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News from Hydrogen and Fuel Cell compiled by the German Hydrogen Association |
| Hydrogen from biomass |
| At Oberwildflecken near Bad Brueckenau (Bavaria) a plant
unique in Europe will be built until 1999 which will convert between 2000 and 3000 t of
biomass per year to a gas rich of hydrogen. The hydrogen content will be converted to heat
and electricity in a fuel cell, the rest of the gas will be burnt in a gas motor. Half of
the investment of 6 MEuro will be paid by the state of Bavaria. The plans will be
completed until end of May. The reactor shall process about 500 kg green mass or wood per hour with 100 l water added, leaving behind only 10 kg solid substance (98 % conversion). The efficiency is between 50 and 60 % and so twice that of a comparable thermal power station. All emissions are near of below the detection threshold. The capacity of the plant with 800 kW heat and 600 kW electricity (fuel cell and motor combined) is such that after successful test run it can be used as a model for a similar plant which shall replace the heating station for the state spa at Bad Brueckenau. |
| Remark: Biomass gasification is an attractive method which at the same time makes it possible to get rid of waste from agriculture and forestry. This makes it interesting for example for Bavaria. Here a renewable raw material is used of which we have plenty in Germany and in connection with which usually the problem is rather how to dispose of it cheaply and without harming the environment. Renewable energies face mainly economic problems on their way to the marketplace. Well, here is a process which turns dirt to money! |
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| Hanover Fair 98 |
| A total of 18 exhibitors will present themselves on the joint presentation "Hydrogen technologies with fuel cell applications" on the research market in Hall 18, among them Ludwig Boelkow Systemtechnik, HEW, the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, BOC, and DASA and of course DWV. The Hydrogen Initiative Bavaria (WIBA) has a joint presentation with Bavarian projects where names like Aral, Munich Airport, GHW Gesellschaft fuer Hochleistungselektrolyseure zur Wasserstofferzeugung mbH, Linde, Mannesmann, Siemens, TUEV Bavaria, and also BMW will be represented. |
| Graphite fibers |
| At the begin of last year there were sensational news
that certain graphite structures could store immense amounts of hydrogen. Excitement has
settled a bit, but the matter is further pursued with emphasis. However, the phase of
initial excitement has given way to the tedious work on details. The storage effect has been proven in the laboratory, but it is difficult to transfer it to technical dimensions. The generation of the structures depends strongly on various parameters. Even small variations can cause quite different shapes and dimensions of the graphite structures with disadvantageous effects on the storage capability. The loading process as well can have quite different results depending on the conditions of the experiment. Even closely cooperating laboratories get great deviations between their results when they make parallel experiments. The small amounts of sample material are another bottleneck. Experiments with greater amounts have been made in the laboratory, and the matter is still under investigation. The problems of sample amount and reproducibility are considered to be principally solvable, and the potential of the development is said to be "revolutionary", to quote one of the participants. |
| Daimler & Ballard & Ford |
| Daimler-Benz, the Canadian fuel cell manufacturer
Ballard, and Ford will do research, development, and marketing of fuel cell drives and
vehicles jointly in the future. On 15. December in Stuttgart Ford joined the partnership
Daimler-Benz/Ballard which was made in April 1997 (no.
3/97 "Fuel cells (1)") and put about 600 MCan$ (almost 375 MEuro) on the
table. The first complete systems for use in vehicles will come in the market around 2004
in an order of magnitude of 100 000. The chairmen of the three companies declared that "the fuel cell is a serious alternative to the conventional combustion engines" (Schrempp/Daimler-Benz) and "one of the most important technologies of the early 21. century" (Trotman/Ford). By means of the greater numbers, which the new alliance makes possible, it will arrive earlier at the marketplace. |
| Ballard & GEC Alsthom |
In the field of stationary plants Ballard has made a partnership with the French company GEC Alsthom. GEC Alsthom will invest 53 MCan$ (33 MEuro) in the Ballard daughter Ballard Generation Systems. Additionally both will found a common daughter company with a capital of 51 MCan$ (32 MEuro) for production, sale, and distribution of PEM power stations in Europe. GEC Alsthom as well foresees a rapidly growing market for systems like this and hopes for chances on a deregulated world market. For Ballard this partnership is the natural counterpiece so the one with Daimler-Benz and Ballard which was made three days before. |
| Remark: Leading companies invest a lot of money in fuel cells, both for stationary and mobile applications. This gives rise to optimism. Important players in the economy apparently have a much clearer idea of the development than many in politics. While Ballard's products are by no means that unique in the world, they obviously have people who are able to make effective business with them. From the point of view of an environment friendly energy technology we should be glad about this, because it will prevent the fuel cell to be forgotten for another 150 years. We do not have so much time. |
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| Electric cars |
| A VDI meeting on "Electric and Hybrid Vehicles" was held in Dresden on 16. and 17. February. Fuel cells were also on the agenda. A focus of interest were technical and economical comparisons of battery, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. Most observers assume that the fuel cell will win the race. Daimler-Benz says that a serial vehicle with a pure hydrogen system will have an efficiency of more than 40 % (from tank to wheel) and cost well below 50 Euro/kW. |
| Brandenburg |
| Brandenburg's first fuel cell power station has started its operation on the ground of the Oranienburg city utility. When the new municipal bath is ready the fuel cell will be transferred to this place to heat the water. |
| Frankfurt/Main |
| A comparable project for heating a public bath has entered the concrete planning stages in Frankfurt on Main. The cell, which will be realized this year, will supply about one half of the heat demand of the bath with its 230 kWth. |
| Bavaria |
| On 23. January Mr. Wiesheu, minister for economy, gave
the green light for the operation of a stationary fuel cell in Nuremberg. It belongs to a
heating station and combines the fuel cell (200 kWth) with an absorption heat
pump. The latter is for feeding the waste water from the cell in the local district
heating network. This is normally not possible with a phosphorous cell because the
temperature is too low. The plant has a total efficiency of 85 %. Minister Wiesheu repeated the position of the Bavarian government that hydrogen is the fuel of the future, and he also made very optimistic statements about the future of the fuel cell. 305 kEuro of the costs of 1 MEuro come from the state budget. |
| Pocket cells |
| The American physicist Robert Hockaday has developed a very small fuel cell suitable for portable electronic devices. One filling of about 40 cm3 methanol is said to be enough to supply a wireless telephone for 50 times as much speaking time as accumulators or batteries. Hockaday intends to market cells for phones at the end of next year. Version of higher output for portable computers and similar devices are being worked at. |
| New information system |
| The International Center for Energy and Environment Technology Leipzig (ICEU) has installed a fuel cell information system in the internet (address: http://www.ds-leipzig.de/fuelcell.html). The system provides data about the technology of various fuel cell types and about site and state of different projects in Europe. |
| "5 DM/l gasoline? Why not?" |
| The chairman of Deutsche Shell, Rainer Laufs, could very
well come to terms with a rising of the mineral oil tax which would make the gasoline
price rise to 5 DM/l. In an interview with the newspaper "Die Woche" he said
that this, however, would have to be done in the framework of a reasonable tax reform
which does not burden mobility only, and that the additional money would have to be used
not only for the fixing of current budget problems, but for an improvement of the
environment. At the moment he does not see great chances for either. Shell since recently invests more in renewable energies (see no. 6/97 "Shell"). The chairman of BP as well said in summer that his company takes the climate problem very serious (see no. 4/97 "BP on climate change"). |
| Cars of tomorrow |
| The trend in car industry is away from the combustion
engine and towards new drives with low emissions and consumption. "Wall Street
Journal" reports that on the motor show at Tokyo last October six different new
concepts were presented only by Japanese manufacturers. Similar developments could be
noticed on the exhibition in Detroit in January. John Smith, General Motors chairman, foresees a gradual fading away of the combustion engine over the next 20 to 30 years. Every car manufacturer not working hard on alternatives risks to lose the connection to the technological development. General Motors intends to bring a fuel cell drive to the market not later than 2004 (see also the news about the activities of Daimler and Ford). The foreseeable introduction of new drives and fuels will not affect the vehicles only, but require immense investments in infrastructure as well. |
| Remark: The high costs for an infrastructure for hydrogen or methanol are used as argument against alternative fuels with a certain regularity. The industry obviously prepares to spend this money anyway, which would make the argument pointless. |
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| Lock away your furs? |
| 1997 was the warmest year since there are worldwide climate records. The average temperature was 16.9 °C, which is 0.08° above the former record year 1990 and 0.42° above the average for the years 1961 to 1990. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that due to an improved database human influence can now for the first time definitely identified as one of the reasons. |
| Clinton about climate |
| US president Bill Clinton called the global warming the overwhelming environmental challenge which requires a global response. In his message on the state of the union to both houses of Congress (in which he slightly exaggerated the US contributions to the Kyoto protocol) Clinton proposed a program of 6 billion $ consisting of from subsidiaries and tax exemptions to support renewable energies, energy efficient houses and cars, and the corresponding research and development. He expects an important impulse for the further development of the US economy. |
| Wissmann's objectives |
| The first conventional zero-emission car in the world
should be built in Germany. In the second half of the next decade Germany should be the
country where true zero-emission vehicles are on the market. Federal minister for
transport Wissmann called this a strategic objective on the Innovation Meeting of his
party (CDU) at Bonn on 21. January. Together with companies from car and mineral oil industry promising ways will be sought to introduce alternative driving concepts in the market after years of research and development on them. In this context Wissmann mentioned the keywords "three-liter-car, natural gas motor, electric car, hybrid drive, hydrogen, fuel cell". The objective of the partners is "to jointly define a strategy for the comprehensive installation of an infrastructure with not yet defined alternative energies and to prepare its realization". Federal chancellor Kohl at the same event pointed out how important innovations are for the development concerning the employment. |
| Remark: Wissmann did not yet give any names. The interesting thing, however, is the grouping around the transportation ministry and the explicit aim to commercialize the alternative energy carriers. |
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Hydrogen Mirror 1/98
Published by German Hydrogen Association, Berlin
Editor: Ulrich Schmidtchen, Berlin