| "FILL 'ER UP WITH... UGH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING!" |
WASTE
the
Final Frontier?
The Independent (UK)
June 16, 2004 |
 |
|
If humans ever do make the long journey to Mars, the trip is
likely to take around two years one-way. During that time, a crew of six humans will
produce more than six tons of solid organic waste. ...Bruce Rittmann from Northwestern
University in Illinois, is being funded by Nasa to develop a fuel cell that uses microbes
to make electricity out of human waste. His work centres around tiny bacteria from the Geobacteraceae
family, known as Geobacter. ...These incredible little bacteria were
first discovered in 1987 in some samples of mud taken from the Potomac river, just
downstream from Washington DC. more |
| CANADA |
Naminder Sandhu
The Catalyst June
9, 2004 |
| FILL 'ER UP WITH ...ALUMINUM.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? |
Canadian
Inventor’s Discovery Patents Way for Hydrogen Fuel
 A revolutionary new technology has recently been patented in Canada, one
that is drawing attention around the world. An inventor from New Denmark, N.B., and his
cousin have been granted patents for their discovery of a continuous method of producing
hydrogen gas which may have been overlooked by scientists for decades. Jim Andersen and
his cousin Erling Reidar Andersen believe that they can produce hydrogen simply using
scraps of aluminum and water laced with sodium hydroxide. Until now, it was held that
sodium hydroxide could not be used as a catalyst. Scientists believed and students were
taught that a hydrogen-producing reaction would stop since the sodium hydroxide would get
used up. Scientists have known that metals can produce hydrogen, but the reaction could
not be sustained. In Andersen's invention, corrosive sodium hydroxide acts as a catalyst
that doesn't break down so long as water and aluminum are continuously added. more |
A READER'S RETORT
A regular visitor to the International Clearinghouse for
Hydrogen Based Commerce writes to point out that the cost of aluminum is not negligible.
Even at the cost of scrap aluminum, the process appears to be one of the most expensive
fueling scenarios ever devised - perhaps the reason it was "overlooked for
decades." When you factor in the cumbersome fueling and waste disposal requirements,
the process takes on a truly comical aspect.
The manufacture of aluminum, in fact, represents a method where a
region rich in hydropower or geothermal resources can use excess electricity to produce
higher value products. Iceland, for example, produces aluminum for export while it
evaluates ambitious plans for an undersea power cable to Europe or a fleet of liquid
hydrogen tankers. Both scenarios are essentially methods for exporting electrons.
- RDM
"Sodium hydroxide is the catalyst. Aluminum metal is
the fuel leading to the following reaction.
|
2Al +
3H2O = Al2O3 + 3H2 |
"54
pounds of aluminum combined with 54 pounds of water gives you 102 pounds of alumina and 6
pounds of hydrogen. 6 pounds of hydrogen at 51,500 btu/lb would be 309,000 btu
equivalent to 16.25 pounds of gasoline. 54 pounds of aluminum at $0.80/lb is $43.2. 16.25
pounds of gasoline is 2.6 gallons of gas or about $5.00.
"All the water can be recycled back from the fuel cell so you don't need
to carry any water besides the initial charge in the reactor. Some savings will also
result from recycling the alumina. Alumina costs about $0.20/pound, but it will have to be
washed, dried and then transported back to the aluminum plant which will negate some of
those savings."
|
WISCONSIN CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
(Madison)
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE VIRENT ENERGY SYSTEMS
NIST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Capital Times June
4, 2004 |
THE ETHANOL LOBBY'S
WORST NIGHTMARE? |
Hydrogen Firm Virent Gets $550,000
for Hydrogen from Cornstalks
Virent Energy Systems, the Madison-based
company that is developing a system to derive hydrogen fuel from biomass such as
cornstalks, has received $550,000 in additional funding.
|
| GERMANY
AFP/Yahoo |
June 3,
2004 |
GERMANY DECLARES NUCLEAR POWER OBSOLETE
MARKET ECONOMICS NOW FAVOR WIND POWER |
"Our goal is for
renewables to account for a 20-percent share of electricity needs by 2020. This 20-percent
goal is in the renewable energy law. We did not put it in a statement, we made it
binding. ...It is now cheaper to put a wind farm on the Germany coast
than to build a new nuclear plant. And further cost reductions of between a third and
fifth can be envisaged."
German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin
World Ministers Make Push for Renewable Energies at Bonn Meet |
Nordex wind turbines
Focused on fossil fuels, the United States has
relinquished dominance of the dynamic wind power market to Europe. |
| Representatives from 154
countries are attending the "ministerial segment" of the four-day meeting,
gathering 3,000 people, many of them from corporations eager for a share in the burgeoning
market for green energy. "This is the largest meeting on renewable energies the world
has ever seen," said Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Germany's economic cooperation and
development minister.
|
Final
Draft of the International Action Program
International Conference for
Renewable Energies, Bonn 249 p. June 4, 2004 |
UNITED STATES
IDAHO NATIONAL LAB
US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
US Newswire |
May 26, 2004
|
 |
"This
effort will represent a major leap in technology.
If it proves successful, it will change how we think about nuclear power. It will be
smaller, safer, more flexible, and more cost-effective than any commercial nuclear plant
in history. The [Next Generation Nuclear Plant] will secure a major role for nuclear
energy for the long-term future and also provide the United States with a practical path
toward replacing imported oil with domestically produced, clean, and economic
hydrogen."
U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham |
DOE Releases Final Request for
Proposals to Establish World Class Nuclear Technology Lab in Idaho
Among its many missions, the new laboratory will lead the department's
research and development effort in developing an advanced nuclear energy system that will
produce both inexpensive electric power and large quantities of cost-effective hydrogen to
support the development of a clean and efficient hydrogen economy in the United States.
|
KENTUCKY
CONSORTIUM
FOR FUEL CELL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
AIR PRODUCTS SAIC MITRETEK SYSTEMS May 2, 2004 |
|
|
Switch to
Hydrogen: Coal-mining States Could Reap Benefits
Bill Wolfe Louisville
Courier-Journal
Hydrogen-from-coal techniques are being developed, including one under study
by the University of Kentucky-led Consortium for Fossil Fuel Science. The consortium
project uses a catalytic process to convert either coal-bed methane or gasified coal into
hydrogen and microscopic carbon tubes.
|
| CALIFORNIA SUNLINE TRANSIT HYRADIX
Sunline |
May 11, 2004 |
HyRadix Hydrogen
Generator Operational at SunLine Transit
SunLine is a world leader in the demonstration of hydrogen energy
production and use for transportation. The hydrogen will be blended with compressed
natural gas to reduce tailpipe NOx emissions in anticipation of the coming California air
quality regulations. SunLine will rely on the hydrogen from the HyRadix Adeo to
economically extend the usable life of their compressed natural gas bus fleet. In
addition, the hydrogen will be used for fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine
vehicles. This project is funded by the Department of Energy through a grant from the
State of Illinois and by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. |
 |
The American Solar Energy Society Publishes Three Exceptional Articles on
Renewable Hydrogen
May/June 2004 Issue |
1) Renewable Hydrogen: The Right
Future?
Ronal W. Larson, Ph.D.
Despite challenges such as its storage and conversion, hydrogen remains a
promising carrier and storage medium. Yet most federal dollars remain devoted to hydrogen
based on coal and nuclear |
| R&D. The outstanding potential of renewable hydrogen justifies
significant funding to quickly advance the technology and overcome barriers.
more |
2) Renewable Hydrogen: Can We Get
There?
Susan Hock, Carolyn Elam and Debra Sandor
Fortunately, renewable energy sources are abundant and widely distributed throughout
the United States. Combined, these renewable resources can meet the energy needs of the
entire country. Already, renewables account for about 10 percent of the total electricity
generated in the United States. The nationwide distribution of renewable resources enables
the use of decentralized hydrogen production, which can reduce or eliminate the cost
associated with hydrogen storage and delivery and help communities become energy
self-sufficient. more |
3) Renewable Hydrogen: Can We
Afford It?
Margaret K. Mann and Johanna S. Ivy
In order to produce the most economic, environmentally benign hydrogen, local
renewable resources should be a significant part of the production mix. Solar energy
benefits from its distributed nature, its ability to co-produce electricity and hydrogen,
and research advancements in photovoltaics, PEC and electrolyzers. These factors increase
hydrogen’s flexibility for meeting the nation’s future energy needs.
more |
IDAHO
SNAKE RIVER ALLIANCE PUBLIC CITIZEN
SIERRA CLUB GREEN HYDROGEN COALITION GREENPEACE
IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAB |
April
24, 2004 |
Groups Pan
Using Reactors for Clean Hydrogen Fuel
Dan
Gallagher Casper Star Tribune (WYOMING)
In suggesting the production of hydrogen from reactors and
coal-fired or oil-fired power plants, the administration is propping up those polluting
industries, said Michele Boyd, legislative representative of Public Citizen, the public
interest group founded by Ralph Nader. "It's a huge boondoggle," Boyd said.
"Talking about a new $1.1 billion reactor, that's an obscene amount of money."
Boyd said Public Citizen is part of the Green Hydrogen Coalition of groups such as
Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, which support "green hydrogen" production from
wind turbines and solar panels, instead of "black hydrogen" from reactors or
fossil fuels. |
| NORWAY
NORSK HYDRO
H2CARS.biz |
April 21, 2004 |
Wind Hydrogen on Norwegian
Island Utsira
Paul Erik Bok
The hydrogen plant on Utsira has started producing electricity. This means that the
10 households in the island community west of Karmøy are one step closer to becoming a
self-sufficient hydrogen society. |
| EUROPE CHINA INDIA RUSSIA STUART ENERGY |
April 19. 2004 |
Stuart Energy
Announces Global Integrated Branding Strategy
In addition to offering clean hydrogen, the SES product also has the
ability to provide mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas for vehicle fueling. Blending
hydrogen with natural gas enables vehicles to run cleaner and is an excellent bridging
strategy to the use of zero emission hydrogen fuel. |
SOUTH KOREA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CHINA
QINGHUA UNIVERSITY
Asia Times |
April 16, 2004 |
South Korea, China Open Research
Center in Bejing to Study Nuclear Thermochemical Production of Hydrogen
South Korea and China on Thursday opened a joint research center to
produce hydrogen energy by making use of atomic energy, the South Korean Ministry of
Science and Technology said. The opening ceremony for the center, located at Qinghua
University in Beijing, was attended by ranking South Korean and Chinese officials. ...The
facility is expected to greatly contribute to helping South Korea build reactors capable
of producing 30,000 tons of hydrogen annually by 2019, a ministry official said. Hydrogen
is considered a realistic alternative to fossil fuel and is competitive in price. |
| IOWA IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Iowa State Daily
|
March 23, 2004
|
Grass in the Gas
Tank
Robert Brown, professor of mechanical engineering, said the goal of the
research is to find renewable sources for hydrogen to develop these vehicles, which will
reduce air pollution. ..."Nature has determined that switchgrass is the most suitable
plant to grow in this part of the country," Brown said. "But, until now, there
hasn't been a market for it." |
MICROBIAL
FUEL CELLS |
"If power generation in these systems can be increased, MFC
technology may provide a new method to offset wastewater treatment plant operating costs,
making advanced wastewater treatment more affordable for both developing and
industrialized nations.''
Bruce E. Logan
Kappe professor of Environmental Engineering,
Penn State |
Fuel Cell Power from Wastewater SolarAccess.com
March 17, 2004
Microbial fuel cells work through the action of bacteria which can pass electrons
to an anode, the negative electrode of a fuel cell. The electrons flow from the anode
through a wire, producing a current, to a cathode, the positive electrode of a fuel cell,
where they combine with hydrogen ions (protons) and oxygen to form water. more |
|
|
|
JAPAN US
Japan, U.S. to Launch Nuclear
Hydrogen Project
Asahi Shimbun March 3, 2004
Having learned that JAERI had been
operating an experimental HTGR at its research center in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, since
1998 and had succeeded in generating a constant supply of 850-C heat in 2001, the U.S.
Department of Energy called on the institute to participate in the research project.
...Producing hydrogen at HTGRs is considered a greener alternative to the steam-reforming
method currently employed to produce the fuel: burning natural gas at temperatures of
about 880 C to produce methane, which creates hydrogen when reacting with water vapor.
|
 |
Summary of Electrolytic Hydrogen Production
Milestone Completion Report
April 2004
Johanna Ivy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The smaller home systems have a two-fold challenge. First the capital costs of
such systems need to be reduced so that those costs are no longer a major cost
contribution. All electrolysis systems will benefit from a reduction in capital results as
the |
hydrogen economy grows and these systems are mass produced, but
the smaller systems will benefit the most, as the largest percentage of their hydrogen
cost contribution comes from capital costs. Second, a scenario must exist where systems
that require 15-300kW of electricity can negotiate for industrial electricity prices, as
opposed to the costly commercial or residential prices. Such a scenario may require a
shift in the price policies of the power companies.
Another challenge of the electrolysis industry is the
limited hydrogen production rates of the current units. Electrolysis units are sized to
meet the demands of today’s hydrogen markets, but in a world where a hydrogen economy
exists, today’s systems are too small to take advantage of the potential low cost,
high volume electricity production methods such as wind and nuclear power. In order to
effectively use the large amounts of electricity produced from such systems, electrolyzers
10 to 100 times the size of today’s units could be utilized. |
|
NEW ZEALAND TO
INITIATE HYDROGEN-FROM-
ZERO-EMISSION-COAL DEMONSTRATION
Minister Launches Hydrogen to
Electricity Project
Solid Energy, CRL Energy, Coal Association of New
Zealand Press Release
Scoop (NZ) February 23,
2004
The Minister will feed
the first coal into a trial gasifer which separates the hydrogen from other gases and
elements before it passes into an alkaline fuel cell which can be used to produce
electricity. ...The next step in the research project is to prove the technology, small
scale, through a 50kW plant that could meet the electricity needs of 10 to 20 houses or a
small-scale commercial operation. A natural extension of the programme would be to
incorporate the technology into a coal-fired power station, along with the technology to
capture CO2 at the point of emission and store it in underground reservoirs such as
depleted oil and gas well and deep coal seams.
-
Hydrogen Fuel Cells May Lead to
Clean Energy
James Weir Dominion
Post/Stuff.com (NZ)
February 24, 2004
|
| MINNESOTA ROCKY MOUNTAIN
INSTITUTE U OF MINNESOTA
NRC |
HYDROGEN CHEAPER
THAN GASOLINE? |
One Step Closer
to Hydrogen Economy
Mark Clayton Christian Science
Monitor February 19, 2004 |
| Currently, extracting
hydrogen from natural gas costs $3.60 to $7.05 per kilogram, even with the best
technology, a new National Research Council (NRC) report said last week. But this new
technique - confirmed late one night while the scientists waited for a pizza to arrive at
the lab - could produce the gas at $1.50 per kilogram. |
| INDIA |
 |
INDIA
PLANS NUCLEAR
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
"We have plans to induct nuclear energy as a primary energy source in the
near future..."
B. Bhattacharjee, Director Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
|
A Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) to produce hydrogen is under development
at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay. Weighing about half a tonne, it will be
ready in about five years. The hydrogen will fuel cars, buses and trucks. The reactor will
produce hydrogen — an environment-friendly alternative to petrol and diesel —
from water using thermo-chemical means.
India's BARC
Developing Hydrogen Reactor
T.S. Subramanian The Hindu, India February
13, 2004
A New
Opportunity for Nuclear Power?
Core Thermal
Hydraulic Analysis of Compact High Temperature Reactor -
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
Atomic Energy in India: A
Perspective
Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy September
2003
HERALD OF DOOM
FOR INDIA?
THE ASIAN BROWN CLOUD
Benchmark US crude futures hit $35.95 a barrel yesterday, their highest level since
US-led forces invaded Iraq last March. The latest figures underline China's thirst for
natural resources to fuel its industrial revolution. Yesterday, China reported economic
growth of 9.9 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2003, taking full year growth to 9.1 per
cent. They also confirm that the economy - to the dismay of the ruling Communist party -
is becoming ever more dependent on energy imports, mainly from the Middle East.
China Unable to Quench Thirst
for Oil Financial Times January
20, 2003
|
The Next Generation of CANDU Technologies:
Profiling the Potential for Hydrogen Fuel
Jerry M. Hopwood Atomic Energy Canada
|
 |
The use of clean CANDU-generated electricity to run hydrogen-producing plants would ensure
that the full cycle of hydrogen production was emission-free. Current electrolysis
technology delivers pure hydrogen, thus eliminating even trace by-product emissions when
used for transportation.
Hydroelectric power, along with more intermittent renewable
energy sources––such as solar and wind farms––could supplement
reliable, baseload CANDU electricity for this purpose. Recent improvements in electrolysis
technology mean that hydrogen production using electricity as a power source is
increasingly cost-effective. |
|
"Manufacturing
hydrogen from water using
the photosynthetic method would be far
more efficient than using
electrolysis ..."
Professor Jim Barber
Imperial College London, Department of Biological
Sciences
Hydrogen Economy Breakthrough on
the Horizon
SolarAccess.com
February 13, 2004
"This is a fundamental
step in hydrogen production. This confirms that we can create tremendous amounts of
hydrogen simply by using solar energy and water. ...We're heading toward a
society that uses clean hydrogen as its primary fuel, and that's wonderful."
Professor Stuart Licht, University of
Massachusetts
Shedding
New Light on Fuel Cells
Amit Asaravala Wired
December 2, 2003
Unlike current solar
hydrogen generators that only make use of the electrical portion of light particles, the
UMass process also harnesses the thermal energy produced by the infrared portion of the
spectrum. This energy is used to heat the water to 600 degrees Celsius, at which point it
is injected into an alkaline solution and then forced to split into hydrogen and oxygen
molecules using electrical energy. ...A paper detailing the new technique is scheduled to
appear in a December issue of Chemical Communications.
|
 |
US Coal Industry Wants
More Government Clean Plant Funds
Chris Baltimore
Forbes/Reuters December 4, 2003 |
|
In February, President George W. Bush
committed the government to the FutureGen project, calling it a "10-year
demonstration project to create the world's first coal-based, zero-emissions electricity
and hydrogen power plant." Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a coal industry
conference on Thursday that the agency would soon begin formal project discussions with
industry partners. ...The project would also separate
heat-trapping greenhouse gases out of the exhaust spewed by plants and inject it into
underground reservoirs to keep them from entering the atmosphere.
New technology is superior to steam
reforming of natural gas
Chemists Engineer Solution
to Gas Problem
Phillip Ball
Nature
November 5, 2003
Methane flows down a pipe whose wall consists at one point of an
oxygen-permeable membrane. This membrane is a ceramic - a mixture of various metals and
oxygen. Oxygen drawn from air outside the membrane passes into the pipe, where it burns
the methane into carbon dioxide and water. This mixture, along with unburned methane, then
passes further down the pipe to a plug of hot catalyst, which converts the gas mixture
into syngas.
In other words, oxygen is filtered from air in a different part of the
pipe to where the syngas is made. So the oxygen-permeable membrane is not exposed to such
fearsome conditions as in the conventional [Partial Oxidation of Methane] process, where
everything happens in the same place.
|
|
Testimony of Dr. David R.
Criswell at Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space Hearings: "Lunar Exploration" SpaceRef November 6, 2003
Lunar power can generate hydrogen to fuel cars at low cost and with no
release of greenhouse gases. United States payments to other nations for oil, natural gas,
petrochemicals, and commodities such as fertilizer will decrease. LSP industries will
establish new, high-value American jobs. LSP will generate major investment opportunities
for Americans. The average American income could increase from today's ~$35,000/y-person
to more than $150,000/y-person.
"I believe that a resurgence of
nuclear power is necessary for the continuing industrialization of world society with
minimal environmental impact and eco-invasion, one in which hydrogen will supplant fossil
fuels."
Paul Grant, a science fellow at the Electric Power
Research Institute
Safe
Hydrogen Power Needs Nuclear Energy
Rowan Stafford Japan Times July 17, 2003
|
Electrolysis Production of Hydrogen from
Wind
and Hydropower Workshop Proceedings
US Department of Energy - Office of Energy Efficiency &
Renewable Energy
September 9 - 10, 2003
Wind and hydropower are currently being evaluated in the U.S. and
abroad as electricity sources that could enable large volume production of renewable
hydrogen for use in transportation and distributed power applications. To further explore
this prospect the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program, and the
Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program at the Department of Energy held a workshop to
bring together stakeholders from wind, hydropower, and the electrolysis industries on
September 9-10, 2003.
The main objectives of the workshop were to: 1) discuss with
stakeholders their current activities related to hydrogen, 2) explore with industry
opportunities for low-cost hydrogen production through integration between wind and
hydropower, water electrolysis and the electricity grid, and 3) review and provide
feedback on a current Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysis
efforts to study opportunities for wind electrolysis and other renewable electricity
sources.
|
| Powerpoint Presentations Introductory
Remarks
Welcome/Perspective
Steve Chalk, Program Manager
DOE Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies
Wind and Hydropower R&D Priorities
Peter Goldman, Program Manager
DOE Office of Wind and Hydropower Technologies
Overview of the Office of Electricity Transmission and
Distribution
Marshall Reed, DOE Office of Electricity Transmission and Distribution
Meeting Objectives and Purpose
Matt Kauffman
DOE Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies
Presentations by Participants
Electrolysis Production of Hydrogen from Wind and Hydropower
Bill Leighty, The Leighty Foundation
Production of Hydrogen from Renewable Electricity: The
Electrolysis Component Matthew Fairlie, Stuart Energy
Large Scale Wind Hydrogen Systems
Ellen Liu, GE Wind Energy
Renewable Hydrogen
Dan Reicher, Northern Power Systems
Overview of Wind Hydrogen Limited Activities
Declan Pritchard, Wind Hydrogen Limited
Presentations on Wind-Hydrogen Modeling Efforts
Hydrogen Production and Delivery
Mark Paster
DOE Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies
Analysis of the Production of Hydrogen from Wind Energy
Maggie Mann, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
WinDS-H2 MODEL
Wind Deployment Systems Hydrogen Model
Walter Short, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Overview of Wind-H2 Configuration & Control Model (WindSTORM)
Lee Jay Fingersh, National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
| ARGENTINA |
SciDev.Net July 3, 2003 |
Argentina Makes Push for Hydrogen Fuel Ricardo Sametband
A small Argentinean city has started building the country's
first wind-powered hydrogen production facility, which will be the first of its kind in
Latin America.
The pioneering project, funded by the city government of Pico Truncado
in the southern Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, will experiment with different ways of
using the gas. It aims to provide a greener and cheaper alternative to oil.
One of its main tasks will be to fuel public transport for the city's
15,000 inhabitants by 2005. As a first step, within the next couple of months the city
will convert its diesel-powered municipal service vans to run on hydrogen fuel cells, at a
cost of US$10,000 per vehicle. Instead of using internal combustion, fuel cells work by
combining hydrogen with oxygen to create electricity.
The city is investing US$500,000 in building the plant and a
hydrogen-dispensing gas station. The Canadian government has donated a 5 kW hydrolisator,
which uses electricity to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water.
Despite the start-up costs, the city's mayor, Osvaldo Pérez, believes
it will save money, as Argentina's economic problems have reduced the peso's value against
the US dollar, pushing petrol prices ever higher. Cleaner than petroleum-based fuels,
hydrogen also attracts a government payment of 0.01 pesos (about one third of a US cent)
for every kW/h produced, thanks to a law promoting renewable energy sources.
Two 600 kW wind-powered generators will provide Pico Truncado's
hydrogen plant with the energy needed to separate hydrogen from water by electrolysis. As
well as the plant and the gas station, Pico Truncado will host a centre where the region's
scientists will conduct research and development.
"We already have students from all over the country wanting to do
internships," explains Juan Estigarribia, secretary of public services and
environment for the city of Pico Truncado. "The centre is also for local people: we
want to show the benefits of clean fuel."
At present, the city generates 36 per cent of its electricity from wind
power. The new plant will enable some of this electricity to be converted into hydrogen
for use as fuel, and will also create useful by-products. "The oxygen generated by
the electrolysis process will go to the local hospital and nearby factories, and the heat
will be for our centre," says Estigarribia.
The idea for the hydrogen plant was conceived in 2001 and agreed
between the city government and the Argentinean Hydrogen Association — which is
providing technical input — in January 2003. Building work started in April.
The project has already caught the attention of other cities nearby,
such as Caleta Olivia. There are talks of building a bigger wind farm to harness
Patagonia's 60 km/h winds that blow strongly almost all year long.
- Patagonian Wind Exported as Lquid Hydrogen September
2001
Gamallo, F., (2001)
Proceedings from Hypothesis IV, Vol.1, Stralsund, Tyskland
|
Nuclear
Hydrogen
The Next Era
of Nuclear Power
Sandia National Laboratories
Bruce Power Acquires Interest in General Hydrogen Corporation
Bruce Power
July 2, 2003
Bruce Power today announced its acquisition of British
Energy’s 3.4% interest in General Hydrogen Corporation (USA), GHC, for $4 million
(US). The acquisition follows British Energy’s decision to sell its North American
assets. ...Duncan Hawthorne will sit on the Board of General Hydrogen as a Director.
Keeping it
Clean: Renewably Derived Hydrogen
[courtesy of the Environmental and Energy Studies
Institute ]
On the Road to
Hydrogen: Policy Priorities
Jeff Serfass, President, National Hydrogen Association
Towards a
Healthier Future
Tony Delucia, Chairman, American Lung Association
Renewable
Hydrogen - Part I Part II
Mike Nicklas, Chairman, American Solar Energy Society
Keeping
it Clean
Krishna Sapru, Director, Thermal Hydride Products, ECD
Raney Ni-Sn Catalyst for H2
Production from Biomass-Derived Hydrocarbons Science June 27,
2003
...the hydrogen catalyst is, in effect, a
pressure cooker filled with pellets made of nickel, tin and aluminum. A stream of raw
stock rich in glucose and heated to 437 degrees is introduced into the device. The glucose
reacts with the metal pellets, and hydrogen and carbon dioxide separate from the mix.
Cheaper
Way Found to Produce Hydrogen
Macon Telegraph/AP June
26, 2003
|
| UNITED
STATES NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY June 2003 |
 |
Optimized
Hydrogen and Electricity
Generation from Wind L.J.
Fingersh
National Renewable Energy Laboratory It is possible to
efficiently connect multiple hydrogen-
generating and -consuming devices to a modern variable-
speed wind turbine without substantial additional complexity in the electrical
power control system. In fact, it may be |
possible to connect an electrolyzer,
regeneration device, and battery to an existing turbine design with only the addition of
some switches and protection devices and no additional power electronics. By reusing
existing wind turbine components in this way, significant total system cost savings can be
achieved.
A wind energy system that includes an integrated hydrogen system also
provides grid integration benefits. By including components whose energy consumption or
production can be controlled, dispatchability is added to the wind energy power plant
system. This dispatchability can be used to provide power at peak times of the day or year
or to provide other ancillary services to the grid. In addition, it may be possible to
reduce transmission line capacity from the wind plant by using the hydrogen system to
“clip the power peaks” of the wind output. In this way, the grid capacity factor
would be increased. With regeneration or batteries added, capacity factor would be
increased even more.
One of the more exciting prospects for adding hydrogen components to a wind
energy plant is the increased number of available options for site-specific optimization.
For example, one might choose to provide more electricity and less hydrogen if the winds
are steady and grid needs are high (as in California). One might also choose to produce
more hydrogen and less electricity in locations with strong winds but small electrical
loads (as in North Dakota). Even the type of grid available could influence the system
optimization. Weak grids might need more hydrogen-based regeneration or more battery power
when compared to stronger grids so that the wind plant could be dispatched when necessary
to support the weaker grid.
The addition of hydrogen to conventional renewable power generation offers
numerous advantages over stand-alone systems. Elimination of redundant systems, enhanced
efficiency, improved performance capability, and opportunities to provide optimized
application specific design are just a few of the possibilities. Future in-depth analyses
and systems integration studies will prove invaluable in determining the specific
configurations and applications providing the lowest cost of energy. |
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CHBC FALL 2000 Meeting
"The results of ITER will advance the effort to produce clean,
safe, renewable, and commercially-available fusion energy by the middle of this
century."
STUART ENERGY MOBILE H2 FUELING STATION
"If carbon based energy
sources must be set aside, and I believe they must, then the only remaining viable source,
at this stage in our development, is nuclear. Yes, there will be other possibilities in
the future. Recently there has been speculation in the press that 
