Hydrogen News

Parliamentary Evening

The third Parliamentary Evening on hydrogen and fuel cells by the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association was held on November 28. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was host; the state is the leader among the German states in terms of financial and political support of hydrogen and fuel cells. Another partner was the project CEP (Clean Energy Partnership Berlin) which is running two hydrogen filling stations and a car fleet. More than 250 guests from politics, industry, and research were present.

Dr. Joachim Wolf, head of the Linde hydrogen activities and DWV vice chairman, presented a positive result of the first phase of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP): „374.000 km safely driven and almost 3000 safe fillings until July 2007 make one thing clear: hydrogen has arrived safely in normal life in Berlin.“ A fleet of 17 hydrogen cars in the hand of customers, two public integrated filling stations and the connection to the European hydrogen project HyFLEET:CUTE with buses in public transportation make CEP an international shopping window of hydrogen technology. „Now we aim at creating the first transport corridor with continuous hydrogen infrastructure between Berlin and Hamburg.“

Ulrich Kasparick, parliamentary secretary of state in the Federal ministry of transport, told the audience that the budget commission of the federal parliament is expected to release soon the funds for the further realisation of the National Innovation Program Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (NIP).

Numerous companies demonstrated in an exhibition that the technology is by no means a solution for the day after tomorrow, but already close to the market and in a number of cases even already in the market.

DWV chairman Johannes Toepler expressed the confidence that the National Innovation Program will both underline the significance of hydrogen for a sustainable energy supply and set the right signals for a leading role of Germany in important developments in energy technology and climate protection.

Long ride

A Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) recently covered about 3700 km from Fairbanks in Alaska (USA) to Vancouver in British Columbia (Canada) in seven days. Linde and Powertech cared for the refilling. Filling up with hydrogen at the roadside is not permitted in the USA, but it is in Canada. So the first leg led from Fairbanks (USA) over 505 km just behind the Canadian border. Later evaluations showed that the car would even have made 100 more km. The further trip through the Yukon territory offered meetings with herds of elk, buffalos, and caribou as well as bad road conditions and cold weather. The car made everything with no problems. Toyota's aim was to demonstrate that the technology is suitable even under bad road and weather conditions.

(Toyota press release of November 14, 2007)

South Korea

There are now ten hydrogen filling stations in South Korea. The latest was opened in mid-November in the capital Seoul. It was developed and built by Air Products. The new station is another sign for the favourable political environment for the technology in South Korea. „The commitment of the Korean government for the promotion of hydrogen is exemplary. We have built more hydrogen filling stations in the Republic of Korea than in any other country, except the USA“, said K. S. Koh, head of Global Applications and Development of Air Products Korea Inc. about the fifth station built by his company.

(Air Products press release of November 28, 2007)

General Motors

General Motors remains determined to be the early bird in the market introduction of hydrogen cars. Vice president Larry Burns confirmed in November that hundreds of such cars will be put in the hands of quite ordinary customers already in 2011. Starting in 2012 large numbers will be aimed at, because only these would have a positive effect for the environment. And GM intends to be the first manufacturer which makes one million of such cars. Early 2008 the company from Detroit will start a program in which more than 100 cars of the Equinox Fuel Cell type will be given free of charge in the hands of normal users for three months each in the states of California and New York as well as in the federal capital Washington.

(New York Times, December 9, 2007)

Norway

Mazda and the project HyNor (Hydrogen Road of Norway) will cooperate in the development of hydrogen fuel and the vehicles consuming them. Beginning in summer 2008 HyNor will buy 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE with rotary engine. HyNor is a joint initiative of Norwegian companies for the installation of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure along the 580 km long road from the port of Stavanger to the capital Oslo. A similar project exists in Sweden.

Honda

During the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November Honda presented the fuel cell car prototype „FCX Clarity“ and announced plans to market the vehicle in a limited scale beginning in summer 2008. According to a company statement FCX Clarity is a zero-emission fuel cell vehicle of the next generation running on hydrogen. Its particular features are an ultra compact, efficient, and powerful fuel cell stack. Honda wants to demonstrate its progress towards bringing the fuel cell vehicle running on hydrogen up to the common standards in terms of form and function.

(Press release of 15. November 2007)

Storage

Scientists belonging to the University of Virginia say that they have discovered a new class of materials which might be a storage material for hydrogen. They consist of extremely thin films of the precursor of a hydrocarbon material and a metal and can store up to 14 weight-% of hydrogen. Present storage materials achieve less than half of this value. The hydrogen storage properties of the material are achieved already at ambient temperature.

(Press release of the University of Virginia, 27. November 2007)

Fuel Cells

HyChain-Minitrans

A first contract about the purchase of hydrogen vehicles in the framework of the European project HyChain-Minitrans was signed on 9. November for the Emscher-Lippe region (NW Germany). The HyChain-Minitrans project aims at the introduction of hydrogen as alternative fuel on the basis of innovative fuel cell vehicles in the small class up to 10 kW. Five different vehicles were developed which will be used and tested commercially in four European regions over a period of three years.

(Masterflex press release of 9. November 2007)

Traffic signs

Ecofys has developed a fuel cell system generating hydrogen from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) on site by means of a very compact reformer, thereby solving the problem of a separate infrastructure for transport and storage of hydrogen. The small size of the system and the direct use of LPG open up many new applications, for example as generator on boats or building sites. Ecofys will develop a prototype of the system for use in mobile traffic signs..

(Ecofys press release of 14. November 2007)

Volkswagen

Volkswagen has presented a hybrid electric car called „space up! Blue“. The motor (up to 45 kW, 10.000 min^-1, and 120 Nm) is supplied from twelve Lithium-Ion batteries with a total capacity of 12 kWh. This is enough for a range of about 100 km. The batteries can be charged from the wall plug, but also from a fuel cell. 3,3 kg of hydrogen on board provide a range of another 250 km. A special innovation is the first use of a high temperature membrane for the PEM cell. It works at temperatures of 160 °C. This makes the systems for cooling and humidification of the membranes much simpler, smaller, and cheaper.

(VW press release of 14. November 2007)

Micro fuel cell in front

An industrial consortium led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Micro Integration (IZM) in Berlin has presented a micro fuel cell which is said to be mature for serial production and brings its own hydrogen supply along. The gas is generated by a reaction between zinc and water. The energy density of the system as a whole is about twice that of alkaline batteries. Fuel cells are produced by a highly efficient roll-to-roll technology which allows to make 1000 or 2000 of the miniature cells per hour. The system price is estimated to be some 4,50 €. The hydrogen generator has to be exchanged according to demand. The production of these cells will be not more expensive than 0,25 Cent. Lithium batteries in comparison have a comparable life expectancy, but are much more expensive with about 1,50 €. The reaction gas is generated on site according to demand. Storage is no issue.

(Press release of 6. November 2007)

Ships

For the first time CFC Solutions will provide a test installation of a high temperature fuel cell of the Hot Module type for a ship. In late 2008 the cell will be used on the supply ship „Viking Energy“ which is running on gas and is part of the research project „FellowSHIP“. The HotModule will cover 320 kW of the electric power demand. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will serve as fuel. Particular features of the fuel cell are its electrical efficiency of 47 % and an operation almost without emissions.

(Tognum press release of 26. November 2007)

Sodium Power

In 2008 the fuel cell maker Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will introduce a portable fuel cell system. The device will provide electricity for small devices and gets its power from a cartridge system made by Millennium Cell. These so-called hydrogen batteries generate hydrogen on site on demand from Sodium Borohydride (NaBH₄) and water. This makes it possible to generate just as much as the fuel cell needs. The Millennium Cell cartridges can deliver a total of 400 Wh energy, corresponding to an operating time of almost ten hours for the 50 W fuel cell. The portable unit will have an outlet for normal alternating current and two USB outlets for charging MP3 players or other small electrical devices. Horizon Fuel Cell says that the price will be below 400 $.

(Press release of Initiative Brennstoffzelle of 4. December 2007)

Reshuffle

Daimler, Ford, and Ballard have reshuffled the stakes of the joint activity for the development of fuel cells for cars. Daimler AG holds a majority of 50,1 % of the newly established „Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation“ for automotive fuel cell applications. Ballard Power Systems introduces its automotive activities into the new company and will concentrate on the development of stationary fuel cell applications. Ford holds another 30 %, and Ballard has a stake of 19,9 %.

Energy and Climate

Wind power

By 2020 all British private homes could be supplied with power from offshore wind plants. British energy minister John Hutton said during a conference in Berlin that it is planned to boost the wind power plants off the coast to a capacity of 33 GW. This means that 7000 new turbines will have to be installed. Present plans are for 8 GW, and today Britain gets just 2,2 % of its power from renewable sources. According to BBC Hutton admitted that these activites „will change our coastline“. „There is no way of making the shift to low-carbon technology without making a change and that change being visible to people“. Even representatives of alternative and wind power were astonished by these figures. They think that a total power of 10 GW is realistic.

(SPIEGEL online, 10. December 2007)

Politics

North-Rhine Westphalia

250 participants attended the 7^th annual meeting of the Competence Network Fuel Cell and Hydrogen of the EnergieAgentur.NRW (an agency of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia) on 22. November. State innovation minister Andreas Pinkwart underlined the top position of the state in hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The network comprises some 350 companies and research institutes which makes it one of the greatest technology platforms in Europe.

Deal

The South American republic of Guyana has a surface of 215.000 km², almost that of Great Britain, but less than one million inhabitants. According to a report of the London Independent President Bharrat Jagdeo proposed a deal to the former mother country: the British, by means of an international organisation, administrate the 170.000 km² large rainforest area and give economical support to the country. So the British could follow their obligations in climate protection and contribute to the protection of the rain forest; the progressing disappearance of the latter is a factor in climate change, along with greenhouse gas emissions. The South American state is considered as the poorest in the subcontinent and would have use for the money.

What else we have found ...

Wrong gas

Both hydrogen and helium are lighter than air, but hydrogen is much cheaper. A balloon supplier in China used this small difference and provided balloons for a student celebration in the city of Lanzhou (north west China) which were filled with hydrogen instead of helium. Of these he provided 1600 instead of 1000, as planned. Unfortunately there was an ignition, and 98 students were hurt. Police started investigations.

Remark: Handling hydrogen safely is feasible. But it is important to know that you have hydrogen and not helium.