2/26/1999  Lockheed Martin Cryostat Flies on NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Explorer - Lockheed Martin

A solid hydrogen cryostat from the Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Advanced Technology Center will provide cooling for the focal plane and the optics on NASA's Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) mission, scheduled for launch on March 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. ...The telescope is contained in the lightweight cryostat -- essentially a high-performance thermos bottle -- and the optics are surrounded by a jacket of solid hydrogen. As it sublimes, the cryostat cools the optics, ensuring that the telescope is sensitive to the radiation from distant galaxies.

2/26/1999  Energy Secretary Richardson Applauds 'First Plasma' Milestone - PRNewswire

Scientists at the U.S.Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have produced "first plasma," the beginning of a new, innovative fusion energy research device. ...NSTX [National Spherical Torus Experiment] will produce a plasma that is shaped like a sphere with a hole through its center -- "a spherical torus." This configuration has several important advantages which need to be tested experimentally, including the ability to confine a higher plasma pressure for a given magnetic field.

2/26/1999    Ballard Power Accelerates but Profit Halved in '98 - CBC (Canada)

Ballard Power Systems Inc. gathered steam in its development of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles in 1998, but its profit dropped by more than half to $800,000. Net income amounted to one cent a share and compared with a profit of $2 million or four cents a share the year before... Subsidiary Ballard Generation Systems said Thursday it will deliver its first 250-kilowatt power plant later this year. The first among 19 planned stationary plants will go to Ballard partners ALSTOM SA of France and EBARA Corp. of Japan.

2/26/1999    Ballard Faces Cost Hurdles for Stationary Power Plants - CBC (Canada)

The first 250-kilowatt unit will cost about $2 million US each, Kirk Washington told a meeting of the Canadian Institute of Energy on Thursday... ...Ballard Generation, a subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems Inc., is confident it can bring the cost down to around $400,000 once full production begins at a new facility adjacent to its suburban Burnaby headquarters.

2/24/1999  First German Submarine with Hybrid Propulsion Plant Now Being Built - MTU/DaimlerChrysler

The 56-metre Class 212 submarine will have a fuel cell, apart from the MTU engine, battery and propulsion motor, integrated into the propulsion system. Enough energy can be produced with the fuel cell, without surfacing, to power the onboard electrical system when travelling at low speeds. The battery is therefore always at capacity and its energy is used, in contrast to conventional propulsion systems, only for peak speeds upon special demand. The building of the U212 has introduced a new chapter in submarine technology because, with a fuel cell, the submerged periods are notably lengthened. Regarding noise signature, the new propulsion technology offers advantages over conventional systems because of its functional principle. In addition, the low-temperature fuel cell works at an operating temperature of 70 to 80° Celsius and is therefore difficult to detect by external heat sensors.

2/24/1999  The Worldwatch Report: Corporate Converts - ENN

Ken Lay, the head of Enron, a large Texas-based national gas supplier with annual sales of $20 billion that is fast becoming a worldwide energy firm, sees his company, and more broadly the natural gas industry, playing a central role in the conversion from a fossil-fuel-based energy economy to a solar/hydrogen energy economy. As the cost of wind power falls, for example, cheap electricity from wind at wind-rich sites can be used to electrolyze water, producing hydrogen, a convenient means of both storing and transporting wind energy or other renewable energy resources. The pipeline network and storage facilities used for natural gas can also be used for hydrogen.

2/23/2999  Electric Car Plugs into a Winning Formula - Tallahassee Democrat (Tennesee)

While electric vehicles made up the bulk of the contestants, there were also cars powered by compressed natural gas, methanol, hydrogen and soybean oil and a few "Tour de Sol" cars that were strictly powered by the sun.

2/21/1999  Toyota, GM Eye Tie-Up for Next-Generation Cars - Daily Yomiuri (Japan)

Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. of the United States are set to start talks on a technology tie-up in developing so-called next-generation automobiles, such as hybrid vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), industrial sources said Friday. The tie-up is expected to be announced in March, when GM Chairman John Smith and Richard Wagoner, president of the company, visit Japan for talks with top Toyota executives, including President Hiroshi Okuda, the sources said. The move will put the two automobile manufacturing giants in the best position to develop next-generation vehicle technology, and may accelerate a realignment of the automobile industry on a global scale, analysts said.

2/19/1999  MSA Process Automation Helps Create Plant Converting Seawater Into Fuel - Pitsburgh Business Times

MSA Process Automation Solutions & Services Inc. of Pittsburgh has designed automation systems for the first commercial plant converting seawater into liquid fuel, to be built in the Dominican Republic. The process uses a modified electric-arc furnace to separate seawater, yielding a plasma of ionized hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms that are recombined and cooled into a liquid fuel. Toups Technology Licensing Inc., Largo, Fla., owns the technology and awarded a $500,000 contract to an Alabama firm to manufacture the unit. MSA designed the automated control system and wrote software to run part of the unit.

2/18/1999  NYU/Max Planck Team Unravels 200-Year Mystery Of Proton Diffusion In Water -New York University

Imagine a crowd of moviegoers gathered in front of the box office, each in possession of a ticket. A new moviegoer approaches the crowd, wishing to obtain the ticket, which he has already ordered and paid for. Rather than trying to squeeze through the crowd, he calls to the cashier to pass his ticket through the crowd to him. The cashier hands the ticket to the person closest to the window. This person, now in possession of two tickets, a new one held in the hand closest to the cashier and his own held in the hand closest to the next person in the crowd. Rather than hand the next person the ticket just passed down from the cashier, out of convenience, he simply hands his original ticket to the next person in the crowd. This person, now holding two tickets, does exactly the same, and the relay process continues until the person who called for the ticket has one. In the end, everybody is in possession of a ticket, although nobody is holding their original ticket. This is essentially how proton diffusion in water occurs.

2/17/1999 Iceland Heads to ‘Hydrogen Economy’ - MSNBC

Iceland might also become a key hydrogen player in another way: exporting it to Europe’s first hydrogen station.

2/17/1999 Icelandic Venture Bids to Fuel Cars with Hydrogen - Reuters

In addition to converting Iceland's cars, buses and the  fishing fleet to use hydrogen-powered engines, the joint venture  will carry out research into the production, storage and  distribution of hydrogen.

2/16/1999  Clean Cars Zoom Closer to Market - Detroit Free Press (Ohio)

All these alternative vehicles still cost more than the internal combustion engine. And there's a Catch-22, Rasul said. What the fuel cell needs most is economies of scale from large-volume production. But large-volume production can't come until the price of vehicles drop. To get around that, the green car movement needs a combination of capital investment (and Ballard, DaimlerChrysler and Ford are spending $1 billion together on a joint fuel cell program), government incentives and consumer interest, Ballard said.

2/15/1999  'Magic' Bus Creator is Time Hero - National Post (Canada)

Dr. Geoffrey Ballard's work will be remembered by historians as the birth of the hydrogen age, according to the magazine. "I was very, very surprised," Dr. Ballard said laughing. "It's a very large honour to be chosen as a hero of the planet."

2/11/1999  DCH Technology and Freewing to Integrate Fuel Cells into UAV - Defence Systems Daily (UK)

DCH Technology Inc. and Freewing Aerial Robotics Corp. have agreed to begin an exploratory development program to integrate Hydrogen PEM Fuel Cells into the Freewing Tilt-Body Unmanned Aeronautical Vehicle (UAV). Freewing's air vehicles have extremely short takeoff and landing capabilities which are in demand in both military and the emerging commercial marketplaces...This multi-phase effort will begin with replacement of existing lead-acid batteries, leading into the development of larger power systems which are necessary to support the operational loads of larger sensor (mission) packages and progressing into the possible replacement of conventional engines for propulsion.

2/11/1999  The Auto's Road to the Future - CNN

The ability to extract hydrogen from other fuels paves the way for the introduction of fuel-cell vehicles within a decade or so. Once there are thousands of such vehicles on the road, the infrastructure will probably change to accommodate them.

2/10/1999  Congressman Peterson Accepts Invitation to Speak at National Hydrogen Association Meeting - TechnologyFair

Congressman John Peterson (PA) has accepted an invitation to give the keynote address at the National Hydrogen Association Annual Meeting... With participants from 15 nations, the upcoming meeting is expected to be the largest American meeting to address Hydrogen Energy as a viable alternative for America's future energy needs. Peterson's invitation to speak came as a result of his support for federal policy that encourages development of renewable alternative fuels, such as hydrogen.. "The Presidential Administration agrees that we must increase our level of commitment to clean, efficient technologies. So now is an optimal time for Congress to strive for development of alternative fuels that are renewable, safe for the environment, and will make America less dependent upon foreign nations," explained Peterson.

2/9/1999  ARCO Chairman Says Last Days of Oil Age Have Begun - ARCO

Speaking at the Cambridge Energy Research Associates' 18th annual executive conference, Bowlin said the world is entering ``the last days of the Age of Oil,'' and the energy industry must respond wisely or face the consequences. ``Global demand for clean energy -- natural gas, renewables, electricity and new energy technologies -- will grow faster than overall demand for energy, including oil and coal,'' said Bowlin, who heads the nation's fifth largest oil and gas company. ``Ten or fifteen years from now there still will be a large and healthy market for oil -- of course. We hope that it would be a healthier market than today. But it is also true that the market share for oil will diminish, as the demand for other forms of energy grows.'' The energy equations of the 21st Century, focusing on alternative fuels, will leave oil and gas companies with a critical choice, said Bowlin: ``Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide array of fuels; or ignore reality and slowly -- but surely -- be left behind.''

2/8/1999  Canada to Invest in Fuel Cell Buses - CNW (Canada)

The Government of Canada today announced a $5.8 million investment in a $17.7 million project that will improve the environment and create jobs. The investment will support Stuart Energy Systems Inc. in developing a system for improving the refuelling of hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses, such as those being developed by Ballard Power Systems, and other vehicles at a reduced cost. The announcement was made by Natural Resources Canada Minister Ralph Goodale at the 9th Canadian Hydrogen Conference. With the new high-volume refuelling system, bus companies running fuel cell vehicles will be able to refuel more vehicles overnight, and thus reduce their costs by taking advantage of off-peak electricity rates. The improved effectiveness of the Stuart system is seen as one of the solutions to the fuel cell industry's quest for a cost-effective energy source.

2/4/1999 Ford Presents Fuel Cell powered P2000 Sedan and P2000 SUV Concept - HyWeb (Germany)

"A direct hydrogen fuel cell offers real promise as a zero-emission vehicle with competitive performance and driving range," said Bill Powers, vice president research. "Fuel cell have several advantages over batteries ,which currently have range and durability limits. Hydrogen, on the other hand, is a renewable resource." Researchers determined that the safety risks of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel compare favorably with other vehicle fuels such as gasoline, propane and natural gas. Studies also show that hydrogen can be cost-competitive with gasoline on a cost-per-mile-driven basis if generated by small, factory-built natural gas reformers or electrolyzers, according to a Ford press release on the P2000 sedan.

2/4/1999 PEM Fuel Cell bus in the United Kingdom - HyWeb (Germany)

The bus is expected to be a 12 m bus with an overall power rating of about 175 kWe and a PEM fuel cell of about 50 kWe. Johnson Matthey will develop and supply an advanced methanol fuel processor , based on its HotSpot™ reformer and Demonox™ carbon monoxide clean-up technologies.

2/4/1999 Osaka Gas Co. Presents Natural Gas Reformer for 1 kW Fuel Cell Cogenerator - HyWeb (Germany)

Test operation of a home fuel cell cogeneration system will start in February 1999; field tests will start later this year. Osaka Gas hopes to commercialize the reformer a fuel cell cogeneration system by 2005 for a target price of US-$4,400.

2/3/1999   BASF to Work With DaimlerChrysler, Ford Venture on Car Engines - Bloomberg Financial Post

BASF AG, Europe's biggest chemicals maker, said it agreed to work with a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Co. to develop methanol-based fuel-cell engines for mass-produced automobiles by 2004.  BASF and dbb fuel cell engines GmbH of Stuttgart, Germany, agreed to develop a catalytic system in which a chemical reaction will extract hydrogen from methanol, using the hydrogen to fuel the engine.

2/3/1999   BASF Says Has Deepened Cooperation on Methanol Cars - Reuters

A spokesman for DaimlerChrysler said DBB planned to market the technology to other car companies around the world and that although BASF was cooperating on this project the joint venture remained between just three companies. ``We are still three elephants although the scientific partners and number of suppliers are growing,'' Wolfgang Scheunemann told Reuters.

2/2/1999  Nova Bus and Georgetown University Announce Methanol FC Bus - Nova Bus

Georgetown University and Nova BUS INCORPORATED announce the first commercially available, forty-foot fuel cell powered, liquid fueled, transit bus. This electric bus uses a 100 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell as the primary energy source; nickel-cadmium batteries provide surge power and a means to recover braking energy by regeneration. Emission levels are well below clean air standards and the range of this bus will exceed 350 miles between refueling.

2/1/1999  Fuel Cells Move Towards Commercialisation - New Review (UK)

Johnson Matthey will develop and supply an advanced methanol fuel processor, based on its HotSpot  reformer and Demonox carbon monoxide clean-up technologies. Alstom Transport SA will design the electric drive-train using its compact Onix  low-floor motorised axle. The fuel cell stacks will be purchased by competitive tender. After exhaustive testing, the bus will be evaluated on commercial routes in a UK city. These trials, planned for 2001, will be a valuable opportunity for the public to see, at first hand, fuel cell technology in action. As well as assessing operating costs, reliability and performance, particular attention will be paid to feedback from drivers and passengers.

1/29/1999  Power Plants Auto Makers Are Finding It's Not Easy Being 'Green' - Los Angeles Times (California)

The most promising advanced fuel technology is the fuel cell, a device that combines hydrogen and oxygen in a noncombustion reaction to form electricity and water vapor. Fuel cells have the potential to increase fuel efficiency by 50% while reducing harmful emissions by 90%. Recent advances in the technology have prompted most of the major auto makers to develop prototype fuel-cell vehicles. The cells run best when fed pure hydrogen directly. But hydrogen is difficult to store on board, and no hydrogen fueling infrastructure exists. So auto makers are looking at on-board reformers to break down gasoline or methanol to provide hydrogen. Methanol is the most likely fuel. A major problem is economics. A fuel-cell engine system now costs about 10 times a conventional engine. Using a reformer adds cost, weight and complexity. But auto makers are extremely optimistic. DaimlerChrysler, which has already shown three generations of workable fuel-cell vehicles, has promised to mass-produce such a car by 2004. Ford, GM and Toyota have also shown drivable fuel-cell vehicles, but it is likely to be a decade or more before significant numbers are on the road

1/28/1999 NASA's 'Lunar Prospector' Heads For Closer Orbit - Reuters

...the low orbit sweeps would allow Prospector to collect data at higher resolutions, enabling scientists to refine estimates of the amount of hydrogen present at the lunar poles - Prospector's most eye-catching finding. The hydrogen is widely believed to be deposits of water ice, a discovery which could prove immensely useful for any future human colonies. Initial estimates put approximately three billion metric tons of water ice on each pole.

1/26/1999  $4B Sought to Combat Global Warming - Associated Press

...$1.4 billion in spending for research and development into more energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy programs such as solar and wind power, a 34 percent increase over such spending this year. ...Tax credits for purchase of ultra-energy-efficient homes or energy-efficient equipment, or for the purchase of electric, hybrid or fuel cell vehicles expected to begin hitting showrooms over the next few years.

1/20/1999  Swedish Study on Fuel Cell Alliances in the Car Industry - Swedish Hydrogen Association

The oil industry has the world-wide infrastructure for fuel distribution, and it also has natural gas, from which most methanol is made today. But, it does not seem to be interested in methanol. The oil industry seems to be more interested in hydrogen, which is much more expensive to produce and distribute than methanol.

1/19/1999  Shell Goes into the Hydrogen Business - HyWeb (Germany)

The Royal Dutch/Shell group will invest in the development of hydrogen technologies in order to secure a leading position in the hydrogen business. ...a new company will be founded that will work exclusively on hydrogen.

1/19/1999 Neoplan Hydrogen Bus Presented - HyWeb (Germany)

The bus has an internal combustion engine for hydrogen operation. Neoplan also announced the erection of a hydrogen filling station... Neoplan also develops fuel cell buses.

1/19/1999  Space Plane Prototype Suffers Delay - Associated Press

Lockheed Martin has said that making the big tanks to prevent seepage of liquid hydrogen would be a major technical challenge, requiring development of new processes.

1/19/1999  Mercedes-Benz Mexico Tests NEBUS - HyWeb

1/15/1999  [Hydrogen] Fire Hits Near Turbine at New York Nuclear Power Plant - Nando Times/AP

...NRC spokesman Joe Gilliland said the fire began in an area of hydrogen tanks near the plant's electric turbine generator shortly before 1 p.m. EST. ...Officials believed the fire was out early Thursday afternoon because hydrogen burns so cleanly, they couldn't see the flames, Sheehan said. But they discovered the fire was still going as they advanced toward it. Sheehan said officials thought the fire would eventually burn itself out, but kept water on it to make sure it didn't spread.

1/13/1999  First European Hydrogen Filling Station Opens in Hamburg - DVW (Germany)

On January 12 the Prime Minister of the State of Hamburg, Ortwin Runde, opened the first private hydrogen filling station in Europe. It was given the name "Ludwig Boelkow Hydrogen Filling Station" to honor the man who pioneered hydrogen technology in Germany.

1/13/1999 Mitsubishi Increases Fuel-Cell Effort, Aims for 2003 - CALSTART

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. - aiming to have a fuel-cell vehicle for sale in 2003 - is quadrupling the size of its fuel-cell team from five members to 20, reports Nikkei Industrial Daily. The automaker already works jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and plans to produce a prototype vehicle in 2000. Mitsubishi Motors will also be working with Mitsubishi Oil Co. to produce a liquid fuel that could be used instead of gasoline. Mitsubishi's fuel-cell-vehicle task force operates out of its Passenger Car Engineering Center in Aichi Prefecture.

1/12/1999  German Drivers Get Taste of Hydrogen - MSNBC

 “Hydrogen will be the most important energy source of the 21st century,” predicted Fritz Vahrenholt of Deutsche Shell, part of the consortium behind the station. “Long-term, it will replace oil and gas.”

1/12/1999 Europe's First Hydrogen Filling Station Opens - CALSTART

The liquefied hydrogen refueling station in Hamburg, Germany is part of a joint venture that includes Deutsche Shell. Fritz Vahrenholt, a Deutsche Shell.

1/07/1999 Ford Designs Fuel-Cell SUV with Aluminum Body - CALSTART

Detroit, Michigan - Ford says it has designed a fuel cell-powered sport utility vehicle (SUV) with an aluminum body and other features that provide "significantly improved" fuel economy. The SUV's fuel-cell powertrain uses an on-board reformer to convert methanol to hydrogen, which the fuel cell uses to create electricity for the vehicle's electric drive system.

1/06/1999  Ford Debuts Fuel Cell-Powered P2000 Sedan - CALSTART

Ford Motor Co. announced today it has incorporated a fuel cell into its lightweight, midsize P2000 passenger sedan, a Ballard fuel cell powered by hydrogen... The car's proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells made by Ballard Power Systems and its electric drive system are designed to produce the equivalent of 90 horsepower. Regarding refueling, Ford cites studies showing hydrogen "can be cost-competitive with gasoline on a cost-per-mile-driven basis if generated by small factory-built steam reformer or electrolyzer appliances capable of supporting up to 100 vehicles."

1/5/1999   BMW Hydrogen-Fueled Vehicles - BMW

Hydrogen can only be stored in confined spaces and in light containers in liquid form. For this purpose, it has to be cooled to minus 250 degrees Celsius. The tank is double-walled and vacuum-insulated. The pipe systems also have to fulfill the new requirements.

1/5/1999   Hydrogen Engines - BMW

As long as there is no adequate infrastructure for supplying hydrogen, hydrogen-fueled vehicle engines will also have to be built to be powered with other fuels too. In hydrogen operation, these dual-fuel engines result in very low emission levels, even without exhaust gas treatment systems, and at the same time have acceptable driving performance

1/5/1999   The European Integrated Hydrogen Project - BMW

Europe now has a leading role in hydrogen technology. Different European companies have joined forces to form the EIHP (European Integrated Hydrogen Project) to accelerate hydrogen research.  The companies involved include:

• Air Liquide S.A. (LAL), France
• Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), Germany
• European Commission´s Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), Italy
• Hamburgische Elektrizitäts-Werke AG (HEW), Germany
• Hydrogen Systems N.V. (HYDSYS), Belgium
• Instituto Nacional de Tècnica Aerospacial (INTA), Spain
• Ludwig-Boelkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST), Germany
• Messer-Griesheim GmbH (MESSER), Germany
• Renault, France
• Volvo, Sweden

1/5/1999   Hydrogen Project at Munich Airport - BMW

In September 1997 work began on the world's first public, fully automatic hydrogen station (tank robot). The plan is part of the hydrogen project at Munich Airport in which 13 partners from industry are working together to speed up necessary environmental developments in co-operation with politicians and other branches of industry. The end of 1998 will see the beginning of the test operation of the fueling station for gas and liquid hydrogen as well as the implementation of hydrogen-fueled busses and cars on the airport grounds. The entire system including the production of hydrogen is planned to start functioning in January 1999.

1/4/1999    High-efficiency Cars on Horizon, But Will They Sell? - CNN/Reuters

"Hydrogen is less hazardous than gasoline. We would never have a gasoline-based transportation culture if it was just starting today," said Amory Lovins, director of research at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a non-profit resource center. Lovins is an outspoken advocate for the production of so-called Hypercars, using hybrid electric powertrains combined with ultra-lightweight composite structures. While hydrogen is easy to ignite, it is very diffuse and buoyant, limiting the danger in a crash, Lovins said. "No one was killed by a hydrogen fire on the Hindenberg," he added. "People were killed by jumping off or diesel fire. The 40 that survived just rode it down."

1/4/1999   DaimlerChrysler Explores Alternative Fuels, Power Sources - DaimlerChrysler

"Typically, high fuel economy concepts are mid-sized or smaller cars," Robertson said. "But we asked, 'Why not put the fuel cell in a larger vehicle that, frankly, could use a boost in fuel economy?"

1/3/1999  DaimlerChrysler Bets on Several New Technologies - CNN

The Dodge Charger R/T uses a supercharged, 325-horsepower V8 engine powered by compressed natural gas and is designed to be a clean-burning muscle car. Its key technology is a new storage tank that takes up less space than a typical, heavy tank needed for compressed natural gas.

1/1/1999  New Demonstrations of Small PEM Systems Indicate Field's Growing Strength - H&FCL

In the most recent development, Plug Power LLC, Latham, NY reported the successful test of a natural gas- fired system of its prototype first demonstrated last summer. The natural gas version produced more than 4 kW on compared to 7 kW for the earlier hydrogen- powered version... American Power, Boston, MA has signed an agreement with EPRIGEN, the for-profit arm of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for alpha" testing of its 7 kW residential fuel cell natural gas- or propane-powered generator at 15 utilities... And Northwest Power Systems is continuing this month its series of tests and demonstrations in Bend and Eugene, OR of its methanol-powered 5 kW system that began in early November with a demonstration tour of 7 cities in the Northwest sponsored by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Northwest Power combined an Italian De Nora fuel cell with its own patented multi-fuel steam reform processor