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Hydrogen Mirror 2/98

News from Hydrogen and Fuel Cell

compiled by the German Hydrogen Association

 

The topics of issue 2/98:
Hydrogen

 

Fuel Cells

 

Energy And Climate

 

Politics

 

And What Else Have We Found...

 

 

 

Hydrogen

 

Catalysis instead of electrolysis
Japanese and Spanish researchers say that they have developed catalysts by means of which water can be split at ambient temperature under radiation with visible light. The Japanese group uses copper oxide powder (Cu2O). The experiments were performed for 1900 hours (2.5 months) without degradation of the catalyst. The efficiency of the process is so far not satisfactory. Further experiments will now be done with a CuFeO2 catalyst (see M. Hara et al., Chem. Commun. 70 (1998) 357f).

The Spanish group uses a molybdenum compound which is said to spilt the water without an external source of energy. No details are known because a patent is pending (see New Scientist 28. February 1998: "Catalysts for Change").

Both groups called their methods a breakthrough in comparison to other processes. They pointed out, however, that so far all this are only laboratory experiments.

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Balloon crash
The investigation of the crash of a hydrogen gas balloon close to Kienberg (near Nauen) which killed four balloonists on 18. October 1997 is almost complete (see no. 6/97 "Balloon crash"). It was caused by the electromagnetic fields of a short-wave station of Deutsche Welle (four antennas at 500 kW each) to which the balloon approached to about 100 m. They caused to separate the net, carrying also the basket, from the actual balloon so that it fell to the ground with the basket.

The Accident Investigation Unit of the Federal Aviation Authority said that the accident had nothing to do with the hydrogen in the balloon. Exactly the same could have happened to a helium or hot air balloon. Specialists of DWV took part in the investigation which was rather tedious.

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Exhibition
A cross section of research, development, and commercial application in Germany is again given by the joint presentation "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells" on the Hanover Fair 98. A "Bavarian Corner" presents the activities supported by the Bavarian state, especially the project "Munich Airport". Information about buses (MAN) and cars (BMW), infrastructure, and modern electrolysers are given. The storage of hydrogen in graphite nanostructures is expected to be one of the attractions. The minister for economy, Mr. Wiesheu, will visit the presentation.

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Japan
The second phase of the Japanese WE-NET project will start with the fiscal year 1999 (1. April 1999). The WE-NET Center in Tokyo has applied for a budget of 110 MEuro for five years. The budget for the first phase had been 75 MEuro.

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Fuel Cells

 

Accumulator to be retired?
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems at Freiburg has developed a fuel cell which fits in a notebook. The miniaturization is the effect of the use of sheet membranes which save space. Hydrogen for 20 operating hours is contained in a metal hydride storage. A self discharge does almost not happen. Roland Nolte of ISE said: "In large serial production this technology can become more economical than a current lithium accumulator. The development will be presented to the public for the first time on the Hanover Fair 98.

The Japanese company Sanyo is said to plan the market introduction of a similar system with hydrogen before the end of this year.

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Outlooks
A meeting on "Energy supply with fuel cells '98 - state and perspectives" was held by VDI-GET in Essen on 24./25. march. Much time was devoted to the PEM cell. "The membrane fuel cell has developed from the exotic laboratory device to a megastar", said Prof. Ledjeff-Hey (Duisburg). He foresees a rise of the R&D funds worldwide from 100 M$ in 1995 to 1G$ in 2000. The membranes still provide a lot of means to reduce the costs.

For phosphoric acid cells Oliver Weinmann (HEW) showed himself pleasurably surprised by the high availability of the plant after three years of operation. The main task, apart from cost reduction, is to extend the useful life.

Intensive work is done on the molten carbonate cell. Current prototypes do not live longer than 20.000 operating hours (2.5 years) due to the extreme operating conditions. Additionally, they are still too expensive. First pilot projects, however, will start in three or four years.

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Opel competes
In order to have a commercial fuel cell car by 2004 General Motors has founded three global working groups. One of them is based with Opel at Ruesselsheim.

On the motor show at Geneva at the beginning of March Opel showed a "Sintra" caravan with methanol reformer and fuel cell (50 kW). A press release of 4. March stated: "The fuel cell has the greatest chance to successfully challenge Otto and Diesel motors as standard driving systems for cars."

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Detroit in fuel cell fever
American observers are surprised how much energy Detroit's Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) invest in the development of fuel cell cars, according to "Business Week". Formerly not the leaders in terms of environment, they suddenly go ahead and hardly let a week pass without starting some initiative against global warming or the dependence of fossil fuels. The fictitious show-room price for a medium-class car with fuel cell has dropped from 20 M$ to 200 k$ over the last 10 years. Bradford Bates, a foremost Ford developer, had said two years ago that he was too old to see the fuel cell cars, because they might come in 30 years. Nowadays he says that he will buy one before he is too old to drive. (Bates is 60.)

Geoffrey Ballard, co-founder of the company named after him, is confident that the car industry of all will manage the reduction of costs. This industry after all has managed to offer a product as complex as the car to a price which normal people can afford.

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Alternative fuels
Under the motto "Let's drive for a better future" Ford and Mobil will help alternative fuel and car technologies to enter the market. According to a press release of 5. March they will develop reformers to generate the hydrogen for a fuel cell from hydrocarbons. The option to use well-introduced energy carriers like gasoline or Diesel will guarantee the infrastructure and accelerate the market introduction of alternative fuels.

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Competitive after all?
Why should we fill up fuel cell cars with methanol or gasoline when what they really need is hydrogen? Because 1. hydrogen is not so easy to store and 2. there is no infrastructure for it so far. The expensive and complicated reformer is seen as the lesser evil.

A study for the US Department of Energy investigates ways to create a hydrogen infrastructure and of on-board storage. Result: the decentral operation of small electrolysers or external reformers, which could be sold as a car accessory, might even be more economical than the equipment of the cars with reformers (see C.E. Thomas et al., Int. J. Hydr. Energy 23 (1998) 507-16).

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Energy and Climate

 

Oil reserves
There is still plenty of oil, but we are running out of cheap oil. Two experts explain in "Scientific American" (C.J. Campbell, J. H. Laherrère, March 1998, p. 60-65) that the consumption is three times as great as the rate of discovery of new deposits, and that important new discoveries are unlikely. World production will come to a maximum before 2010 and then drop steadily. The prices will already rise when there is still a lot of oil left in the earth because the effort for the exploitation of a field rises after about half of it is exhausted. Simply dividing the reserves in the books by today's production rate does not tell us how long the prices will remain on today's level. Some of the official statements about the reserves are to be used with great care, anyway.

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From above?
The earth obviously gets warmer. Not quite clear is the extent to which man contributes to this. Two astronomers of ETH Zurich have correlated the brightness of the sun and the global mean temperature from 1874 to present in order to clarify this (http://www.aoa.ethz.ch/medieninfo/1998/22.html). They tie the temperature rise of 0.4 °C until about 1975 clearly to the greater radiation activity of the sun.

Since then, however, the earth continues to get warmer, though the radiation of the sun has not increased particularly. The researchers say: "Until recently the sun had a dominating influence on climate. Nowadays the greenhouse gases released by man compete with her. In the years to come their influence will certainly increase - but the sun will make itself felt as well."

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Politics

 

Bavaria in front
Bavaria continues to be a leading force in promotion of hydrogen technology. The ministry of economy underlined its engagement with a "Hydrogen Event Presentation" on the opening of the New Fair Munich in February. Minister Wiesheu, MAN-Nutzfahrzeuge chairman Schubert the head of the coordination office of the Hydrogen Initiative Bavaria, Wagner, gave a press conference on the exhibition under the motto: "Hydrogen: With new energy towards the future". They had arrived on the fair with an MAN hydrogen bus.

Even the Social Democratic opposition in the state parliament principally agrees with the direction in which the government is going, but says it is too slow. On 13. February the fraction demanded a still stronger and more ecological oriented engagement of the state government.

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Baden-Wuerttemberg follows close
The "Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wuerttemberg" (ZSW) celebrated its 10. anniversary on 27. March in Stuttgart. Secretary of state Mehrlaender repeated the promise of further public funding by the state government. Quotation: "Energy research is not just to follow the fashion, but requires a long standing." The state has so far spent 38 MEuro directly for ZSW and another 8 MEuro by way of the "Energy Foundation" together with the energy suppliers of Baden-Wuerttemberg. These as well promised further support.

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Mr. Hydrogen speaks
US senator Tom Harkin, also known in Congress as "Mr. Hydrogen", is optimistic about the further development of hydrogen technology, as he said in Washington. During the last three years many obstacles have been removed. The most important near objective is the reduction of the costs for hydrogen production. Harkin's appeal was that developing countries should not be supported to establish an energy infrastructure after our own pattern soon to disappear, but they should be encouraged to use sun, wind, and biomass from the start. While he called the 20. century the century of smoke the 21. should be the era of water vapor.

Harkin's dream: the president of USA gives a great TV speech at prime time in which he calls the nation to perform a major task in favor of renewable energies and clean transportation, similar to Kennedy announcing the moon program once.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has applied 24 M$ for hydrogen for the federal budget 1999 (1998: 16), 42 M$ for stationary fuel cells (40), and 45 M$ for mobiles (24).

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And What Else Have We Found...

 

No experiments

The US Congress is concerned about the possibility that horses and steam machines could be replaced by gasoline motors. A statement says that gasoline storage in the hand of persons interested mainly in profit are a fire and explosion hazard of first rank. The threat to the people by gasoline vehicles and the poisoning of the atmosphere by them require immediate legal measures. The costs for the production of gasoline is beyond the possibilities of private industry. And the agriculture would be ruined if the horses would disappear.
Remark: Well, this was 1875. But when we exchange a few words nobody will notice it.
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El Niño is guilty!

Australian researchers blame the weather anomaly El Niño for almost all great revolutions and disasters during the last 5000 years. During a meeting in Canberra in February it was quoted as example that El Niño caused hard winters and dry summers in France in the years 1787 to 1789. This caused bad harvests which contributed in a decisive way to the economical problems and subsequent social tensions which finally resulted in the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789.

Remark: Unfortunately no clear prediction about the outcome of the next elections could be made on the basis of this news.
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Hydrogen Mirror 2/98
Published by German Hydrogen Association, Berlin
Editor: Dr. Ulrich Schmidtchen, Berlin