Hydrogen News

Lakehurst

On May 6 it was exactly 70 years ago: the German Zeppelin dirigible LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire during the landing at Lakehurst and crashed. Since then the accident was associated with hydrogen in the mind of many. This became known as „Hindenburg syndrome“. Today however the Lakehurst accident is mainly history, a bit like the sinking of the Titanic, in particular for the younger generation.

And hydrogen was not the cause of the accident after all. The former NASA member Addison Bain who investigated the matter for years has a lot to do with the fact that this is rather generally known today. His research, interviews, and analyses are documented in the book The Freedom Element — Living with Hydrogen which appeared in print in 2004 (see „Further Reading “ in No. 6/06). Bain finds that the Hindenburg syndrome is continuously retreating: „Every year I am invited to speak in public about hydrogen. I ask the question ‘Can someone tell me what happened to the Hindenburg.’ The reply; ‘I read somewhere it was the paint on the airship.’“

Hamburg

A hydrogen filling station developed and built by Linde started operation on the airport of Hamburg on May 31. The mobile unit serves two trailers running on fuel cells and one small van which will be used on the airport in daily service. The project is a cooperation between the Hydrogen and fuel cell state initiative Hamburg, Hamburg airport, Hamburg hydrogen society, and Linde. „Pilot projects on airport service are particularly suitable for building a local hydrogen infrastructure“, said Dr. Joachim Wolf, head of Hydrogen Solutions at Linde and DWV board member. „The well-defined domain of activity of the vehicles and the centralized filling mean that this is a good mode of service for the use of hydrogen as zero-emission fuel.“ The filling procedure takes not more than seven minutes.

(Linde press release of May 31, 2007)

Hybrid

A wind / hydrogen hybrid power station by ENERTRAG will start operation in 2008 near the city of Prenzlau (Brandenburg, Germany). The electrical power from wind or biomass is supplemented by hydrogen for the fuel or heat market or for later reconversion to electrical power. The operator of the hybrid power station can thus cover the demand for power, heat, or fuel at any time, no matter whether or not the wind is blowing. Experts from FH Stralsund, TU Braunschweig, from the international hydrogen community, and ENERTRAG have worked on the project for one year. The output of the plant will be 500 kW.

(ENERTRAG press release of June 5, 2007)

Range

For the first time a hydrogen car has travelled 300 miles (482 km) with one tank filling in normal road traffic; it was a Chevrolet Sequel by General Motors, the world’s most technologically advanced automobile according to its makers. It comprises steer-and brake-by-wire controls, wheel hub motors, lithium-ion batteries and a lightweight aluminium structure.

(General Motors press release of May 15, 2007)

Imports

The two Icelandic energy companies Nýorka and Vistorka will start importing hydrogen cars to Iceland in fall 2008. The first of thirty will come from Daimler and Toyota. Nýorka chairman Bjarni Bjarnason explained: „We hope that the hydrogen cars will be able to compete with other cars on the market within five to ten years.” At present they are much more expensive than gasoline cars, but: „The technology has developed very quickly and it has gotten a lot of attention and money from car manufacturers.”

(Hydrogen Daily, 15. April 2007)

Honda

Honda will start delivering its fuel cell car FCX in Japan and the USA in 2008, which is at least one year earlier than stated previously. But only few customers will get the coupé which will mainly be an image instrument on wheels. One electro motor for 80 kW and two wheel hub motors of 25 kW each will provide the drive. They will drive all four wheels and be provided from a fuel cell in the central tunnel.

(Auto-News, Mai 12, 2007)

Protein

The University of Miami will investigate a quite particular way to store hydrogen. It is inspired by the transport of oxygen to our tissues by means of haemoglobin. In either case there is a reversible bonding of gas molecules. The key player is a metal atom (iron) which acts „sticky“ on gas molecules and is embedded in a large organic molecule. Scientists will try to make their own organic molecules with primary anchors supporting a porous structure containing „sticky“ metal atoms and secondary anchors fixing more such atoms, ultimately forming a haemoglobin-like artificial protein. The US department of Energy provides funding of up to 1.44 M$ until 2010 as part of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

(University of Miami press release of May 3, 2007)

Fuel Cells

Duisburg

The Duisburg Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) needs new buildings again. Christa Thoben, state minister for economy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on May 11 performed the ground breaking for the new Test, Application, and Assembly Center (TAZ) as part of ZBT. The new activities comprise production technology, assembly, initialization, tests, and evaluation of fuel cells, components, and complete systems. The leading European hydrogen and fuel cell state (North Rhine-Westphalia, according to own statements) thus completes its offers for the further development of fuel cell technology on the production side. The state and the European Union support ZBT and the construction of TAZ with a total of about 15.6 M€.

Just one month later the minister was back, together with the state ministers for the environment, Eckhard Uhlenberg, and for European affairs, Michael Breuer, and brought EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs with her. He made a one day visit to the state. After having seen a biogas plant, a lignite and a hard coal power station he got an introduction into the current state of fuel cell technology at Duisburg.

(ZBT press release of June 18, 2007)

Biomethane

The first use of biomethane for a stationary fuel cell in Europe will start soon. In May the „HotModule“ of CFC Solutions GmbH was installed in a Munich computer center of T-Systems. In combination with an absorption cooling machine it will provide a package of voltage and refrigeration for server operation. The use of biomethane for the HotModule has two advantages: first the production of the fuel can happen at any site, which means that generation and consumption of the gas can be separated; second the gas purification on the site of the HotModule is much cheaper because biomethane and natural gas contain less sulfur than conventional biogas.

(CFC Solutions press release of June 14, 2007)

Micro cells

Experts expect good market chances for micro fuel cells (not more than 100 W) in many applications, either together with a battery or alone. The German federal ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) provides approximately 18 M€ funding — the greatest budget for micro fuel cells all over Europe. The money goes to nine integrated projects. All of them aim at products of industrial value as well as at the complete system comprising storage, energy conversion, and control. Apart from the proper fuel cell many of the projects deal also with the miniaturization of the periphery.

Many expect micro fuel cells to prepare the market because mobile electronics today uses one way or rechargeable batteries which provide little energy at high costs. „The future belongs to technologies like micro systems which can provide more energy in the same volume at prices better adapted to the market“, according to BMBF.

(Press release of June 15, 2007)

Medis

The US company Medis Technologies now sells fuel cell chargers over the mail order shop MyTreo which is specialized on accessories for Palm Treo palmtops (http://mytreo.net/store/product.php?xProd=1235). The device provides 30 hours of additional operating time. The price without cable is 20 $. (Medis press release of May 8, 2007)

The company picked up some trouble with the April, 13 press release about an agreement with Microsoft on delivery of chargers as those mentioned above. The deal is much smaller than it appears to be after superficial reading of the release (see No. 2/07 „Phone chargers“). A New York law firm has initiated a purported class action against the company for manipulation of the stock ratings.

Energy and Climate

Acceleration

The ice around the North Pole may disappear much quicker than expected. New evaluations of old observations show that in the period 1953 to 2006 the ice cover in late summer decreased by 7.8 % per decade on average. Common climate models had predicted only 2.5 % for the same time. On this basis it had been said that the Arctic could be free of ice by 2040. According to the new findings this could happen already by 2020.

Coal

The Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission has presented a study about „The Future of Coal“ which predicts serious problems for the future coal supply. It thus contradicts the common opinion that coal is a well accessible, reliable, and cheap energy source in particular for Europe. World market supply perspectives for coal are by no means as secure as many think.

Coal reserves which can be gained economically decrease rapidly. Their proven reserves-to-production ratio ist dropped from 277 to 155 years over the period from 2000 to 2005. The economical growth in countries like China and India could push the demand further. The countries with the greatest coal reserves are also the greatest consumers. The major part of the global coal production is concentrated with a few countries and „market players“. The lion share of world hard coal reserves is even higher concentrated: six countries (USA, China, India, Russia, South Africa, Australia) share 85 %. Four of these six (USA, Russia, China, Australia) have also 78 % of the world lignite reserves. So while there is coal over all continents, it is nevertheless concentrated to one country or a few.

(Press release of the German Hard Coal Mining Association of June 14, 2007)

Air Transport

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) demands that zero-emission aircrafts be introduced within 50 years from now. „Air transport must aim to become an industry that does not pollute — zero emissions“, said IATA chairman Giovanni Bisignani. Among the candidates for technologies he mentioned fuel cells, hydrogen, solar energy, and biomass. But he said also: „This will not be achieved overnight. And nobody has all the answers.“ Within ten years 10 % of the demand could be covered from environmentally friendly fuel, according to IATA. In a second step fuels from renewable sources could be developed which are suitable for the demands of aircraft drive systems.

(IATA press release of June 4, 2007)

Joint company

In London the fuel company BP and the raw materials company Rio Tinto have founded a joint subsidiary for the generation of clean energy under the name Hydrogen Energy. It will initially concentrate on making power from hydrogen, according to a press release by BP Germany in Bochum on May 17. Hydrogen and carbon will be separated from fossil energy carriers. The CO₂ will be stored in the ground. 90 % of it will not escape to the atmosphere. The company will have its seat in South England and will employ 75 people.

Politics

Costa Rica

Small is flexible, is obviously the motto of the Central American country Costa Rica (4 million inhabitants). President Oscar Arias Sánchez declared: „Until 2021, Costa Rica's 200. anniversary, we will be a CO₂ neutral country“. According to the government this will be achieved by closing down coal power stations. Cars with hybrid drives will be supported, and the emissions from agriculture and industry will be lowered. Another means is planting trees. Today Costa Rica generates already some 80 % of its energy from hydropower.

Remark: „Beautiful, but who will pay this?“ Just a hint: Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949!

Sudan

According to a paper in the Washington Post by UNO secretary general Ban Ki Moon the development in the province of Darfur (Sudan) is not only rooted in ethnical conflicts, but also in global warming. Violence escalated exactly when the rain in South Sudan ceased completely. It decreased continuously since the eighties. The warming of the Indian Ocean is one reason for this. The scarcity of arable soil triggered the conflict. The fight for water, arable soil, and raw materials due to a climate changed caused by man has had terrible effects in Darfur. More than two million people fled from the area.

What else we have found ...

Rolling art

In the framework of the BMW „Art Car Collection“ 15 artists have so far worked on quite different types of the brand. The Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is now working on Art Car number 16. His mobile sculpture is based on the hydrogen record racing car H2R. During a first presentation in July 2006 Eliasson presented a car hidden behind a network made of ice. As soon as the refrigerators are shut down the work of art slowly disappears, leaving behind nothing but water — a hint to the hydrogen drive. The world premiere of the car is foreseen for September 5.

Remark: Now we should expect parallel moves by the carmakers working with compressed gas for fuel cells. Proposals of artistical merit (nothing else!) can be sent to the DWV office.