economy. But how can we get the sun into the tank? There is no long term alternative to hydrogen. And when we want to use it in 20 years from now we must start now. By the way, hydrogen is not a substitute for more efficiency, less individual traffic, or structural changes.

So the emperor is not naked at all. But he will not accept orders about his style, and certainly not from people who like to see him naked (what a shocking lack of respect!).