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Fuel Cells
 Part 1 2
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EFFORTS ARE RAISING EFFICIENCIES AND LOWERING COSTS. SOON FUEL CELLS WILL BECOME EVERYDAY COMMODITIES THAT WILL CHANGE OUR WORLD.

Click to download the Congressional report on 9/11 (5.6 MB)
HYDROGEN IS
THE BEST REVENGE

Smithsonian Institution
Fuel Cell History Project

Chu on this:
GOODBYE PLATINUM!
“For all intents and purposes, this is a zero-cost catalyst in comparison to platinum, so it directly addresses one of the main barriers to hydrogen fuel cells.”
Piotr Zelenay, Los Alamos National Lab
 Discovery Makes Fuel Cells ‘Orders of Magnitude Cheaper’
Chuck Squatriglia     Wired     April 22, 2011


Los Alamos researchers Gang Wu and Piotr Zelenay
Say Hello to
Cheaper Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Los Alamos National Laboratory     April 22, 2011

Los Alamos scientists document utility of non-precious-metal catalysts
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, April 22, 2011—Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have developed a way to avoid the use of expensive platinum in hydrogen fuel cells, the environmentally friendly devices that might replace current power sources in everything from personal data devices to automobiles.
    In a paper published today in Science, Los Alamos researchers Gang Wu, Christina Johnston, and Piotr Zelenay, joined by researcher Karren More of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, describe the use of a platinum-free catalyst in the cathode of a hydrogen fuel cell. Eliminating platinum—a precious metal more expensive than gold—would solve a significant economic challenge that has thwarted widespread use of large-scale hydrogen fuel cell systems.
    Polymer-electrolyte hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. The cells can be enlarged and combined in series for high-power applications, including automobiles. Under optimal conditions, the hydrogen fuel cell produces water as a "waste" product and does not emit greenhouse gasses. However, because the use of platinum in catalysts is necessary to facilitate the reactions that produce electricity within a fuel cell, widespread use of fuel cells in common applications has been cost prohibitive. An increase in the demand for platinum-based catalysts could drive up the cost of platinum even higher than its current value of nearly $1,800 an ounce.
    The Los Alamos researchers developed non-precious-metal catalysts for the part of the fuel cell that reacts with oxygen. The catalysts—which use carbon (partially derived from polyaniline in a high-temperature process), and inexpensive iron and cobalt instead of platinum—yielded high power output, good efficiency, and promising longevity. The researchers found that fuel cells containing the carbon-iron-cobalt catalyst synthesized by Wu not only generated currents comparable to the output of precious-metal-catalyst fuel cells, but held up favorably when cycled on and off—a condition that can damage inferior catalysts relatively quickly.
    Moreover, the carbon-iron-cobalt catalyst fuel cells effectively completed the conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into water, rather than producing large amounts of undesirable hydrogen peroxide. Inefficient conversion of the fuels, which generates hydrogen peroxide, can reduce power output by up to 50 percent, and also has the potential to destroy fuel cell membranes. Fortunately, the carbon- iron-cobalt catalysts synthesized at Los Alamos create extremely small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, even when compared with state-of-the-art platinum-based oxygen-reduction catalysts.
    Because of the successful performance of the new catalyst, the Los Alamos researchers have filed a patent for it.
    "The encouraging point is that we have found a catalyst with a good durability and life cycle relative to platinum-based catalysts," said Zelenay, corresponding author for the paper. "For all intents and purposes, this is a zero-cost catalyst in comparison to platinum, so it directly addresses one of the main barriers to hydrogen fuel cells."
    The next step in the team’s research will be to better understand the mechanism underlying the carbon-iron-cobalt catalyst. Micrographic images of portions of the catalyst by researcher More have provided some insight into how it functions, but further work must be done to confirm theories by the research team. Such an understanding could lead to improvements in non-precious-metal catalysts, further increasing their efficiency and lifespan.
    Project funding for the Los Alamos research came from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office as well as from Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program. Microscopy research was done at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s SHaRE user facility with support from the DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences. more

US DOE LEADER STEVEN CHU'S WAR ON FUEL CELLS BEARS BITTER FRUIT
 Could the United States Lose Its Share
of the Global Fuel Cell Market?
Lisa Jerram     Matter Network     January 31, 2011
   If the U.S. government is stepping back on fuel cells, governments in Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, and Scandinavia are stepping forward with long term subsidies and other support. This could mean not only that the United States will fall behind in developing a domestic fuel cell market, but also that U.S. companies will have trouble exporting into these foreign markets.

Fuel Cell Prices Expected to Drop, Says Daimler
Anthony Lim     Paul Tan's Automotive News    January 31, 2011
...EVs could be more expensive than fuel cells in less than five years. By 2015, the company believes that a fuel cell car won’t cost more than a four-cylinder diesel hybrid meeting the Euro 6 emissions standard....

A Bad Idea?
Biomass Fuel-cell Digesters Burn Cash
Wes Sander    Capitol Press    September 9, 2010
A fuel cell digester costs between $21 million and $30 million, compared to around $2 million for a conventional model.
The fuel cell is difficult to maintain.


The Case of the Poisoned Fuel Cell
Robert F. Service    Science     July 16, 2010

    Battery-powered cars may be on the cusp of the mainstream auto market, but scientists and car makers still have high hopes for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which should refuel faster and travel longer distances between fill-ups. Hydrogen fuel cells have their own Achilles' heel, however: They are easily poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO). Now, researchers report that they've created novel catalysts for fuel cell cars that strongly resist carbon monoxide contamination, potentially solving a problem that has vexed the industry for years....In a paper posted online this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Cornell team reports that when its new nanoparticle catalysts carried out their job with hydrogen spiked with 2% CO, their performance dropped only 5% compared with a 30% drop for commercial catalysts.


Key Aussie Invention Ignored Locally
Belinda Merhab     Sydney Morning Herald, AUSTRALIA     July 23, 2010
    "We are really big news here," Ceramic chief executive Brendan Dow told AAP from Germany. "(In Australia) we are treated like a science project. It's really quite frustrating."
    The big news is Ceramic's BlueGen fuel cell device. Roughly the size of a dishwasher, the device uses solid oxide fuel cell technology to convert natural gas into electricity and heat. In Germany, utility companies supply the device free of charge to households, who then pay for the natural gas they use....
    "I'm frustrated as an Aussie that we don't have more success in Australia," Mr Dow said. "Our smallest utility partner here in Germany is bigger than AGL, bigger than Origin. The big guys are spending money."

Ceramic Fuel Cells receives prestigious German Innovation Award
Ceramic Fuel Cells   July 13, 2010
    ...In October 2009 Ceramic Fuel Cells opened a high volume manufacturing plant in the Industriepark Oberbruch, 40 minutes’ drive from Dusseldorf in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. The plant is one of the first in the world for the volume production of solid oxide fuel cell stacks. Ceramic Fuel Cells has secured orders for just under 50 BlueGen gas-to-electricity generators from major utilities and other foundation customers in Europe, Japan and Australia, including German utilities EWE, E.On Ruhrgas, Rheinenergie, Alliander and the German Gas Association. About the size of a dishwasher, BlueGen uses patented fuel cell technology to convert natural gas into electricity and heat with very high efficiency. BlueGen units can generate electricity at a peak electrical efficiency of 60 percent, far higher than any other technology in the large global market for small scale electricity generation. When heat is recovered for hot water, total efficiency is up to 85 percent – twice as efficient as the current European power grid.
Could Nickel Replace Platinum as
a Cheaper Catalyst in Fuel Cells?
Electric Electric (UK)   Dec 9 2009
    A group of researchers in France, however, have developed a new process in which nickel, a much cheaper and prolific substance, can be used to replace platinum as a catalyst. The tests were published this week in an issue of Science.
  • From Hydrogenases to Noble Metal–Free Catalytic Nanomaterials for H2 Production and Uptake
    Alan Le Goff, Vincent Artero, Bruno Jousselme, Phong Dinh Tran, Nicolas Guillet, Romain Métayé, Aziz Fihri, Serge Palacin, Marc Fontecave
        Interconversion of water and hydrogen in unitized regenerative fuel cells is a promising energy storage framework for smoothing out the temporal fluctuations of solar and wind power. However, replacement of presently available platinum catalysts by lower-cost and more abundant materials is a requisite for this technology to become economically viable.

 
"Fuel cell materials are anticipated to advance at a double-digit pace through 2013 as a result of favorable prospects for fuel cell production as commercialization of these units continues."

New Report: US Battery & Fuel Cell Materials Industry
PRWire     December 4, 2009


Swedish Government to Invest £5.2m in Volvo’s Fuel Cell Technology
Storage Handling Distribution     November 2, 2009
    The Swedish government's venture capital company for the automotive industry, Fouriertransform, is making its first investment of SEK60 million (£5.2 million) in Powercell Sweden AB, which develops, produces and sells fuel cells, fuel reformers and auxillary power units.
    ..."We are busy staffing the company and have received more than 1,000 highly qualified applicants for our advertised jobs," says Per Wassén. "This will make Powercell the largest fuel cell plant in northern Europe."


Toshiba Launches irect Methanol Fuel Cell in Japan
as External Power for Mobile Electronic Devices
Toshiba (Japan)    October 22, 2009
    Toshiba Corporation , a world leader in the development of fuel-cell technology for handheld electronic equipment, today announced the launch of its first direct methanol fuel-cell product: Dynario™, an external power source that delivers power to mobile digital consumer products. Dynario™, together with a dedicated fuel cartridge for refueling on the go, will be launched in Japan, in a limited edition of 3,000 units only, and will be exclusively available at Shop1048, Toshiba's direct-order web site for digital consumer products in the Japanese market. Orders will be accepted from October 22, and shipping will start on October 29.    more

Honda CEO: People Will Embrace Fuel Cells When They Realize Battery Limits
Sam Abuelsamid     Autoblog.com     October 22, 2009
    Asked what it would take to get a [United States] hydrogen filling network going, especially with a current administration that is openly hostile, Ito responded "I wish I knew" but that hydrogen must be promoted to governments and "we must be patient."

CHU ON THIS!
GM Halves Size of 93kW Fuel Cell
Great Lakes IT Report     September 30, 2009
    The new fuel cell system with a fifth-generation fuel cell stack can be packaged under the hood in about the same space as a four-cylinder engine. By comparison, the current system (with a fourth-generation stack) is about the size of a file cabinet.
    GM says the new system gets the same performance with 320 cells that is achieved with the 400-cell, 93-kW system used in the Equinox. ...GM is targeting a sub-10-gram level for the system -- less than the platinum used in a conventional catalytic converter -- by the end of the decade.


205 kW Fuel Cell in P3 Ballard Bus: Vancouver, 2000  Hydrogen Hawaii

BREAKTHROUGH

Fuel Cell Catalysts Go Sub-nano
Hayley Birch     Chemistry World     July 20, 2009
    The team found that as they decreased the size of the clusters, their catalytic activity for the reduction of oxygen increased. At 12 atoms, each and every atom was exposed at the surface and the catalytic current produced was 13 times that of commercial platinum nanoparticles, which by contrast contain hundreds or even thousands of atoms. According to the researchers, however, the improved performance is probably not due to a simple increase in surface area but to quantum size effects that are not yet fully understood.

New Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Boasts World’s Highest Level of Energy Efficiency
Serkan Toto   Crunch Gear    
June 16, 2009

    Fuel cells of this kind usually max out at energy efficiency rates of 55-60%, but NGK Insulators' product is offering 63%.

    It’s able to continuously generate 700 watts at 800°C.

    The new fuel cell is currently just a prototype, but NGK expects a commercial version by 2012 or 2013. The company says it will first target businesses, for example malls or convenience stores, possibly followed by a version for homes.

Fuel Cell Energy in $58 MM Deal with South Korea's POSCO
Lynn Doan    Hartford Courant (CT)    June 9, 2009

Fuel Cell Boosts Capabilities of Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft
New drop-in “AEROPAK” fuel cell system makes stealthy electric UAS fly longer & farther    Horizon Fuel Cells     June 3, 2009

Singapore - AEROPAK, a next-generation fuel cell power system recently developed by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will increase the flight endurance of small and stealthy electric unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by as much as 300 percent. The fuel cell technological advancements will bring significant enhancements to UAS, making them more effective in persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, a main focus area for leading defense and security organizations around the world.

    Starting evaluation shipments this summer, Horizon’s new AEROPAK brings an immediate performance improvement over today’s best available battery systems. Designed for high-impact and able to operate at up to 22,000 feet (6500m), the complete system integrates Horizon’s record-setting fuel cell technology with new refillable dry-fuel cartridges. Storing 900Wh of usable electrical energy and weighing just 4.4 lbs (2kg), the AEROPAK provides up to four times the endurance capability of advanced lithium batteries currently in use. The miniaturized power system makes it very easy to use as
drop-in replacement for battery packs currently in service, eliminating costly airframe modifications.
    According to G2 solutions, a Seattle-based market research firm specializing in Aerospace/Defense, “The use of pervasive UAS is increasing because the persistent ISR capabilities they bring are unmatched.”  more

YEARS OF U.S. TAXPAYER INVESTMENT BEAR FRUIT

U.K. FIRM ITM "STRIKES GOLD" AT U.S. NATIONAL LAB
Platinum/pladium nanocage catalyst developed by a reaserch team led by Yunan Xia at Washington University in St. Louis. Image: Sandia National Laboratory

New Platinum Catalyst Shows Promise
for Cheaper Fuel Cells
CleanTech Group    May 20, 2009
    The technology not only efficiently uses pricey platinum, but is two-to-five times more effective than commercial catalysts. Xia told the Cleantech Group the novel technique—developed through a partnership between material scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and the Brookhaven National Laboratory—could enable a cost effective fuel cell technology. ...Xia said his team would provide samples to ITM for testing.
  • Going Platinum: New Catalyst Could Boost Cleaner Fuel Use
    Tony Fitzpatrik    Physorg     May 14, 2009
            At 60 C (the typical operation temperature of a fuel cell), the performance almost meets the targets set by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department of Energy has estimated for widespread commercial success the "loading" of platinum catalysts in a fuel cell should be reduced by four times in order to slash the costs. The Washington University technique is expected to substantially reduce the loading of platinum, making a more robust catalyst that won't have to be replaced often, and making better use of a very limited and very expensive supply of platinum in the world.
JAPAN    via Fuel Cell Development Information Center
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT   
Nikkan Sangyo Shimbun/FCDIC     May 12, 2009
　Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi University and the Yamanashi mechano-electronic industry association completed a stronghold concept of local new energy systems of FC, solar cells, bio-mass etc., and it also covers research, demonstration, evaluation, standardization and deregulation. FC technology research led by Yamanashi University, area-specific new energy systems installation in real society etc. will be promoted by cooperation among governmental, academic and industrial sectors, to which specific deregulation will be applied. In FC R&D field it is assumed to introduce a center for evaluation and standardization, and small and medium local companies are assumed to engage in these measurements. FC nano-materials research center in Yamanashi University is the center of this concept, and a project of 7 billion yen for 7 years is proceeding in the center by about 60 persons at present. In the future evaluation and standardization will be a center of the concept. Demonstration for deregulation will be done by small and medium companies with supports by Yamanashi University.

SOFC COMMERCIALIZATION
Fuji Sankei Business Eye/FCDIC     May 9, 2009
    Nippon Oil Corp.decided its policy that SOFC shall be commercialized by 2015 fiscal year. Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. and Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. are planning sale in the same period, so that the sale seems to become real. The company already started its demonstration for real use, and it is planning earlier commercialization by 2015 fiscal year. ENEOS Celltech Co., Ltd. will manufacture it. Because of compactness of SOFC installation space can be reduced, so that it will be possible to install it in apartment houses, and usage in small home, where electric power is more important than hot water supply, will be main.

MECHANISM FOR DEGRADATION OF PLATINUM FOUND
Chemical Daily/FCDIC    May 7, 2009
    Japan Synchrotron Resonance Radiation Institute (JASRI) and Nihon Electric Corp. (NEC) developed a new real time method to observe surface structure change of platinum nano-particles in aqueous solution by using highly intensive X-ray from "Spring-8" in JASRI and combining multiple analytical methods. They have succeeded in elucidating degradation mechanism of  platinum catalysts in atomic level. They observed that in oxide film on nano-particle surface, irreversible crystalline structure change occurs accompanying volume expansion, and it leads to degradation due to dissolving. Observing real platinum catalysts, they found that oxidation process on platinum surface proceeds by two step process. Oxygen atom adsorbs on platinum and diffuse into the inside to form platinum oxide layer. While it is epitaxially formed alpha phase and does not change the structure, the oxide is reversibly reduced to platinum and dissolution does not occur. However, when oxidation proceeds and structural change occurs to beta phase with volume expansion, it does not change reversibly to platinum. Thus degradation of platinum catalysts and dissolution are caused by beta phase formation.

Europe & Japan Assured Global Dominance as U.S. Retreats
 U.S. Drops Research Into Fuel Cells for Cars
Matthew L. Wald    New York Times    May 7, 2009
    The Energy Department will continue to pay for research into stationary fuel cells, which Dr. Chu said could be used like batteries on the power grid and do not require compact storage of hydrogen.
 

“This is a strange turn of events.
We are very close to the tipping point.
To stop that now is
a waster of taxpayer dollars.”
Shannon Baxter-Clemmons
Executive director of the S.C. Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Alliance

"We should go to Washington
and make the case that not funding
the long-term solution is short-sighted.”
Mayor Bob Coble, Columbia, S.C.
Obama’s Cuts Deal Blow to S.C. Hydrogen Economy
Jeff Wilkinson    The State (SC)    May 9, 2009

“The vehicles have been invented.
The issues are infrastructure
and how do we reduce cost.”
 John Hanson, Toyota

“Hydrogen is a key to solving the nation’s mid- to long- term issues of energy security, reduced petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions as well as being part of the reinvention of General Motors.”
Larry Burns, GM

Honda, GM Stick to Fuel-Cell Plans as Obama Guts Hydrogen Funds 
A. Ohnsman, T. Seeley    Bloomberg    May 11, 2009
    The policy shift is “very disappointing,” said Dan Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis and a member of the state’s Air Resources Board. The agency has authority to set environmental rules for carmakers and other industries rivaling the federal government’s.
    “It’s unclear how we’re going to get big reductions in greenhouse gas emissions without hydrogen,” Sperling said. “Hydrogen is the most challenging in terms of implementation because of the need for new fueling infrastructure.”
    That could be created in 10 to 15 years at less cost than the “$6 billion to $10 billion” the U.S. provides annually in subsidies for corn ethanol, Sperling said.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Associations Criticize DOE Program Cuts
National Hydrogen Association
U.S. Fuel Cell Council
May 7, 2009

Washington DC----The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) and U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) issued the following joint statement regarding the Obama Administration's FY 2010 budget request for the U.S Department of Energy.
    "The cuts proposed in the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell program threaten to disrupt commercialization of a family of technologies that are showing exceptional promise and beginning to gain market traction.
    "Fuel cell vehicles are not a science experiment. These are real vehicles with real marketability and real benefits. Hundreds of fuel cell vehicles have collectively logged millions of miles.
    "Both the National Academy of Sciences and NHA's recent Energy Evolution report conclude that a portfolio of vehicle technologies is needed to achieve the nation's energy and environmental security goals and that hydrogen is essential to success. Hydrogen also advances the Obama Administration's goals of greener power generation and a smarter power grid.
    "The newest fuel cell vehicles get 72 miles per gallon equivalent with no compromise in creature comforts. Fuel cell buses operating in revenue service achieve twice the fuel economy of diesel buses. Hydrogen production costs are already competitive with gasoline. Projected vehicle costs have been reduced by 75%. These are accomplishments of the Department's own program in partnership with industry. It would truly be a government waste to squander them by walking away just as success is in sight.
    "The National Academy recommended a portfolio approach and we are frankly puzzled at the Energy Department's decision to ignore that recommendation even as the Department uses other material from the same report to justify its proposed cut.
    "We are also concerned that the Department appears to be walking away from its Market Transformation activities, which support fuel cell deployment in early commercial applications. This Congressionally-mandated program is demonstrating the ability of fuel cells to provide a competitive and green alternative to battery-based systems in vehicles and in power supply.
    "Finally, we are concerned that the Department has proposed to cut funds for the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). SECA success could dramatically lower the cost of carbon sequestration, improve power plant efficiency, and enable a virtually pollution-free coal plant in the future. Additional funding will hasten SECA progress."
    The NHA and USFCC collectively represent more than 200 companies and organizations.

CONTACT:
NHA: Patrick Serfass, 202-223-5547, ext. 366 serfassp@HydrogenAssociation.org

USFCC: Bud DeFlaviis, 202 293 5500, ext. 35 bdeflaviis@usfcc.com
 
  • Energy Department Slashes Hydrogen Transportation Funding in Proposed Budget     Green Car Advisor    May 7, 2009
    Chu's belief that it is best to cut hydrogen spending and divert the funding elsewhere isn't necessarily shared by Congress, which must approve the budget, said Patrick Serfass, the National Hydrogen Association's vice president for technology. ...Serfass worries that if the Obama administration turns its back on hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, the automakers will take their research and development programs to Europe or Asia and the U.S. will lose the lead in technology that will be a critical part of an oil-independent future.
  • FY 2010 Congressional Budget Request    DOE    May 2009
JAPAN     Nihon Keizai Shimbun    April 22, 2009
Toho Gas Co., Ltd., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. and Sumitomo Precision Product Co., Ltd. 　The above three companies published on April 20, 2009 that they have developed business use SOFC module of town gas specification, whose short time power efficiency of 3 kW reached to 59% (LHV). Since 2006 they have been developing SOFC in collaboration, and the developed module is a stack of plate-type cells. Beside stable and highly efficient power generation, they studied heat flow design for heat recovery and uniform temperature in the stack. Thus thermal design was made to reduce exhausted heat. They are anticipating over 45% power efficiency including auxiliaries. According to Toho Gas Co., Ltd. this is in world top level and commercialization after 2 or 3 years is aimed at, restaurants, small shops and offices being the targets.


Cicero-North Syracuse High School
Fuel-cell Car Takes 2nd in Contest
Against 4 Major University Teams
Vehicle built by high school students averages
  1,431.3 miles per gallon!
 Alaina Potrikus    The Post-Standard (NY)    April 19, 2009

    A hydrogen fuel-cell car built by Cicero-North Syracuse HS students averaged 1,431.3 miles per gallon on Saturday. The students drove the car 15 mph on the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California....
    The slow-speed but high-mileage performance was enough to place the C-NS Performance Engineering Team's car second in the 2009 Shell Eco-marathon Americas competition.
    "It was beyond belief," said an ecstatic Ted Kliszczewicz, of Carrier Corp., one of six adults who accompanied the students. "The kids are beside themselves."


"These kids are the future engineers.
They're the ones who will be working with
and designing the vehicles that we drive in
the future and the energy sources we use."
 Ted Kliszczewicz, Carrier Corp
 New York High School Team to MPG-Race
Hydrogen Fuel-cell Car Saturday at Auto Club Speedway
Catie O'Toole     The Post-Standard (NY)     April 15, 2009
    The students started meeting in September with mentors -- five engineers from Carrier, Lockheed Martin and WMB Enterprises -- who guided them in the design process and educated them about the electrical and mechanical aspects of the vehicle, said Steve Grimaldi, a mentor and service engineer for Carrier. JPW Fabricators also donated their services by welding the vehicle's frame together, Miner said. ...Last year's winning team, Penn State, averaged 1,668.3 miles per gallon.   PHOTOS

Photos from Saturday's Shell Eco-marathon Competition
Click image to view high resolution
photos copyright 2009 RD Masters

Penn State took the Grand Prize for Fuel Cells with 1,912.9 mpg.

Los Altos HS, California
"Infusion" Fuel Cell Racer

Secretary Chu Announces
$41.9 Million to Spur Growth
of Fuel Cell Markets
US Department of Energy     April 15, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC ­- To expand the use of clean and renewable energy sources and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $41.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for fuel cell technology.
    These efforts will accelerate the commercialization and deployment of fuel cells and will create jobs in fuel cell manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and support services. The new funding will improve the potential of fuel cells to provide power in stationary, portable and specialty vehicle applications, while cutting carbon emissions and broadening our nation’s clean energy technology portfolio.
    “The investments we’re making today will help us build a robust fuel cell manufacturing industry in the United States,” said Secretary Chu. “Developing and deploying the next generation of fuel cells will not only create jobs – it will help our businesses become more energy efficient and productive. We are laying the foundation for a green energy economy.”
    The $41.9 million will support immediate deployment of nearly 1,000 fuel cell systems for emergency backup power and material handling applications (e.g., forklifts) that have emerged as key early markets in which fuel cells can compete with conventional power technologies. Additional systems will be used to accelerate the demonstration of stationary fuel cells for combined heat and power in the larger residential and commercial markets.
    The increase in manufacturing volume in key early markets will also bring costs down and encourage the growth of a domestic supplier base. A variety of technologies will be developed and deployed, including polymer electrolyte, solid oxide and direct-methanol fuel cells.
    The funding includes:
  • $41.9 million from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund 13 projects to deploy fuel cells – helping to build a consumer base for U.S. fuel cell manufacturers.
  • Approximately $72.4 million in cost-share funding from industry participants—for a total of nearly $114.3 million. This cost share demonstrates private sector commitment to developing and deploying these clean, energy efficient technologies.

For more information about DOE’s fuel cell activities, please visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/. A detailed, state by state list of awards is below:

Fuel Cell Market Transformation Projects

Arkansas             FedEx Freight East (Harrison, AR)
    This project will deploy 35 fuel cell systems as battery replacements for a complete fleet of electric lift trucks at FedEx’s existing service center in Springfield, Missouri. Success at this service center will lead to further fleet conversions at some or all of FedEx’s other 470 service centers.
$1.3 million

California             Jadoo Power (Folsom, CA)
    Jadoo, together with Acumentrics Corporation, NASCAR Media Group, Lynch Diversified Vehicles, California's Police and Fire Departments of the City of Folsom, and Airgas, Inc., will establish the environmental and cost benefits of using a 1-kW fuel cell power system to generate electricity, as opposed to traditional gas/diesel generators and lead acid battery power sources. This demonstration will provide operating data from each field unit at customer sites, as well as degradation analysis and projected system lifetime.
$1.8 million

                              PolyFuel, Inc. (Mountain View, CA)
    The objective of this project is to further integrate and miniaturize the components of PolyFuel’s portable power system for use in mobile computing, and analyze failure modes to increase durability. Polyfuel will also conduct a design for manufacturability and assembly review to ensure that the systems meet the cost targets for commercialization.
$2.5 million

Colorado               Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, MO)
    Anheuser-Busch will deploy 23 fuel cell systems as battery replacements for a complete fleet of electric lift trucks at their facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, demonstrating the economic benefits of large fleet conversions of forklifts from lead-acid batteries to fuel cell power units. Success in this project will lead to further fleet conversions at some or all of Anheuser-Busch’s other 11 U.S. facilities. $1.1 million

Massachusetts     Nuvera Fuel Cells (Billerica, MA)
    To accelerate market penetration of fuel cells, East Penn Manufacturing (an industrial and automotive battery manufacturer) and Nuvera will deploy 10 fuel cell forklifts in East Penn’s facility in Topton, PA. Fuel will be supplied by Nuvera’s natural gas reformer, storage, and dispensing system.
$1.1 million

Michigan              Delphi Automotive (Troy, MI)
    Delphi will develop, test and demonstrate a 3- to 5-kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) auxiliary power unit (APU) for heavy duty commercial class 8 trucks. The demonstration will improve upon Delphi’s current generation SOFC technology by increasing net output power and fuel processing efficiency, decreasing heat loss and parasitic power loss, and establishing diesel fuel compatibility.
$2.4 million

New York              MTI MicroFuel Cells (Albany, NY)
    To accelerate fuel cell use in consumer markets, MTI will demonstrate a one-watt consumer electronics power pack. The project will focus on improving reliability to meet the standards required by the electronics market and will include testing of individual components, subsystems and complete direct methanol fuel cell systems. MTI will also develop manufacturing processes to improve product yields and reduce overall costs.
$2.4 million

                               Plug Power, Inc. (Latham, NY)
    This demonstration project will validate the durability of Plug Power’s 5-kW stationary combined heat and power fuel cell system and verify its commercial readiness. Plug Power will carry out a three-year project to test its units in residential and light commercial applications in California.
$3.4 million

                                Plug Power Inc. (Latham, NY)
    This project will demonstrate the market viability of the GenCore® rack-mounted fuel cell product that provides clean and highly reliable emergency backup power. Plug Power will install and operate new systems in real-world applications at geographically-diverse sites, providing for as much as 275 kW of backup power.
$2.7 million

Pennsylvania            GENCO (Pittsburgh, PA)
    This project will deploy 156 fuel cell systems as battery replacements for fleets of electric lift trucks at six of GENCO’s existing distribution centers (South Carolina, Pennsylvania - 3 locations, and Ohio - 2 locations). Success at these distribution centers will lead to further fleet conversions at some or all of GENCO’s other 109 distribution centers.
$6.1 million (six awards)

Texas                        Sysco of Houston (West Houston, TX)
    Sysco will deploy 90 fuel cell systems as battery replacements for a fleet of pallet trucks at Sysco’s new distribution center in Houston, Texas, due to open in August 2009. This installation will be the first ever green field installation in the world without battery infrastructure for a pallet truck fleet. Success at this distribution center will lead to further fleet conversions at some or all of Sysco’s other 169 distribution centers.
$1.2 million

Virginia                      Sprint Communications (Reston, VA)
    Sprint Nextel will demonstrate the viability of packaged 1-kW to 10-kW fuel cell systems with 72 hours of on-site fuel storage for backup power to communication infrastructure used by state and local first responders and by public safety answering points (911 centers). Sprint will address siting and permitting issues, and will benchmark the lifecycle costs, performance, and operational characteristics against the incumbent technologies (batteries, generators, and diesel fuel).
$7.3 million

Washington                ReliOn Inc. (Spokane, WA)
    ReliOn will add reliability to a utility communications network where no backup power was previously available at 25 sites throughout central and northern California. They will deploy 180 fuel cells with a new refillable 72-hour fuel system to locations across the AT&T Mobility Network. This project will provide DOE with installation, fueling logistics, and operating data for fuel cells in voice and data communications networks in mountain, desert, and urban locations.
$8.6 million (two awards)

PLATINUM INVESTORS TAKE NOTE

The future of platinum.
 
FUEL CELL BREAKTHROUGH

A Catalyst for Cheaper Fuel Cells
The material could replace platinum in hydrogen vehicles
Kevin Bullis     Technology Review     April 2, 2009    

    One promising catalyst that uses far less expensive materials--iron, nitrogen, and carbon--has long been known to promote the necessary reactions, but at rates that are far too slow to be practical. Now researchers at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Quebec have dramatically increased the performance of this type of iron-based catalyst. Their material produces 99 amps per cubic centimeter at 0.8 volts, a key measurement of catalytic activity. That is 35 times better than the best nonprecious metal catalyst so far, and close to the Department of Energy's goal for fuel-cell catalysts: 130 amps per cubic centimeter. It also matches the performance of typical platinum catalysts....
  • Iron-Based Catalysts with Improved Oxygen Reduction Activity in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
    Michel Lefèvre, Eric Proietti, Frédéric Jaouen, Jean-Pol Dodelet
        Iron-based catalysts for the oxygen-reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells have been poorly competitive with platinum catalysts, in part because they have a comparatively low number of active sites per unit volume. We produced microporous carbon–supported iron-based catalysts with active sites believed to contain iron cations coordinated by pyridinic nitrogen functionalities in the interstices of graphitic sheets within the micropores. We found that the greatest increase in site density was obtained when a mixture of carbon support, phenanthroline, and ferrous acetate was ball-milled and then pyrolyzed twice, first in argon, then in ammonia. The current density of a cathode made with the best iron-based electrocatalyst reported here can equal that of a platinum-based cathode with a loading of 0.4 milligram of platinum per square centimeter at a cell voltage of >0.9 volt.
  • Fe-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction in PEMFCs Using Ballmilled Graphite Powder as a Carbon Support
    Eric Proietti, Stéphane Ruggeri, and Jean-Pol Dodelet
    Journal of Electrochemistry    February 5, 2008
            It was found that catalytic activity increases as crystallite size decreases, degree of disorder and nitrogen content increase, and micropore specific surface area increases. Fuel cell test results have shown that the order of increasing maximum power density follows the order of increasing catalytic activity.

FANTASTIC RESOURCE!     now online
 2008 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Presentations

New Catalyst Makes Efficient Ethanol Fuel Cells Feasible
The Future of Things          March 20, 2009
    The new electrocatalyst, which is made of platinum and rhodium atoms on carbon-supported tin dioxide nanoparticles, was proven capable of breaking carbon bonds at room temperature and efficiently oxidizing ethanol into carbon dioxide - this as opposed to common catalysts, which produce acetalhyde and acetic acid as their main reaction products and are thus unsuitable for power generation purposes.

BREAKTHROUGH: A PLATINUM ALTERNATIVE
Brown researchers have found a way to create a larger active surface area with palladium nanoparticles to catalyze energy-producing reactions in a fuel cell. Image: Brown University Chemists Create More Efficient Palladium Fuel Cell Catalysts   Brown University    March 17, 2009
    Brown researchers have found a way to create a larger active surface area with palladium nanoparticles to catalyze energy-producing reactions in a fuel cell.
    In the last several years, scientists have discovered that palladium, a metal, is a strong candidate for providing that initial boost that helps fuel cells go. Palladium is far cheaper than another popular fuel cell catalyst, platinum, and it’s more abundant.
    But researchers have wrestled with creating palladium nanoparticles with enough active surface area to make catalysis efficient in fuel cells while preventing particles from clumping together during the chemical processes that convert a fuel source to electricity. Two Brown University chemists have found a way to overcome those challenges.
    The scientists report in the online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society that they have produced palladium nanoparticles with about 40 percent greater surface area than commercially available palladium particles. The Brown catalysts also remain intact four times longer than what’s currently available.
    “This approach is very novel. It works,” said Vismadeb Mazumder, a graduate student who joined chemistry professor Shouheng Sun on the paper. “It’s two times as active, meaning you need half the energy to catalyze. And it’s four times as stable.”
    Mazumder and Sun created palladium nanoparticles 4.5 nanometers in size. They attached the nanoparticles to a carbon platform at the anode end of a direct formic acid fuel cell. The researchers then did something new: They used weak binding amino ligands to keep the palladium nanoparticles separate and at the same size as they’re attached to the carbon platform. By keeping the particles separate and uniform in size, they increased the available surface area on the platform and raised the efficiency of the fuel cell reaction.

 BREAKTHROUGH

                                                                                                 Image: American Chemical Society
New Device Can Spin Nanowires Thousands of Times Longer
Than Previously Possible!
Huge Efficiency Gains in Fuel Cells Promised  By Using New Nanowire "Web" Electrode
 Nanowires May Lead To Better Fuel Cells
University of Rochester     March 11, 2009
    The creation of long platinum nanowires at the University of Rochester could soon lead to the development of commercially viable fuel cells.
    Described in a paper published today in the journal Nano Letters, the new wires should provide significant increases in both the longevity and efficiency of fuel cells, which have until now been used largely for such exotic purposes as powering spacecraft. Nanowire enhanced fuel cells could power many types of vehicles, helping reduce the use of petroleum fuels for transportation, according to lead author James C. M. Li, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester.
    "People have been working on developing fuel cells for decades. But the technology is still not being commercialized," says Li. "Platinum is expensive, and the standard approach for using it in fuel cells is far from ideal. These nanowires are a key step toward better solutions."


Electron microscope view of platinum nanowires without beads.                
 Image: University of Rochester    

    The platinum nanowires produced by Li and his graduate student Jianglan Shui are roughly ten nanometers in diameter and also centimeters in length—long enough to create the first self-supporting "web" of pure platinum that can serve as an electrode in a fuel cell.
    Much shorter nanowires have already been used in a variety of technologies, such as nanocomputers and nanoscale sensors. By a process known as electrospinning—a technique used to produce long, ultra-thin solid fibers—Li and Shui were able to create platinum nanowires that are thousands of times longer than any previous such wires.
    "Our ultimate purpose is to make free-standing fuel cell catalysts from these nanowires," says Li.
    Within a fuel cell the catalyst facilitates the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, splitting compressed hydrogen fuel into electrons and acidic hydrogen ions. Electrons are then routed through an external circuit to supply power, while the hydrogen ions combine with electrons and oxygen to form the "waste" product, typically liquid or vaporous water.
    Platinum has been the primary material used in making fuel cell catalysts because of its ability to withstand the harsh acidic environment inside the fuel cell. Its energy efficiency is also substantially greater than that of cheaper metals like nickel.
    Prior efforts in making catalysts have relied heavily on platinum nanoparticles in order to maximize the exposed surface area of platinum. The basic idea is simple: The greater the surface area, the greater the efficiency. Li cites two main problems with the nanoparticle approach, both linked to the high cost of platinum.
    First, individual particles, despite being solid, can touch one another and merge through the process of surface diffusion, combining to reduce their total surface area and energy. As surface area decreases, so too does the rate of catalysis inside the fuel cell.
    Second, nanoparticles require a carbon support structure to hold them in place. Unfortunately, platinum particles do not attach particularly well to these structures, and carbon is subject to oxidization, and thus degradation. As the carbon oxidizes over time, more and more particles become dislodged and are permanently lost.
    Li's nanowires avoid these problems completely.
    With platinum arranged into a series of centimeter long, flexible, and uniformly thin wires, the particles comprising them are fixed in place and need no additional support. Platinum will no longer be lost during normal fuel cell operation.
    "The reason people have not come to nanowires before is that it's very hard to make them," says Li. "The parameters affecting the morphology of the wires are complex. And when they are not sufficiently long, they behave the same as nanoparticles."


Electron microscope view of platinum nanowires with beads.            
 Image: University of Rochester    

    One of the key challenges Li and Shui managed to overcome was reducing the formation of platinum beads along the nanowires. Without optimal conditions, instead of a relatively smooth wire, you end up with what looks more like a series of interspersed beads on a necklace. Such bunching together of platinum particles is another case of unutilized surface area.
    "With platinum being so costly, it's quite important that none of it goes to waste when making a fuel cell," says Li. "We studied five variables that affect bead formation and we finally got it—nanowires that are almost bead free."
    His current objective is to further optimize laboratory conditions to obtain fewer beads and even longer, more uniformly thin nanowires. "After that, we're going to make a fuel cell and demonstrate this technology," says Li.
JAPAN
 Gas, Oil Companies Introduce Residential Fuel Cell
Yomiuri Shimbun (JP)     March 10, 2009
    Several different fuels can be used in the household fuel cells--some use kerosene while others use gas. Now, the gas and oil companies--previously long-time rivals--have joined hands to compete against the electricity companies.

JAPAN
 550oC Miniature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Developed
Fuel Cell Today     March 9, 2009
    Previously, however, SOFCs required operation temperatures of 800 - 900°C, and so their application was limited to large-scale stationary power supplies. There have been strong demands for the development of SOFCs operable at lower temperatures to enable their application in small-size portable power supplies.

Nissan Starts Vehicle Testing of New
Fuel-cell Technology
Nissan
February 25, 2009

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that it has started testing a vehicle with a next-generation fuel-cell stack. Announced in August, the new fuel cell unit is 25% smaller than the previous model and provides 1.4 times the power output, 130Kw against 90kw before. With half the amount of platinum in its electrodes and a more durable catalyzer, it will also last longer and be less expensive to build.

Hitachi Nearly Halves Size of Methanol-based Fuel Cell
Serkan Toto     CrunchGear     February 24, 2009
Hitachi announced today it has developed a methanol-based fuel cell, which is 45% smaller than the company’s existing fuel cells.


Carbon nanofibers at 80,000x magnification    NEST Lab    University of Dayton
 BREAKTHROUGH
University of Dayton Researchers Discover Important Advance in Fuel Cell Technology
Jim DeBrosse     Dayton Daily News (OH)    February 7, 2009
    Dai's team discovered that carbon nanotubes infused with nitrogen do a better job than platinum of reducing the oxygen build-up in a fuel cell so that it can produce four times as much electrical current.
  • Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Arrays with High Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction
    Kuanping Gong, Feng Du, Zhenhai Xia, Michael Durstock, Liming Dai
    Science     February 6, 2009
        The large-scale practical application of fuel cells will be difficult to realize if the expensive platinum-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) cannot be replaced by other efficient, low-cost, and stable electrodes. Here, we report that vertically aligned nitrogen-containing carbon nanotubes (VA-NCNTs) can act as a metal-free electrode with a much better electrocatalytic activity, long-term operation stability, and tolerance to crossover effect than platinum for oxygen reduction in alkaline fuel cells. In air-saturated 0.1 molar potassium hydroxide, we observed a steady-state output potential of –80 millivolts and a current density of 4.1 milliamps per square centimeter at –0.22 volts, compared with –85 millivolts and 1.1 milliamps per square centimeter at –0.20 volts for a platinum-carbon electrode. The incorporation of electron-accepting nitrogen atoms in the conjugated nanotube carbon plane appears to impart a relatively high positive charge density on adjacent carbon atoms. This effect, coupled with aligning the NCNTs, provides a four-electron pathway for the ORR on VA-NCNTs with a superb performance.
  • Nanoscale Engineering Science & Technology Laboratory
    University of Dayton

Two weeks into the new Obama Administration
United States Department of Energy
Request for Information (RFI)
February 4, 2009
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program seeks stakeholder and public input on potential early markets and deployment opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cells. The information collected will help guide the Program’s efforts to identify key early markets and related green domestic jobs, validate hydrogen and fuel cell system performance through data collection and communicate results, cultivate demand and accelerate market development, and reduce non-technical barriers that hinder market penetration.

...DOE seeks to facilitate the market penetration of hydrogen and fuel cell products through higher volume purchases (e.g., hundreds to thousands of units) and promote the Hydrogen Program mission by generating “market pull”—stimulating market demand— for the technologies. Higher volume purchases can lower market barriers and help grow the U.S. economy by (a) enabling developers to move down the learning curve, reduce cost, and develop manufacturing capability; (b) establishing a domestic supplier base; (c) creating green jobs both in the manufacturing sector but also in the fuel cell and hydrogen production industries; (d) increasing public awareness of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; (e) enabling assessments of infrastructure needs (which will help to develop codes and standards and lay the groundwork for financing); (f) creating a demand for technology developers, which will, in turn, encourage expansion of relevant training and education opportunities; and (g) familiarizing the end-user communities with the technologies. The number of fuel cell deployments has begun to grow in the material handling equipment and backup power markets, in particular. Government agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency (for material handling equipment) and the Federal Aviation Administration (for backup power), as well as private sector entities including grocers, distribution companies, and others, are starting to incorporate fuel cells into their operations. DOE seeks information on other and related potential early market applications, including but not limited to airport ground support equipment, personal mobility applications, and grounds-keeping equipment, that can contribute to the purchase volumes needed to help lower market barriers, achieve the benefits described above, and accelerate fuel cell market penetration.

...DOE seeks to (1) demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as a storage medium for variable renewable electricity and fuel generation technologies, and (2) address the challenges of using hydrogen from variable renewables to compensate both for short-term mismatches between electricity grid power demand and renewable supply and for providing vehicle fueling capability in a multi-purpose, co-production system.

...DOE seeks to (1) identify and evaluate technical and system engineering opportunities and challenges for deploying biogas/fuel cell applications, (2) evaluate the feasibility of and opportunities for using biogas together with natural gas at specified ratios, and (3) examine potential financing options for biogas/fuel cell deployment projects, including innovative approaches and use of investment tax credits that will lower the needed funding for an entire project.

...DOE is interested in distributed generation CHP projects that use fuel cells as a source of secure, reliable, clean power and heat as an alternative to steam turbines, gas turbines, internal combustion engines, or other traditional CHP prime source.

An Impending Platinum Crisis
and Its Implications for the Future of the Automobile
Chi-Jen Yang     Energy Policy     February 2009
A platinum crisis would have profound implications on energy and environment. On the one hand, inadequate platinum supply will prevent widespread commercialization of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. On the other hand, expensive platinum may enhance the competitiveness of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-powered electric cars.

UK: Voller Energy
         to Liquidate
    Voller Energy via FuelCellWorks
    November 17, 2008
    "Unfortunately, no new funding has been found and, whilst the Board continues to have discussions with interested parties ,which may or may not lead to the provision of a solution to the funding issues, the Board have reluctantly concluded that although the Company has achieved the creation of a marketable product, not all of the original strategic objectives of designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing fuel cell systems can be achieved."

Fuel-cell Pioneer Ballard Power Loses $15.5M  Nov 10 2008

Nanotechnology: Key to Improving Fuel Cell Performance
Michael Berger     Nanowerk     October 31, 2008

    The platinum nanowires at the cathode of a membrane electrode assembly prepared in Dodelet's lab can reach much better performance in fuel cells than a commercial membrane electrode assembly. "We found that our in-house platinum nanowire catalyst shows a 50% higher mass activity than the commercial cathode" says Dodelet. "Quite surprisingly, this improvement occurred in spite of a 50% lower platinum area for the platinum nanowire catalyst. Taking into account both effects, a specific ORR activity of the platinum nanowire catalyst of 275 µA per square centimeter platinum (at 0.9 V) was calculated, which is threefold better than that of the commercial cathode when tested at the same fuel cell test station."

FUEL CELL BREAKTHROUGH

 Mushroom Enzyme Could Strip Pollutants from Fuel Cells
Alok Jha     Guardian (UK)     October 9, 2008
    Christopher Blanford, a chemist at Oxford, is working to replace [fuel cell catalysts such as platinum] with enzymes, biological molecules that are cheap and abundant. Enzymes are used by living organisms from bacteria to humans to speed up chemical reactions and there are many different types specialised to catalyse specific reactions. Laccase has now been shown to equal the catalytic performance of platinum when used to speed up the reactions on the electrode of a fuel cell. The fungi, such as Trametes versicolor, use laccase to break down lignin, a component of the cell walls of plants. But Blanford found that it was also highly effective at reacting oxygen with hydrogen to produce water and electricity.

FORD FUEL CELLS ARE LASTING
3 TIMES LONGER THAN EXPECTED

 Ford Finds Reliability with Fuel Cells
Sean Kilcarr     Fleet Owner     August 27, 2008
    Ford is extending its three-year-old hydrogen fuel cell program for up to 24 months in cooperation with the Department of Energy (DOE) after the company found its first generation fuel cell equipped Focus sedans lasted three times longer and worked much better than originally expected with virtually no degradation in performance. The company said its 30 fuel cell test vehicles have accumulated 865,000 real-world mi. and earned high marks from various fleet users around the world.

Fuel Cell Firm’s Founder Ballard Dies
Brenda Bouw     Canadian Press     August 10, 2008

FUEL CELL BREAKTHROUGH

Fuel Cell Advance Could Lower Cost, Boost Efficiency
EE Times     August 6, 2008

Fuel cells based on the new superlattice electrolyte are being touted as far more efficient and cheaper for use in automobiles.

    "The Spanish researchers could measure the ionic conductivity of their superlattice material, but they couldn't explain it," said Maria Varela of Oak Ridge's Materials Science and Technology Division. "Our direct images show the crystal structure that accounts for the material's conductivity. We can actually see the strained, yet ordered, interface structure and how it opens up much wider pathway for the ions.
  • ORNL Researchers Analyze Material with 'Colossal Ionic Conductivity'    Oak Ridge's National Laboratory    July 31, 2008
    The molecular model of the ion-conducting material shows that numerous vacancies at the interface between the two layers create an open pathway through which ions can travel.
    OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 31, 2008 — A new material characterized at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could open a pathway toward more efficient fuel cells.
        The material, a super-lattice developed by researchers in Spain, improves ionic conductivity near room temperature by a factor of almost 100 million, representing "a colossal increase in ionic conduction properties," said Maria Varela of ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division, who characterized the material's structure with senior researcher Stephen Pennycook.
        The analysis was done with ORNL's 300 kilovolt Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscope, which can achieve aberration-corrected resolutions near 0.6 angstrom, until recently a world record. The direct images show the crystal structure that accounts for the material's conductivity.
        "It is amazing," Varela said. "We can see the strained, yet still ordered, interface structure that opens up a wide pathway for ions to be conducted."
        Solid oxide fuel cell technology requires ion-conducting materials -- solid electrolytes -- that allow oxygen ions to travel from cathode to anode. However, existing materials have not provided atom-scale voids large enough to easily accommodate the path of a conducted ion, which is much bigger than, for example, an electron.
        "The new layered material solves this problem by combining two materials with very different crystal structures. The mismatch triggers a distortion of the atomic arrangement at their interface and creates a pathway through which ions can easily travel," Varela said.
        Other fuel cell materials force ions to travel through tight pathways with few spaces for the ions to occupy, slowing their progress. Rather than forcing the ions to jump from hole to hole, the new material has "lots of vacant spaces to be occupied," said Varela, so the ions can travel much more quickly.
        Unlike previous fuel cell materials, which have to achieve high temperatures to conduct ions, the new material maintains ionic conductivity near room temperatures. High temperatures have been a major roadblock for developers of fuel cell technology.
        The research team with Spain's Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid produced the material and observed its outstanding conductivity properties, but the structural characteristics that enable the material to conduct ions so well were not known until the material was put under the ultra-high resolution microscopes at ORNL.
        The paper, a collaboration between researchers at the Universities of Madrid and at ORNL, was published today in Science.
        ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.
     
  • Colossal Ionic Conductivity at Interfaces of Epitaxial ZrO2:Y2O3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures   Science   August 1, 2008
    The search for electrolyte materials with high oxygen conductivities is a key step toward reducing the operation temperature of fuel cells, which is currently above 700°C. We report a high lateral ionic conductivity, showing up to eight orders of magnitude enhancement near room temperature, in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/strontium titanate epitaxial heterostructures. The enhancement of the conductivity is observed, along with a YSZ layer thickness–independent conductance, showing that it is an interface process. We propose that the atomic reconstruction at the interface between highly dissimilar structures (such as fluorite and perovskite) provides both a large number of carriers and a high-mobility plane, yielding colossal values of the ionic conductivity.
Helmut Kronemayer

German Fuel Cell Research Prize Awarded
     Processing Talk     May 22, 2008

    Ceramic Fuel Cells has awarded a prize to a promising young German fuel cell researcher, Mr Helmut Kronemayer, for his innovative work in the high temperature (SOFC) fuel

cell field. Mr Kronemayer developed laser-based measurement methods for measuring gas temperatures with high precision in combustion systems. Measurements with such high precision have not been possible before.

 FUEL CELL BREAKTHROUGH!
A team of chemists at Brown University for the first time has consistently created uniform platinum nanocubes, a breakthrough that could make hydrogen fuel cells more efficient and less costly.

The Making of a Platinum Nanocube: On the left is a transmission electron microscopy image of 7 nanometer platinum nanocubes used for oxygen reduction reaction. In the upper right corner of this image is a high resolution picture of a single cube. On the right is an illustration demonstrating the oxygen reduction on a Pt(100) surface of a cube.
Platinum Nanocube Enhances FC Operation
                        Brown University (RI)     April 10, 2008
    Two great obstacles to hydrogen-powered vehicles lie with fuel cells. Fuel cells, which like batteries produce electrical power through chemical reactions, have been plagued by their relatively low efficiency and high production costs. Scientists have tested a wide assortment of metals and materials to overcome the twin challenge. Now a team led by Brown University chemistry Professor Shouheng Sun has mastered a Rubik’s Cube-like dilemma for dealing with platinum, a precious metal coveted for its ability to boost a chemical reaction in fuel cells. They show that shaping platinum into a cube greatly enhances its efficiency in a phase of the fuel cell’s operation known as oxygen reduction reaction.

HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
CARS WOULD CUT GLOBAL FOSSIL FUEL USE BY 50%
NEW STUDY SLAMS ALL ALTERNATIVES TO HYDROGEN

COMPARISON OF TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
IN A CARBON-CONSTRAINED WORLD:
HYDROGEN, PLUG-IN HYBRIDS AND BIOFUELS
C. E. (Sandy) Thomas, Ph.D.     March 31, 2008

    "We conclude that even if all FCVs use hydrogen from natural gas, the impact on natural gas resources would be minimal on a global scale, and the slight decrease in natural gas consumption is more than offset by the larger increase in oil resources. The net effect is to partially improve the balance between natural gas and oil consumption while cutting total fossil fuel use in half."

"...a nonprecious metal route to the design of new biohybrid architectures and building blocks for hydrogen-related technologies."

BREAKTHROUGH!
 The new nanotube physics: A single-walled carbon nanotube is bound to a hydrogenase enzyme to produce hydrogen. Image: Michael J. Heben, NREL
 Cheap Hydrogen Power
Gets a Nanotube Boost
Robert Adler     New Scientist (UK)     November 21, 2007
 
    Nanotubes normally absorb and re-emit light at characteristic wavelengths but, after hydrogenase is added, this photoluminescence disappears, suggesting that the enzyme is feeding electrons into the nanotubes as it catalyses the oxidation hydrogen. The team found that they could control the catalytic reaction by changing the pH balance of the solution or the amount of hydrogen in it. As expected, when they added oxygen, which inactivates hydrogenase, the nanotubes lit up again. In the absence of oxygen, the hydrogenase-nanotube connections continued to work for up to a week.    more

Background: In May2007, a team from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory led by Michael Heben announced significant progress in reducing the amount of platinum required in electrolysis:
Michael J. Heben, National Renewable Energy Laboratory    "We are interested in developing the scientific principles to control catalysis and electrocatalysis on the nanoscale. We seek to design interfaces and electrodes using nanoscience to permit; (1) highly efficient and robust catalyst utilization, (2) fundamental investigations of the key reaction steps which are relevant to fuel- forming and fuel-cell reactions, and (3) a route away from precious metal catalysts. We approach this problem using carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs)...
    "An increase in the Pt catalyst utilization efficiency  (currently less than 30%) would dramatically decrease the amount of catalyst needed in current PEMFCs. To effectively utilize the Pt catalyst in a PEMFC, the catalyst must have simultaneous access to the gas, the electron conducting medium, and the proton conducting medium. Typically, the catalyst layer for a conventional Pt-catalyzed fuel cell is prepared by an ink-process. Here, Pt-supported carbon particles are blended with Nafion in order to allow for the simultaneous access of the Pt catalyst to the electron conducting and proton conducting media. A common issue with this conventional blending process has been that the proton transport material, Nafion, tends to isolate the carbon  support particles in the catalyst layer, leading to poor electron transport throughout the cell. The use of SWNT-supported electrocatalysts in PEMFCs has the potential to eliminate this problem and improve the utilization efficiency of the electrocatalyst. Preliminary results show that the current associated with oxygen reduction on the Pt/SWNT electrodes with [6 micrograms of platinum per square centimeter] is only 20% lower than g/cm  the current for the Pt/SWNT electrode with [18 micrograms of platinum per square centimeter.] This result suggests that the Pt/ SWNT interaction has a pronounced affect on the kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction. "
 Carbon Nanotube Materials for Substrate Enhanced Control of Catalytic Activity     Michael J. Heben , Anne C. Dillon, Chaiwat Engtrakul, Se-Hee Lee    NREL

    Now another team from NREL, again led by Michael Heben, has discovered a "new nanotube physics" that combines nanotubes with peculiar metalloenzymes called hydrogenases. Although discovered in the 1930s as the critical engine of anaerobic metabolism (life in the absence of oxygen), these enzymes were brought to public attention in 2000 by Dr. Tasios Melis of UC Berkeley who discovered a method of stimulating anaerobic hydrogen production from algae. Then on September 10, 2007, Heben and his team announced that they had developed a "biohybrid" technique using single-walled carbon nanotubes to entirely replace the precious metals previously required for catalyzing oxygen/hydrogen reactions, and creating, somewhat surprisingly, robust, biologically-driven nanoscale electron pumps that may possibly be harnessed to produce useable power. -- RDM

Wiring-Up Hydrogenase with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Timothy J. McDonald, Drazenka Svedruzic, Yong-Hyun Kim, Jeffrey L. Blackburn, S. B. Zhang, Paul W. King and Michael J. Heben    NREL   Nano Letters
    Abstract: Many envision a future where hydrogen is the centerpiece of a sustainable, carbon-free energy supply. For example, the energy in sunlight may be stored by splitting water into H2 and O2 using inorganic semiconductors and photoelectrochemical approaches or with artificial photosynthetic systems that seek to mimic the light absorption, energy transfer, electron transfer, and redox catalysis that occurs in green plants. Unfortunately, large scale deployment of artificial water-splitting technologies may be impeded by the need for the large amounts of precious metals required to catalyze the multielectron water-splitting reactions. Nature provides a variety of microbes that can activate the dihydrogen bond through the catalytic activity of [NiFe] and [FeFe] hydrogenases, and photobiological approaches to water splitting have been advanced. One may also consider a biohybrid approach; however, it is difficult to interface these sensitive metalloenzymes to other materials and systems. Here we show that surfactant-suspended carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) spontaneously self-assemble with [FeFe] hydrogenases in solution to form catalytically active biohybrids. Photoluminescence excitation and Raman spectroscopy studies show that SWNTs act as molecular wires to make electrical contact to the biocatalytic region of hydrogenase. Hydrogenase mediates electron injection into nanotubes having appropriately positioned lowest occupied molecular orbital levels when the H2 partial pressure is varied. The hydrogenase is strongly attached to the SWNTs, so mass transport effects are eliminated and the absolute potential of the electronic levels of the nanotubes can be unambiguously measured. Our findings reveal new nanotube physics and represent the first example of "wiring-up" an hydrogenase with another nanoscale material. This latter advance offers a nonprecious metal route to the design of new biohybrid architectures and building blocks for hydrogen-related technologies.     more

Catalyst and Fuel Cell Surface Chemistry Researcher
Gerhard Ertl Wins 2007
Nobel Prize for Chemistry
Platinum Today     October 10, 2007
    Gerhard Ertl has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry in response to his work to help understand how fuel cells work, as well as looking into how platinum catalysts in cars function.

Modern Surface Chemistry – Fuel Cells,
Artificial Fertilizers and Clean Exhaust
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences     October 10, 2007
    The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2007 is awarded for groundbreaking studies in surface chemistry. This science is important for the chemical industry and can help us to understand such varied processes as why iron rusts, how fuel cells function and how the catalysts in our cars work. Chemical reactions on catalytic surfaces play a vital role in many industrial operations, such as the production of artificial fertilizers. Surface chemistry can even explain the destruction of the ozone layer, as vital steps in the reaction actually take place on the surfaces of small crystals of ice in the stratosphere. The semiconductor industry is yet another area that depends on knowledge of surface chemistry.
    It was thanks to processes developed in the semiconductor industry that the modern science of surface chemistry began to emerge in the 1960s. Gerhard Ertl was one of the first to see the potential of these new techniques. Step by step he has created a methodology for surface chemistry by demonstrating how different experimental procedures can be used to provide a complete picture of a surface reaction. This science requires advanced high-vacuum experimental equipment as the aim is to observe how individual layers of atoms and molecules behave on the extremely pure surface of a metal, for instance. It must therefore be possible to determine exactly which element is admitted to the system. Contamination could jeopardize all the measurements. Acquiring a complete picture of the reaction requires great precision and a combination of many different experimental techniques.
    Gerhard Ertl has founded an experimental school of thought by showing how reliable results can be attained in this difficult area of research. His insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry: his method-ology is used in both academic research and the indust-rial development of chemical processes. The approach developed by Ertl is based not least on his studies of the Haber-Bosch process, in which nitrogen is extracted from the air for inclusion in artificial fertilizers. This reaction, which functions using an iron surface as its catalyst, has enormous economic significance because the availability of nitrogen for growing plants is often restricted. Ertl has also studied the oxidation of carbon monoxide on platinum, a reaction that takes place in the catalyst of cars to clean exhaust emissions.

New Fuel Cell Electrode: 99% Less Platinum
FuelCellWorks     October 1, 2007

IT'S HERE!

IT'S CHEAP!
               US$24.99 THE SPECS
HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
 Medis Launches First Mass Market Fuel Cell

Reuben Lee     CNET / Crave     September 27, 2007
The first-generation 24/7 Power Pack charger from Medis Technologies promises to extend the talktime on handsets by up to 30 hours, 20 hours for smart phones or as much as 80 hours of playback for MP3 players such as the iPod.

BREAKTHROUGH!
 THE END OF THE CARBON AGE?
    Since conventional fuel cells (proton-exchange type) use strongly acidic electrolyte membranes, platinum, which possesses excellent corrosion resistance, is the only material that can be used as the electrode catalyst. By reversing this conventional model and utilizing an alkaline anionexchange fuel cell Daihatsu succeeded in eliminating platinum from the electrode catalyst, replacing it with an inexpensive metal (cobalt, nickel, etc.), which could not be used before due to low corrosion resistance.


Daihatsu Develops New Fuel Cell
 That Uses No Precious Metals
Daihatsu Motor Company     September 14, 2007

 New technology has zero CO2 emissions, conserves resources and significantly reduces cost

DAIHATSU MOTOR CO., LTD. (Daihatsu) announced today that it has, working with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), developed a new fundamental fuel cell technology that completely eliminates the need for platinum, a precious metal that has been an essential material in the electrode catalyst in conventional fuel cells for automobiles. The new technology also fixes hydrazine hydrate inside the fuel tank to ensure its safe use as a fuel, resulting in no CO2 emissions at all.
    This proprietary fuel cell technology provides numerous benefits, including resource conservation, low cost, high output, and safe and easy fuel handling. The characteristics of the new fuel cell technology are described below.
Resource Conservation and Low Cost
    The fuel cells currently being used in fuel cell vehicles employ strongly acidic electrolyte membranes and therefore must possess high corrosion resistance. Consequently, the use of expensive platinum in the electrode catalyst material is essential. Additionally, the large amount of platinum that must be used has become one of the factors hindering the widespread adoption of fuel cell vehicles. (Amount of platinum used: At least 100 grams per vehicle1)
    In contrast, the newly developed technology uses alkaline electrolyte membranes. This allows inexpensive metals such as cobalt and nickel to be used as an electrode catalyst (instead of platinum), and other inexpensive materials to be used in the separator and other component parts. As a result, it helps conserve valuable resources of precious metals and significantly reduces cost. (See the attachment for technology details.)
                                            1: Based on a Daihatsu survey
High Output
    Conventional fuel cells that use liquid fuels such as methanol have poor reactivity and thus cannot produce the output necessary for automobiles. Using hydrazine hydrate, which possesses excellent reactivity, as the fuel and a newly developed electrode catalyst, the new fuel cell can produce a high output of 0.5 W/cm2 (as measured by Daihatsu), which is comparable to the output obtained from a hydrogen fuel cell using platinum.
Safe and Easy Fuel Handling
    Since hydrazine hydrate is a liquid fuel, it is easy to handle during filling and its energy density is also high. Furthermore, hydrazine hydrate results in no CO2 emissions at all, and is an environmentally friendly synthetic fuel.
    At the same time, high-concentration hydrazine hydrate is designated as a poisonous substance2 under the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law, and it must be handled under the same safety standards applicable to gasoline and most industrial chemicals. With the objective of ensuring safe use, Daihatsu developed a technology that fixes the hydrazine hydrate inside the fuel tank through the use of a polymer, minimizing the adverse effects that any dispersed fuel could have on humans or the environment should the fuel tank be damaged during a collision, for example, but that makes the required amount of liquid hydrazine hydrate available in a timely manner for electricity generation in the fuel cell.
                                            2: When the liquid concentration exceeds 30%
     With the goal of helping to preserve the global environment, Daihatsu will accelerate further research and development of this technology. However, since various issues must be resolved, including improvements in the polymer for fixing the fuel, enhancement of both the performance and durability of the fuel cell, and establishment of the necessary infrastructure, Daihatsu hopes to establish wide-ranging partnerships with relevant parties and proceed with further R&D.
    The paper describing this new technology was acknowledged as a "Hot Paper" in the Angewandte Chemie, a German chemistry journal noted for its excellent Impact Factor in the field of chemistry.

Platinum-free Electrode Catalyst   Daihatsu Motor Company

RELEASED
 PricewaterhouseCoopers Report
2007 Survey of Public Fuel Cell Companies
Worldwide fuel cell sector revenues hit record high in 2006, but losses increase as companies continue R&D
   Almost all of the revenues reported in the survey were from North America-based companies. Quantum Fuel Cell Systems (US$193 million) retained its spot as top revenue earner in the PwC Fuel Cell List for the second consecutive year, followed by Ballard Power Systems (US$50 million), and Distributed Energy Systems Corp (US$45 million). Outside of North America, German company Smart Fuel Cell reported the most revenues (US$8 million), followed by Heliocentris Fuel Cells, also of Germany (US$2.1 million), and UK-based Proton Power Systems plc (US$1.9 million).
    None of the companies in the 2006 survey reported profits. Aggregate losses of the sector increased to US$644 million in 2006 from US$371 million in 2005.
    "The information PwC reviewed for the survey shows that, beyond the financial numbers, fuel cell companies are working hard to deliver products that meet customer demands for performance and cost," said John Webster, a PwC partner and co-author of the survey. "Certain niche markets have begun to open for fuel cell products and we expect to see product development and cost reduction continue to challenge incumbent products."

BREAKTHROUGH
Platinum nanocrystals boost catalytic activity for hydrogen production. Credit: Zhong Lin Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology
(A) Low-magnification SEM image of a platinum tetrahexahedral nanocrystal and its geometrical model. (B) High-resolution transmission electron microscopy image recorded from a platinum tetrahexahedral nanocrystal to reveal surface atomic steps in the areas made of (210) and (310) sub-facets.

Platinum Nanocrystals Boost Catalytic Activity for Hydrogen Production
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News     May 3, 2007
     Depending on conditions, the new nanocrystals can be as much as four times more catalytically active per unit area than existing commercial catalysts. But since the new structures tested are more than 20 times larger than existing platinum catalysts, they require more of the metal – and hence are less active per unit weight.

Filter May Reduce Size, Add Power to Methanol Fuel Cells
 Platinum Today (Johnson Matthey)    April 24, 2007

LARGEST ROLL-OUT YET OF NATURAL GAS FUEL CELLS
A Leap For Fuel Cells
Connecticut Is Backing Showcase Plants To Feed Electricity Grid
Mark Peters     Hartford Courant (CT)     April 15, 2007

Danish Hydrogen Companies Combine Forces with Giants
Copenhagen Capacity (DK)     April 5, 2007
    Danish environment companies H2 Logic and Topsoe Fuel Cells take part in founding an alliance with the purpose of raising 7.5 billion euro to have the fuel cells on the market, writes the news portal "Ingeniøren".


Air Products and FuelCell Energy Begin Construction of High Efficiency Hydrogen Energy Station Demonstration for Combined Hydrogen, Electricity and Heat Generation
Air Products/Fuel Cell Energy     March 20, 2007
The tri-generation system (hydrogen, electricity and heat) is designed to operate on renewable fuel sources, such as anaerobic digester gas from industrial or municipal wastewater treatment facilities, as well as readily available fuels, including natural gas and propane. ...The system is designed to produce more than 250 kilowatts (kW) of green power and over 135 kilograms (about 300 pounds) of hydrogen per day.

The Acid Test: VW's Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell
Andrew English     The Telegraph (UK)     March 17, 2007
For the last decade [VW] has been working on a different type of fuel cell that uses phosphoric acid instead of water as an electrolyte. It's a technology that Honda has looked at and rejected, but VW has made an advance that it thinks makes the idea promising.
 
  BREAKTHROUGH      
    “The existing limitations facing PEM fuel cell technology applications in the transportation sector could be eliminated with the development of stable cathode catalysts with several orders of magnitude increase in activity over today’s state-of-the-art catalysts, and that is what our discovery has the potential to provide.” -- DOE Scientist Vojislav Stamenkovic

A Boost for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory     January 25, 2007
Stamenkovic and Argonne senior scientist Nenad Markovic are the corresponding authors of a study whose results are now available online from the journal Science.  The paper, entitled Improved Oxygen Reduction Activity on Pt3Ni(111) via Increased Surface Site Availability, reports a platinum-nickel alloy that increased the catalytic activity of a fuel cell cathode by an astonishing 90-fold over the platinum-carbon cathode catalysts used today.

DETAILS ON THE EARTH-SHAKING BREAKTHROUGH IN FUEL CELL RESEARCH
Nano Engineering Platinum Surfaces
Engineer Live     April 5, 2007
    George Crabtree, director of Argonne’s Materials Science Division, emphasised the path-breaking importance of the research. “This dramatic increase,” he said, “addresses one of the grand challenges of the hydrogen economy, reducing the amount of expensive platinum catalyst needed to operate fuel cells efficiently. It is not only world-class basic science, it is a major advance for energy research.”

“There is no better use for advanced energy technologies than protecting public health and safety. These fuel cell installations will keep state communications on-line when they are often needed the most, during power outages and other emergency situations.”
Timothy S. Carey, NYPA’s President and CEO
 New York Power Authority and
 State Police to Deploy Fuel Cells
NYPA     December 28, 2006

VW Researchers Unveil New High-Temperature Fuel Cell
International Herald Tribune / AP     October 31, 2006

Japan Claims Development of Micro Honeycomb SOFC
 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science (Japan)     Oct 31, 2006

DOE Awards $100 Million in Fuel Cell R&D
 Environment News Service     October 24, 2006
The largest single award, $8.9 million, goes to the 3M corporation for work on membranes used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The second largest award also goes to 3M for work on catalysts.

New Mexico State Emergency Management Uses
Plug Power Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Backup    KOBT TV     October 6, 2006

ITM Power, U of Hertfordshire Aim for H2 Cost Breakthrough
 Auto Industry     August 18, 2006
 Alameda County Completes Megawatt-Class Hydrogen FC Plant
Chevron     August 10, 2006
 Verizon Heeds Call of Fuel Cells
Marguerite Reardon     CNET     August 7, 2006
When the project was launched last year, Verizon predicted it would save $250,000 per year in energy costs. The real savings exceeded those expectations, and came to about $680,000.
Alternative-energy Firm Nuvera Fuel Cells
to Open New World Headquarters
Matt Murphy    Lowell Sun (MA)    July 1, 2006

Technology Marches with Troops
Damian Housman, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center Public Affairs
December 18, 2006

     Thursday the Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office here held a demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell developed by Battelle for providing power at remote locations. Halogen light units were powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, and by a current generation light cart using diesel fuel. The diesel generator produced toxic emissions and odor, and considerable noise, along with electric power. The hydrogen fuel cell produced electric power with no emissions, no odor and almost no noise at all. This is the latest in a series of demonstrations held by the Air Force APTO in its effort to develop ways to make the Air Force less dependent on fossil fuels, especially from non-U.S. sources.

UTC Power Fuel Cells Heading
Aloft Again on Space Shuttle
UTC Power     June 29, 2006

Each fuel cell is capable of providing 12 kW continuously, and up to 16 kW for short periods. Each power plant contains 96 individual cells of the alkaline (KOH) electrolyte technology, which are connected to achieve a 28-volt output.
    "Our fuel cells have demonstrated outstanding reliability – more than 99 percent availability – since the Shuttle era commenced in 1981," said Jan van Dokkum, company president. "As a company, we are extremely proud of the durability and energy efficiency of our environmentally advanced products, whether applied for use in space or on the ground at buildings or in automobiles and buses."

First known demonstration of SOFC for electricity and H2 cogeneration!
Chattanooga Fuel Cell Demonstration Project
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga     May 16 - 19, 2006

Running on Hydrogen   Colleen Diskin   North Jersey (NJ)   May 15, 2006

Fuel cell schematic. Image: U.S. Department of Energy


Cheaper
Fuel
Cells!
A new membrane
makes fuel cells more powerful and less expensive to produce

Kevin Bullis
Technology Review
April 5, 2006
    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers who developed the new material say it can "dramatically outperform" the material now used to form fuel-cell membranes. ...The researchers say the new membrane conducts protons nearly three times as well as the currently used material, significantly improving power density.
  • Research In The DeSimone Lab
    Through our close working relationship with DuPont, we are designing new proton exchange membranes (PEM) for fuel cells. There is a strong need to improve the properties of NafionTM, which is the leading benchmark PEM. We are designing new materials based on tetrafluoroethylene and perfluorinated sulfonated vinyl ethers to make materials with higher glass transition temperatures and lower methanol permeability. Success in this project would allow the use of fuel cells at higher temperatures than is possible today, which would improve the efficiencies of the precious metal catalysts, and would also enable the use of methanol directly as the fuel source instead of hydrogen which has shipping and other logistical challenges. Much of our work is focused on the use of fuel cells for portable power applications such as laptops, cell phones, embedded sensors and applications in Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.
  • Professor Joseph M. DeSimone    UNC Chapel Hill
  • Refereed Publications and Recently Submitted Manuscripts

Congresswoman Heather Wilson visits Intelligent Energy, Albuquerque
Intelligent Energy     June 9, 2006

Nano fuel cell developed by Kenneth Lux and Karien Rodriguez. Image: ACS

FUNDAMENTAL NANOTECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH MAY LEAD TO
UNLIMITED MODULARITY AND RAPID
MASS PRODUCTION OF FUEL CELLS

"We are building nanoscale fuel cells from the bottom up instead from the top down, like the automobile makers."
Kenneth W. Lux

Nanofuel Cells Provide Remote Power
R. Colin Johnson     EE Times     February 20, 2006
     Lux and Rodriguez discovered the best way to make porous 3-D platinum electrodes: soak copper-platinum alloy nanowires in nitric acid, removing their copper. Later, they found, they could create nano fuel cells by merely laying them out lithographically so their anode and cathode electrodes protruded from the same side, with a liquid electrolyte reservoir that bent to chemically connect them. With concept proven, Lux is trying to replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid-state version, enabling future remote sensor chips to potentially integrate all the components but fuel for arrays of on-chip fuel cells.

The first 10kW fuel cell system has been delivered to PSA Peugeot Citroën
and is presently undergoing laboratory testing.
Intelligent Energy and PSA Peugeot Citroën
Announce Fuel Cell Development Program
Intelligent Energy     January 12, 2005

  • NUCLEAR POWER PURSUES HYDROGEN DEVELOPMENT IN FRANCE
    GENEPAC, the First Fuel Cell Stack Developed PSA Peugeot Citroën, CEA Partnership     Paddocktalk     January 14, 2006
        As the only French research organisation working on the entire hydrogen chain - from production and storage to regulations and transportation applications - the CEA conducts research into the mechanisms that affect performance, ageing and deterioration of fuel cells in order to develop innovative technologies, further demonstrating its strong commitment to new energy technologies.

Perspective on Leaky Membrane Extends DMFC Run Time
Penn State (PA)     February 24, 2006
Fuel Cells Powering Ahead
Peter Garnham     Financial Times (UK)     January 31, 2006
UNITED KINGDOM   BP  NAPIER UNIVERSITY 
Napier Scientists to Use Solar Power to Generate Hydrogen Fuel
Napier University     January 23, 2006
OREGON   OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
 Microbial Fuel Cell Technology Helps Filter Wastewater, Provide Power
Oregon Live/AP     January 22, 2006
SOUTH AFRICA
 New Fuel Cell Design Adds Control, Reduces Complexity
 Princeton University Engineering School     January 16, 2007
This simple control mechanism, which varies the flow of hydrogen fuel to control the power generated, was previously thought impossible and is a potentially major development in fuel cell technology.

BREAKTHROUGH!
Scientists Using Nanotechnology and Gold Clusters Have
Discovered the Key to Longevity for Platinum in Fuel Cells
Brookhaven Lab Scientists Stabilize Platinum Electrocatalysts
Brookhaven National Laboratory     January 12, 2006
    In the Brookhaven experiment, the platinum electrocatalyst remained stable with potential cycling between 0.6 and 1.1 volts in over 30,000 oxidation-reduction cycles, imitating the conditions of stop-and-go driving.

Platinum in Fuel Cells Gets a Helping Hand
Robert F. Service     American Society for the Advancement of Science     January 12, 2007
     The fuel cells that power electric cars with hydrogen are expensive because their key ingredient is platinum, and their performance degrades too quickly for practical use. But advances by two U.S.-led groups... offer new hope for tackling these problems.

Plug Power, IST Granted $3m for New Fuel Cells
Sunday Times (South Africa)     January 10, 2005
 Ion Power Installs Two Plug Power Fuel Cells
The News Journal (DE)     January 6, 2005
 Priming Fuel Cell Technology for the Market
Fuel Cell Industry Report     January 2006
Katrina Makes Case for Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Craig Johnson     TV Technology / Fuelcellworks     December 14, 2005

DEFENSE INDUSTRY DAILY DESCRIBES THE REFINERY STACK GAS PROPANE
AS AN "ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE" FOR PLUG POWER FUEL CELLS
WILL REGULAR  SOON BECOME ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE FOR PREMIUM?
 Fuel Cells Powering Up at Robins AFB
Defense Industry Daily     December 9, 2005

PLUG POWER:  The Backup Plan
Tom Mashberg     Technology Review     December 6, 2005

Researchers Find Revolutionary, Cheaper Way
to Make Fuel Cells
Jessica Kludt     The Daily Texan     December 1, 2005
    The current cost of fuel cell technology is prohibitive to commercial application, said Arumugam Manthiram, a mechanical engineering professor who is heading the experiment along with Allen Bard, a chemistry and biochemistry professor.
    Manthiram and his team have experimentally tested the use of a metal alloy of palladium, cobalt and molybdenum to replace the more expensive platinum that is now used in fuel cells for the conversion of chemical energy. This alloy would cost roughly one-fifth as much as platinum. Manthiram said that more long-term tests with industrial partners are needed to verify its durability and stability.

Robotic Assembly of Fuel Cells Could Hasten Hydrogen Economy
Newswire    November 8, 2005

Focusing on Fuel Cells
Renaaelaer Research Review    Fall 2005

Fuel Cell Rivals Vie For Plant Contract
John M. Moran     Hartford Courant (CT)     October 19, 2005

Click to download the "2005 Fuel Cell Industry Survey" from PriceWaterhouseCoopers Canada.

RELEASED                                                 
2005 Fuel Cell
Industry Survey
PriceWaterhouseCoopers Canada
October 4, 2005
...revenues exceeded research and
development (R&D) expenditures,
continuing a trend that began in 2002.

Siemens Power Generation Awarded New DOE Cooperative Agreement
 for Coal-based Hybrid Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine System
 Siemens     October 18, 2005

Ballard the World's Biggest Player in Fuel Cells in 2004
Derrick Penner      Vancouver Sun     October 5, 2005

World's Largest Fuel Cell Generation Project Set for Long Island
Donna Fitzpatrick Bethell    Newsday    October 4, 2005

hot3.gif (384 bytes)

The Fuel Cell is Alive and Kicking
Andrew English    The Telegraph (UK)    October 1, 2005

Korea: LG Claims the Most Advanced Methanol Fuel Cell
Mark LaPedus     EE Times      September 29, 2005

Ballard Power Courts Chinese Investment in Fuel Cells
Bloomberg     September 21, 2005

A diagram of a fuel cell’s polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) with the proton-conducting group triazole (the circles in the diagram). Protons hop from one group to another to move through the PEM without the need of water.
A diagram of a fuel cell’s polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) with the proton-conducting group triazole (the circles in the diagram). Protons hop from one group to another to move through the PEM without the need of water.

TRIAZOLE
Chemical Could Revolutionize
Polymer Fuel Cells
Georgia Tech     August 24, 2005
Dr. Melin Liu, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies at Georgia Tech Image: Georgia Tech
  Dr. Melin Liu, Professor
   and Co-Director of the
   Center for Innovative
   Fuel Cell and Battery
   Technologies 		    A team lead by Dr. Meilin Liu, a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech, has discovered that a chemical called triazole is significantly more effective than similar chemicals researchers have explored to increase conductivity and reduce moisture dependence in polymer membranes. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
    “Triazole will greatly reduce many of the problems that have prevented polymer fuel cells from making their way into things like cars,cell phones and laptops,” said Liu. “It’s going to have a dramatic effect.”
      ...Heat must be removed from the fuel cells to keep them cool, and a water balance has to be maintained to ensure the required hydration of the PEMs. This increases the complexity of the fuel cell system and significantly reduces its overall efficiency. But by using triazole-containing PEMs, Liu’s team has been able to increase their PEM fuel cell operating temperatures to above 120 degrees Celsius, eliminating the need for a water management system and dramatically simplifying the cooling system.   more
NEW YORK     FUEL CELL ENERGY                                                        August 14, 2005
hot3.gif (384 bytes)Midtown New York Fuel Cell May be Glimpse of the Future  Daniel Hendrick  New York Newsday
FUEL CELL ENERGY                                                                                   August 4, 2005

Building a New Type
of Hydrogen Fueling
Kurt Blumenau    The Morning Call (PA)  

fce_crane80h.jpg (4340 bytes)
    The idea is to feed natural gas, propane and other readily available fuels through a FuelCell Energy fuel cell, which will produce hydrogen, heat and electricity. The hydrogen will be purified and pumped using technology designed by Air Products.

Australia and New Zealand
A Survey of Recent Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Development
Kerry-Ann Adamson     Fuel Cell Today    August 2005

NEW YORK      UTC POWER                    UTC Power                               August 9, 2005
Fuel Cells Taking Some Heat Off the New York Power Grid
    New York buildings that have benefited from the reliable and clean energy provided by UTC Power fuel cells include the Central Park police station and 4 Times Square (where the NASDAQ stock market is located), both in New York City; the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an Army installation in Albany; two schools in the Syracuse area; a hospital on Staten Island; and nine wastewater treatment facilities scattered throughout New York City's five boroughs.

Sierra_Nevada_Beer1.jpg (9321 bytes)"I'll be back."
terminator3s.jpg (5502 bytes)
Governor Stops By
Sierra Nevada Brewery
Oroville Mercury-Register
Laura Urseny     July 29, 2005
    With the promise of more investment in hydrogen power statewide, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited nearby Chico Thursday and lavished praise on the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and founder Ken Grossman's venture into the land of hydrogen. Schwarzenegger was guest of honor during an unofficial dedication of Sierra Nevada's four hydrogen-powered fuel cell power plant, which is the largest commercial installation in the state.

"For the first time a modern Congress has endorsed a national program to pursue hydrogen and fuel cells as a mainstream strategy to try to get us off our addiction to oil." Robert Rose, Executive Director, U.S. Fuel Cell Council
Energy Bill Provides Billions for Fuel Cell Technologies
Lolita C. Baldor      AP     July 27, 2005

Fuel Cells Receive Favorable Support in Energy Bill Conference
U.S. Fuel Cell Council     July 22, 2005

NUVERA FUEL CELLS                  Nuvera Fuel Cells                               August 9, 2005
2nd Generation Automotive Fuel Cell Sets New Performance Standard
    The new stack, which is capable of generating 125 kW of power (168 horsepower) and is currently available for delivery to qualified customers developing fuel cell vehicles, exceeded key product milestones for power density, cold-start capability, system efficiency, durability, and high-volume production cost.

Hydrogenics Provides Mid-Year Update on Light Mobility Initiatives
Hydrogenics     July 29, 2005

Micro Propane Fuel Cell Packs Power    TRN    July 27, 2005
Propane packs twice as much energy for its weight as methane,
which is more often used for fuel cells.

"I am pleased to report that our fuel cell activities recently achieved an important technology cost goal—the high-volume cost of automotive fuel cells was reduced from $275 per kilowatt to $200 per kilowatt. This accomplishment is a major step toward the program’s goal of reducing the cost of transportation fuel cell power systems to $45 per kilowatt by 2010.”
Douglas Faulkner, Acting Secretary
Dept. of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Obstacles in the Road Towards Hydrogen Economy
Research Day USA     July 21, 2005
  • Romm is Wrong  rebuttals to critic Joseph "Buy-my-book" Romm by Sandy Thomas (H2Gen), Larry Burns (GM) and Barry Wallerstein (SCAQMD); additional comments by David Freeman (California Power Authority) and Amory Lovins (RMI)   Aug 2004

Fujitsu, DoCoMo Fire Up Phone Fuel Cells    Forbes     July 15, 2005
The high concentration of methanol allows the prototype device to charge up to three FOMA handset batteries with just 18 cc of methanol. Compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries, micro fuel cells with replaceable fuel cartridges offer, in theory, tenfold performance and can store three times as much energy, Fujitsu claims.

Ballard Signs Agreement to Sell German Subsidiary
to DaimlerChrysler and Ford    Ballard     June 23, 2005

Starwood to Install Fuel Cells at Sheraton San Diego
San Diego Daily Transcript   June 15, 2005

Partnerships in Fuel Cells and Solar Cells
Reflect Heightened Interest in the Technology
Red Herring      June 7, 2005

Revving Up Fuel Cells    Forbes     June 1, 2005

Argonne to Study Fuel Cell Catalysts
Argonne National Laboratory     May 26, 2005

PUC Agrees to Pilot with Proton Energy Systems
on Backup Power in Fuel Cell
New Haven Register/Fuel Cell Works     May 24, 2005

UK Firm Claims Breakthrough in Fuel Cell Technology
Reuters     May 19, 2005

Nanomix Delivers Hydrogen Detection Device   Nanomix    May 12, 2005

Superwarriors May be Cell Powered Action Men
Lautaro Vargas     Business Weekly (UK)    May 6, 2005

Click to download the report "Platinum 2005" from Johnson Matthey

RELEASED
Platinum 2005
Johnson Matthey

Fuel-Cell Firm to Go Public
Hoku Scientific, which makes fuel-cell components called membranes and assemblies, has filed to sell $57.7 million of its common stock
Red Herring    May 2, 2005

UTC Power Lauds U.S. House Support of
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology in New Energy Law
UTC Power     April 22, 2005

BREAKTHROUGH

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY TO BENEFIT HUMANITY BY PENN STATE'S KAPPE PROFESSOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING BRUCE LOGAN

loganmicfc.jpg (9101 bytes)

Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source and Wastewater Cleaner
Penn State     April 22, 2005

"This MFC process is not limited to using only carbohydrate-based biomass for hydrogen production like conventional fermentation processes. We can theoretically use our MFC to obtain high yields of hydrogen from any biodegradable, dissolved, organic matter -- human, agricultural or industrial wastewater, for example -- and simultaneously clean the wastewater. While there is likely insufficient waste biomass to sustain a global hydrogen economy, this form of renewable energy production may help offset the substantial costs of wastewater treatment as well as provide a contribution to nations able to harness hydrogen as an energy source."
Bruce Logan
   In the new MFC, when the bacteria eat biomass, they transfer electrons to an anode. The bacteria also release protons, hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, which go into solution. The electrons on the anode migrate via a wire to the cathode, the other electrode in the fuel cell, where they are electrochemically assisted to combine with the protons and produce hydrogen gas.
    A voltage in the range of 0.25 volts or more is applied to the circuit by connecting the positive pole of a programmable power supply to the anode and the negative pole to the cathode.
    The researchers call their hydrogen-producing MFC a BioElectrochemically-Assisted Microbial Reactor or BEAMR. The BEAMR not only produces hydrogen but simultaneously cleans the wastewater used as its feedstock. It uses about one-tenth of the voltage needed for electrolysis, the process that uses electricity to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen.
    Logan adds, "This new process demonstrates, for the first time, that there is real potential to capture hydrogen for fuel from renewable sources for clean transportation."    more

JADOO: Hydrogen Fuel Cells Power TV News Crews
Michael Kanellos    CNET News     April 12, 2005
The company has also landed an exemption from the Department of Transportation to carry its cameras on planes.

Rolls-Royce And Singapore Partners to Invest
US$200 Million in SOFC Fuel Cells
 Rolls Royce       Fuel Cell Fact Sheet        April 6, 2005

SOFC:  Getting Fuel Cells to Run on Gasoline    IEEE    April 4, 2005

A New Fuel Cell's Many Positives
Burt Helm      Business Week     March 25, 2005

MTI MICROFUEL CELLS MTI Pins Hopes on Military Market
Knight-Ridder      March 16, 2005

JAPAN   SOUTH KOREA  TOYOTA   HITACHI   TOKYO GAS   HONDA   SAMSUNG  

Kyoto Protocol Spurs Race to Develop Fuel Cells
Kyodo News      March 10, 2005
At the 2005 World Exposition to open in Aichi Prefecture in March, an experiment will be carried out for the world's first energy system combining fuel cells with power generated by household kitchen garbage and sunlight.  ...At the exposition, Aichi-based Toyota Motor Corp. will operate a ''fuel cell hybrid bus'' to carry visitors between the exposition's two sites over a 4.4-kilometer road. Hitachi Ltd. will unveil at its pavilion a mobile phone information terminal equipped with a cartridge-type fuel cell containing 5 cubic centimeters of methanol. When the fuel runs out, the cartridge is changed. ''If commercialized in the future, cartridges could be sold at shops in railway stations and convenience stores for about 100 yen,'' a Hitachi official said. Tokyo Gas Co. has already commercialized fuel cells and on Feb. 8 began selling the world's first cogeneration-type fuel cell system for household use. Besides electricity, heat from electricity generation can also be used. Utilizing the high efficiency in electricity generation of fuel cells, electricity, air conditioning and hot water supplies could be provided to households at cheaper rates than before. Toyota and Honda Motor Co. have already begun leasing passenger cars with fuel cells to government ministries and agencies to publicize them among consumers. At the first international fuel cell exhibition held in Tokyo in January, some 230 companies from 10 or so countries, including Japan, the United States, South Korea and China, exhibited their products. In the keynote lecture, Yun Sok Ryol, head of a research institute affiliated with Samsung Electronics Co., said, ''I am confident that the next-generation energy is fuel cells.''

Click to download "The Hydrogen Revolution: An Evaluation of Patent Trends in the Fuel Cell Industry" by Thomson Scientific Ltd.

hot3.gif (384 bytes)The Hydrogen
Revolution
An evaluation of patent trends in the fuel cell industry
Ed White     Thomson Scientific Ltd

    This report describes the explosive rise in fuel cell patenting over the past five years (1999 to 2003). The number of patented inventions has more than quadrupled during this time period and companies are fiercely competing to stake ownership on intellectual property that could one day become multi-billion dollar products.

US DEPT OF ENERGY NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LAB
DELPHI    SOLID STATE ENERGY CONVERSION ALLIANCE		 BATTELLE          
January 5, 2005 

FUEL CELLS WITHOUT PLATINUM

Delphi Exceeds DOE
SOFC Efficiency Target

The test cells produced an initial power density of 575 milliwatts per square centimeter at 0.7 volts nominal in full-size stacks, bettering the Energy Department’s target of 500 milliwatts per square centimeter.

Achievement Brightens Prospects for Environmentally Clean Technology to Move into Mainstream Energy Markets
U.S. National Energy Technology Laboratory  

    Squeezing more watts of electric power from smaller and smaller volumes of fuel cell materials is one of the "holy grails" of fuel cell developers. Combined with advances in mass production, such improvements in a fuel cell’s "power density" could provide one of the much needed technological leaps that could make this environmentally attractive technology economically competitive with today’s traditional ways of generating electricity.
    Now Delphi Corp., a partner in the U.S. Department of Energy’s advanced fuel cell development program, has reported that it has exceeded the power density level required to meet the government’s $400 per kilowatt cost goal for fuel cells. Meeting the cost target is essential if fuel cells are to expand beyond their current niche markets into widespread commercial use.
    At $400 per kilowatt - nearly one-tenth the cost of power-generating fuel cells currently sold on the market - fuel cells would compete with traditional gas turbine and diesel electricity generators and become viable power suppliers for the transportation sector. The Energy Department has set 2010 as the timeframe for these low-cost fuel cells to be sufficiently developed for commercial markets.
    Fuel cells are one of the most attractive future power generating technologies because they produce virtually none of the air pollutants associated with conventional power plants. When powered by fossil fuels such as natural gas, fuel cells operate at such high fuel-to-power efficiencies that they also dramatically reduce the release of greenhouse carbon gases. Ultimately fuel cells powered by pure hydrogen will produce electricity and heat with only water as a byproduct.
    Delphi, headquartered in Flint, Mich., is heading one of six industrial teams working with the Energy Department to produce breakthrough, low-cost fuel cells. Working with Battelle, a Columbus, Ohio science and technology firm, the company is developing an all solid-state fuel cell that can be mass produced for automotive and truck auxiliary power units, distributed power generating stations, and military markets.
    The Energy Department expects that ultimately fuel cells will be mass produced from solid ceramic materials much like the solid state components that have dramatically reduced the costs of today’s computers, televisions and other electronic appliances. But mass manufacturing alone will likely not be sufficient to meet cost goals. Packing more power generating potential into a fuel cell, thus reducing the volume and cost of fuel cell materials, will be equally important if fuel cells are to become affordable in mainstream markets.
    The latest Delphi fuel cell tests were relatively small compared to the units envisioned for future commercial sales, but they demonstrated that the necessary power density levels are technologically possible. The test cells produced an initial power density of 575 milliwatts per square centimeter at 0.7 volts nominal in full-size stacks, bettering the Energy Department’s target of 500 milliwatts per square centimeter.
    Delphi and Battelle joined the Energy Department’s advanced fuel cell program in 2001. Called the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), the program was initiated in the fall of 1999 as an alliance between government, industry, and the scientific community to develop solid oxide fuel cells that could eventually be sold in virtually every market needing clean, affordable electric power.
    The goal of Delphi/Battelle’s 10-year, $135-million, cost-shared program with the Energy Department is to develop and test a 5-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell that can be mass-produced at low cost for two basic applications: distributed power generation systems and automotive auxiliary power units.
    The distributed power generation systems are being designed to use natural gas as the primary fuel (which would be steam reformed to generate the hydrogen used by the fuel cell), while the automotive auxiliary power unit incorporates a catalytic fuel rich partial oxidation system to extract hydrogen from gasoline. Using SECA fuel cells in central generation coal plants is the ultimate target for SECA technology.
    DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are responsible for SECA program development.  For more information, contact: David Anna, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, 412-386-4646, anna@netl.doe.gov

MEDIS: Fuel Cells Move From Batteries To Battery Chargers
Jim Nash     Information Week      February 5, 2005

Protonex and Millennium Cell: Army Power System
Millennium Cell     January 27, 2005

HAWAII    HOKU SCIENTIFIC    SANYO

Honolulu Star-Bulletin    January 8, 2005 

Hawaiian Startup Displays Worldwide Potential     Dan Martin    
Hoku, which makes the membranes at the core of environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel cells, has turned heads with its commercial promise and success in attracting investment and a top-drawer scientific team. This year, the company will begin making and shipping its product in earnest to partners in Japan and, it hopes, fulfilling its potential as one of the most promising Hawaii technology startups in years.

Fuel Cells Are Unveiled at Last
Leo Lewis     Times (UK)     January 22, 2005
 New Way of Making Fuel Cells Lowers Costs
University of Michigan     January 18, 2005

ISRAEL   MEDIS TECHNOLOGIES   

January 6, 2005
Fueling a $430M Dream   Gitit Pincas    Globes - Israel's Business Arena  
With investors like Robert Lifton and Israel Aircraft Industries, fuel cell developer Medis Technologies has every reason to succeed.

Fuel Cells Reach MW Class
by Andrew Skok and Steven P. Eschbach of FuelCell Energy
Platts POWER     January/February 2005

Ethanol Fuel Cells
Burning New Light on Energy Independence    
Robert Pore     The Grand Island Independent (NE)      December 24, 2004
Schmidt_Lanny.jpg (2191 bytes)     Ethanol fuel cells are an idea whose time has come, says Dr. Lanny Schmidt, a University of Minnesota chemical engineer who led a study on developing a cleaner-burning technology for fuel cells. Schmidt said the study proves the feasibility of using renewable hydrogen as an energy source. According to the study,
a cleaner-burning renewable fuel such as ethanol can produce hydrogen in a reactor to heat small homes and power cars more efficiently than the older fossil fuel technologies of oil and gas.
The study proves hydrogen fuel cells are clean-burning and efficient, but an infrastructure that adequately supports widespread use of the technology has not yet been developed.
  • Hydrogen from Renewable Sources within Reach      UM
    Ethanol, on the other hand, is easy to transport and relatively nontoxic. It is already being produced from corn and used in car engines. But if it were used instead to produce hydrogen for a fuel cell, the process would be nearly three times as efficient. That is, a bushel of corn would yield three times as much power if its energy were channeled into hydrogen fuel cells rather than burned alongside gasoline.
  • Homegrown Fuels Key to Homegrown Hydrogen
    FarmWeek     November 10, 2004

Fuel Cell Supply Chain Market to Hit $1 Billion by 2012
Jacqueline Emigh     Enterprise News    December 2, 2004

Chevron Energy Solutions to Install FuelCell Energy
Power Plant at U.S. Postal Service's
San Francisco Mail Processing Center
FuelCell Energy     December 1, 2004

Is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generator In Your Future?
Mark Etherton     Contractor Magazine     December   2004

fcballardmatsushita.jpg (14331 bytes)

Rated power generation capacity 1kW
Power generation efficiency 31% or over (HHV)
Heat recovery efficiency 40% or over (HHV)
Hot water tank capacity 200 liters           Fuel 13A city gas
Japan: Commercial Unit of Residential Fuel Cell
Cogeneration Systems Launch into the Market
Tokyo Gas          December 6, 2005
GEORGIA     EMORY UNIVERSITY

PhysOrg.com     November 26, 2004 

Emory Chemists Create Unprecedented Metallic Molecule
For the first time ever, Emory University researchers have broken through the so-called "oxo-wall" to create stable multiple chemical bonds between oxygen and platinum - once thought impossible because oxygen is extremely unstable when combined with certain metals. ...One important and growing technology where the platinum-oxo unit may also be key is fuel cells. The electrodes in these cells are frequently based on platinum, and in some instances the reaction of platinum with oxygen is central to their operation.

Ohio Governor Issues Grants to the Fuel Cell Industry
Fuel Cell Today     November 19, 2004

MTI Plans to Win by Losing
Plans commercial launch of fuel cells knowing it will lose money at first
 Times Union (NY)     November 12, 2004

US Govt Funds "Hydrogen Economy"
Palladium Membrane Research
Platinum Today     November 11, 2004

"This exemption opens up domestic and international portable power markets and authorizes our business partners to ship fully operational fuel cell power systems."
Larry Bawden, President and CEO of Jadoo Power Systems
U.S. Department of Transportation Reduces Restrictions on Air Transport of Hydrogen Stored in Metal Hydride
Jadoo Power Systems     November 4, 2004

NEW ZEALAND      INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (IRL)     RELION      HYDROGENZ        GENESIS FUELTECH       US ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS    Stuff  October 22, 2004 
US Military to Test Fuel Cell Technology at Antarctic Center
Kent Atkinson
Two New Zealand companies will next month install a hydrogen-powered fuel cell to generate electricity at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch as a demonstration site for the United States military. It will be the first time a fuel cell big enough to run a household has been put to extended use in [New Zealand]. Engineers from state-owned science company Industrial Research (IRL) will manage installation of the 2 kilowatts fuel cell system, with assistance from Hydrogenz Ltd, a Wellington start-up company specialising in extracting hydrogen from alcohols. ...It will be the first fuel cell test in New Zealand combining a methanol "reformer" as part of its power supply – a device that extracts the hydrogen needed to run the fuel cell from hydrogen-rich methanol. ...Another US company, Genesis Fueltech is supplying the methanol reformer for the project, and its president said the device was the most efficient so far built. US Army Corps of Engineers project manager, Frank Holcomb, said in the same statement the demonstration project was in its fourth year of a search for alternative energy sources instead of the diesel generators now used at remote sites such as Antarctica.
CARBON NANOTECHNOLOGIES      MOTOROLA  
JOHNSON MATTHEY FUEL CELLS                         

October 18, 2004  

Carbon Nanotubes Tapped for Portable Fuel Cell Plan
Chappell Brown           EE Times
Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. plans to address the current problems PEM fuel cells have with manufacturing costs and product lifetime by leveraging the unique properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Today, plastic membranes carry platinum as a catalyst to split hydrogen atoms into protons and electrons. The development project will try to replace them with nanostructured membranes, formed from carbon nanotubes that have platinum atoms attached to their walls. Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Inc. will develop the process for attaching the atoms to the carbon nanotubes, which Carbon Nanotechnologies will then form into micron-thick membranes. The resulting membranes are expected to be tougher and more efficient in generating protons and electrons. Moreover, by attaching the platinum atoms to the nanotubes in a separate process, the researchers expect to devise a manufacturing process that will bring down the cost of the fuel cells. Motorola Laboratories will run studies comparing the new carbon nanotube fuel cells with other technologies being developed for small-scale cells.
JAPAN      TOKYO GAS      MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTREIAL
EBARRA BALLARD      OSAKA GAS                      Japan Today            October 18, 2004
Japan Gas Companies Preparing to Market Fuel Cells
"We've certainly decided to market it but haven't made anything definite, such as its price or product name," said Hiroaki Kobayashi, head of the planning group at the research and development headquarters of Tokyo Gas. "Furthermore, the number of units to be marketed will be limited at first," he said. The initial unit, being jointly developed with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and Ebara Ballard Corp, will have 1 kilowatt in generating power and a tank capable of storing 20 liters of hot water. It will have a power generation efficiency of 31% and heat efficiency of 40%.
JAPAN     PANASONIC                                   New Zealand Herald            October 13, 2004

Panasonic to Market Home Fuel Cell in 2005
Panasonic to market home fuel cell in 2005. Click to read article Roughly the dimensions of a small fridge, the fuel cell synthesises water from hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity. Heat created when electricity is generated to heat water can also be tapped. The hydrogen used in the fuel cell is synthesized from gas which is already piped into many Japanese homes. Fitted with the fuel cells Japanese homes would cut their CO2 emissions by 20 per cent and save on utility bills by NZ$673 a year....
JAPAN    AMERICAN HONDA     POLYFUEL                                             October 6, 2004
A Honda FCX-V3 fuel cell stack.

HYDROCARBON FUEL CELL MEMBRANE
A Cheaper Fuel Cell?
Matthew L. Wald     New York Times / International Herald Tribune   

     Honda demonstrated a fuel-cell car with a hydrocarbon membrane in Japan last October, according to Ben Knight, vice president for research and development of Honda's American subsidiary. It has 12 such cars on the road in California and plans to bring out one in the northeastern United States soon. A hydrocarbon membrane functions well at temperatures slightly below zero degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 18 degrees Celsius, he said. Flourine-based membranes can produce little power at such low temperatures.

Hennepin County Throws Switch on Innovative Library Fuel Cell
Lyn Jerde     Sun Newspapers (MN)     October 7, 2004

World´s First Success in High Temperature Operation:
Over 2,000 Hours Using an MEA with a Fluorine-based Membrane
Ashahi Glass Company (Japan)      September 28, 2004

CANADA   HYDROGENICS

Hydrogenics       August 24, 2004 

Government of Canada Invests Over $4.2 Million in Hydrogenics' Fuel Cell Initiatives   Hydrogenics' HyLYZER(TM) refueler at Exhibition Place is Toronto's first public hydrogen refueling station. During the CNE the refueler will use electricity generated by the Wind Turbine, sited at Exhibition Place, to produce clean hydrogen. The hydrogen will be used to refuel a range of fuel cell powered demonstration vehicles at the event, all powered by Hydrogenics' fuel cell power module technology. The vehicles on site include a forklift, a John Deere commercial work vehicle, and a GEM(TM) 'neighborhood' vehicle.
US    ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB    ELTRON RESEARCH    ITN ENERGY SYSTEMS
NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LAB                 PhysOrg.com       August 23, 2004 
Argonne Lab Develops Ceramic Hydrogen Transport Membrane
Argonne's ceramic membrane provides pure hydrogen gas by selectively separating hydrogen from gas mixtures generated by fossil fuel-based processes. The membrane can withstand the high temperatures and pressures that occur during coal gasification and methane reforming. The hydrogen transport membrane was developed by Argonne scientist Balu Balachandran and colleagues Stephen Dorris and Tae Lee, in collaboration with Gary J. Steigel, Richard Dunst and John Winslow at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh. The membrane was patented in 2003, and technology development is underway with industrial partners Eltron Research, Inc., and ITN Energy Systems, Inc. Argonne's ceramic membrane was developed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory's Gasification Technologies Program.
WASHINGTON   NEAH POWER

The Seattle Times     August 20, 2004 

Fuel-cell Company Powers Up   Tricia Duryee
Fuel cells typically use a two-dimensional surface to create the right chemical reaction. Leroy Ohlsen, Neah Power's founder and chief technology officer, proposed drilling holes in that surface — made of silicon — to create a three-dimensional surface. ...With this round of funding, the company plans to finish a prototype that it can shop around to equipment manufacturers by the end of the year. The company already has one agreement with an undisclosed manufacturer. The manufacturer would integrate the fuel cell into the laptop. It would also solve such logistics as showing how much fuel remains in the cell.
CALIFORNIA   NEW YORK   PLUG POWER Los Angeles Business  August 16, 2004 
Plug Power's Fuel-cell System Gets Certification in California
The GenSys 5c system captures heat generated during the production of electricity and uses it for a heating or hot water system. The system is capable of generating 5 kilowatts of electricity or 9 kW of heat. So far, Plug Power has installed 10 of the systems in San Diego and Los Angeles, and another five are being installed in southern California.
ARIZONA    ARIZONA NATIONAL GUARD  

KVOA Tuscon       August 16, 2004 

National Guard Testing Fuel Cell Energy Source
The fuel cell to be installed next month will use natural gas to produce enough electricity to supply most of the armory's needs. "The Department of Defense is always looking for ways to increase its self-sufficiency if the grid goes down," said Jeff Seaton, energy manager for the Arizona National Guard.
JAPAN   CALIFORNIA    PROTON POWER    SRI     Small Times       August 10, 2004 
Nanomaterials Enable Alternative Energy      David Forman
California-based Proton Power proposes using solid acid fuel cells to supplement diesel engines inside long-haul trucks. Currently, truckers idle their engines when resting to power heating, air conditioning and other amenities. Proton Power would provide a supplemental fuel cell that truckers could use when not driving. Calum Chisolm, Proton Power’s president and co-founder, says his company’s technology could offer a safer, more efficient alternative. “The thinner the electrolyte layer,” Chisolm said, “the more power.” Currently funded by friends and family, the California Institute of Technology spinout is looking at longer-term financing opportunities and broad markets. SRI is working on a form of solid oxide fuel cell that would use military-grade diesel fuel. The design takes advantage of nanostructures for catalysts and uses 200-nanometer powders for a thin electrolyte, upping the power in the same manner as Chisolm’s solid acid cell. That suggests that one day the roads may hold not only hybrid gasoline-electric cars, but also of hybrid diesels, and, over the long term, a variety of automotive fuel cell technologies. Talk about breaking the rules.
CANADA   FUELL CELL TECHNOLOGIES ONTARIO POWER GENERATION
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO AIR LIQUIDE  ENBRIDGE GAS DISTRIBUTION
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS CANADA  H2 EARLY ADOPTERS  August 4, 2004
FCTsofc.jpg (2737 bytes) Fuel Cell Technologies to Deliver Four 5kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cells to a CAN$1.87 Million Project at the Hydrogen Village, Toronto - Fuel Cell Technologies
The Hydrogen Village in the Greater Toronto Area has been created to showcase hydrogen and fuel cell technologies at key focal points such as the University of Toronto at Mississauga campus. A “mini-grid” is a group of residences, commercial or industrial buildings that are interconnected and serviced by multiple Distributed Generation (DG) units. These facilities may also be
connected to the local utility grid that provides electricity to the surrounding area. It is believed that this mini-grid network will be one of the first established anywhere in the world. The FCT units, which can use several fuels such as natural gas, propane, biogas and methanol, will initially operate on natural gas. The conversion of one or more of the units to hydrogen operation for the last six months of the program will follow.

World´s First Success in High Temperature Operation for over 2,000 Hours Using an MEA with a Fluorine-based Membrane
Ashahi Glass Company (Japan)      September 28, 2004

WISCONSIN  UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT MADISON          September 22, 2004 

GOLD
NANOTUBES

Fuel Cell Converts Waste to Power 
Kimberly Patch      Technology Research News

Hydrocarbons like fossil fuels and plant matter are widely used as fuel in fuel cells, but they produce carbon monoxide as a waste product. This carbon monoxide gets in the way of the fuel cell reaction. ...Researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison have found a way to use the carbon monoxide to produce more energy in a reaction that can take place at room temperature. The method could eventually be used in portable systems that use renewable fuel produced from plant matter, said James Dumesic, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The process could also be used to treat wastewater and contaminated gas streams, he said. ...The researchers got the idea for a different kind of fuel cell when they observed that the carbon monoxide left over from this reaction could be combined with oxygen to release more electrons during a water-based reaction using membranes made from gold nanotubes. The tiny tubes are 200 nanometers in diameter, or one-fifth the diameter of an E. coli bacterium. At the nanoscale in an aqueous solution, gold catalyses chemical reactions fairly quickly even at room temperature, according to Dumesic. With this in mind, the researchers added a chemical reactor step to the fuel cell process. The reactor consists of a gold nanotubes membrane surrounded by water that contains dissolved polyoxometalate, a metal complex that has a high affinity for electrons.

Click to read "High Temperature SOFC Fuel Cells" by the French Energy Agency CEA, September 2001 Photo: Research Center Julich (Germany)

High Temperature SOFC Cells

Staste of the Art
and prospects

CEA (France)  September 2001
UNITED KINGDOM    INTELLIGENT ENERGY

PRNewswire     July 29, 2004 

Clean Electricity from Sugar Cane Using Fuel Cell Technology
Making the announcement today, Intelligent Energy's Chairman, former Chairman of Shell, Sir John Jennings, said: "This successful demonstration is an important part of our expanding strategy to accelerate market acceptance of fuel cell technology as an alternative power source. We are deeply committed to playing our part in changing the way the world both produces and uses energy in the drive towards increased energy independence, more affordable energy, more available energy and enhanced environmental sustainability." The ethanol-based fuel cell system is one of a number of solutions for production of clean electricity using Intelligent Energy's proprietary MesoChannel(TM) Fuel Processor and Fuel Cell System. These solutions convert various fuels into hydrogen, from which electricity is produced. The fuels which may be used include light and heavy hydrocarbons (natural gas through to diesel), renewable fuels (such as ethanol, soy diesel and others) and decarbonized fuels (such as ammonia). The Intelligent Energy technology, which has been exhibited during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, also uses direct hydrogen and hydrogen generated by wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, at scales from a few watts to a few hundred kilowatts, for a wide range of applications.
CANADA     HYDROGENICS     JOHN DEERE

Canadian Press   July 28, 2004 

H2 Fuel Cell Maker Hydrogenics Signs Agreement with John Deere Andrew Flynn     Hydrogenics has already collaborated with Deere on one vehicle prototype, the Gator, a small four-wheel vehicle. The new agreement will see the two companies work on a number of new designs to be announced later. ...Hydrogenics also agreed in April to work under a federal government-sponsored initiative with Purolator Courier, owned by Canada Post, to develop and test a fuel-cell-powered delivery vehicle in the Toronto area. Along with the hydrogen fuelling stations that will be needed the project will tackle issues of on-board hydrogen storage.
UNITED STATES

US Newswire       July 19, 2004 

New Research Will Help Fuel Cells Move to Commercial Viability
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced a new phase of fuel-cell research designed to hasten the wider availability of zero-emissions energy. Eleven new projects with total value of nearly $4.2 million, including private-sector cost-sharing of more than 20 percent, focus on solving the remaining issues in developing solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems for commercial use. "The president's Hydrogen and Climate Initiatives envision fuel cells playing a prominent role in the economy and everyday life," Secretary Abraham said. "To reach the goal of zero- emissions energy, we need to reduce the costs of fuel cell acquisition and use. These projects address the last barriers to commercially viable solid oxide fuel cell systems."   

The grant-winning projects are:

  • Georgia Institute of Technology will develop new materials for SECA high temperature fuel cells to resist the detrimental effects of the sulfur found in the natural gas, gasoline and diesel fuels used in fuel cells. Georgia Tech will investigate the detailed chemistry of how sulfur interacts with high temperature fuel cell materials leading to a more fundamental understanding that can be used to improve the material selection and design. Improved sulfur tolerance will eliminate expensive sulfur-removal equipment from the fuel cell system and improve the reliability of SECA fuel cells. DOE award $300,000.
  • Tennessee Technological University will develop a new class of metal alloys for service as interconnect materials in SECA fuel cell stacks. Tennessee Tech will evaluate the corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of the alloys in the harsh high-temperature SOFC environment. These materials will offer improved electrical performance with less degradation over time than current state-of-the-art materials. DOE award $300,000.
  • Southwest Research Institute will develop modifications to interconnect materials in SECA fuel cell stacks to avoid adverse reactions with differing adjacent materials and environments. These modifications will permit the use of lower-cost base metals while improving electrical performance and reducing long-term degradation over current state of the art materials. DOE award $300,000.
  • University of Utah will survey the types of oxide layers that may form on various steels in the solid oxide fuel cell environment and characterize their electronic conductivity and stability. The project will also work to develop low-cost processes for the deposition of coatings on metallic interconnect materials. DOE award $297,004.
  • Arcomac Surface Engineering LLC will develop and apply a multiple-layer nano-coating to low thermal expansion, low-cost ferritic stainless steels to improve their performance and durability as SOFC interconnect materials. DOE award $300,000.
  • Southern Illinois University at Carbondale will employ a new synthesis method for producing high quality, low-cost powders of titanium carbides for fabricating interconnect components. DOE award $369,446.
  • University of Cincinnati will develop glasses that are able to "heal" thermal cycle-induced microcracks in situ. The developed glasses will be characterized based on thermal expansion, softening temperature, and chemical stability in an SOFC operating environment. DOE award $250,000.
  • University of Connecticut will develop a multi-layered composite structure consisting of thin layers of oxidation- resistant metals, porous ceramics, and glasses. The seal structure will be fabricated onto the surfaces of ceramic and metallic SOFC components using low-cost manufacturing methods such as atmospheric plasma spray. DOE award $299,716.
  • University of Missouri-Rolla will develop new, thermochemically-stable sealing systems based on glasses and glass-ceramics that are compatible with other SOFC components. DOE award $278,527.
  • ChevronTexaco Technology Ventures LLC will develop the expertise to inject and vaporize diesel fuel to determine what form of carbon deposition deactivates the catalyst at low steam- to-carbon ratios and determine if radio frequency coke suppression will be useful to prevent deposition. DOE award $300,000.
  • Delevan Inc. dba/Turbine Fuel Technologies will evaluate existing and new fuel injector designs, select the most promising concept(s), and integrate through computer modeling. Performance of the design will be evaluated by NASA's Glenn Research Center. DOE award $307,238.                                more

'Cool' Fuel Cells Could Revolutionize Earth's Energy Resources
University of Houston
Compared to the macroscopic size of traditional fuel cells that can take up an entire room, thin film SOFCs are one micron thick – the equivalent of about one-hundredth of a human hair. Putting this into perspective, the size equivalent of four sugar cubes would produce 80 watts – more than enough to operate a laptop computer, eliminating clunky batteries and giving you hours more juice in your laptop. By the same token, approximately two cans' worth of soda would produce more than five kilowatts, enough to power a typical household. Keeping in mind that one thin film SOFC is just a fraction of the size of a human hair with an output of 0.8 to 0.9 Volts, a stack of 100 to 120 of these fuel cells would generate about 100 volts. When connected to a homeowner's natural gas line, the stack would provide the needed electrical energy to run the household at an efficiency of approximately 65 percent. This would be a twofold increase over power plants today, as they operate at 30 to 35 percent efficiency. Stand-alone household fuel cell units could form the basis for a new 'distributed power' system. In this concept, energy not used by the household would be fed back into a main grid, resulting in a credit to the user's account, while overages would similarly receive extra energy from that grid and be charged accordingly.
HAWAII    HOKU SCIENTIFIC      

Starbulletin (Honolulu)        July 22, 2004 

Hoku Scientific Buys Un-used Tyco Building on Oahu
Dan Martin
The facility was completed two years ago by Tyco Telecommunications at a whopping price tag of $75 million and was intended as a key link in the company's globe-girdling undersea fiber-optic network. But the bursting of the telecom bubble scuttled Tyco's plans to lay an expensive trans-Pacific cable that would have plugged into the Maili station. The property has languished on the market ever since, even after Tyco dropped the sale price to $18 million and then $5 million early this year. ...Hoku Scientific was formed by two Big Island natives, President and CEO Dustin Shindo and Chief Technology Officer Kaleo Taft. The company has raked in several million dollars in venture capital from investors excited by the potential of its technology and by its $6 million development agreement with Sanyo of Japan. Hoku has developed a fuel-cell membrane that it says is less expensive to manufacture, burns cleaner and provides more energy than standard membranes. Those membranes are the key ingredient in hydrogen fuel cells that Sanyo wants to market for consumer energy needs in Japan, ranging from laptops to air-conditioners and potentially even automobiles.     more
CANADA  JAPAN  BALLARD  HYDROGENICS  PALCAN  NUVERA

July 17, 2004 

Field Getting Crowded in Race for Cell Supremacy
Peter Kennedy      Globe and Mail  
The Japanese government has said it hopes to have 50,000 fuel-cell vehicles on the road by 2010 and five million a decade later. By comparison, the U.S. Department of Energy says it won't be able to make a decision about commercial production until 2015.
UNITED STATES                                                                 Platinum Today       July 13, 2004
wamp.jpg (2735 bytes) Fuel Cell Technology Can Deliver Soon
A senior US representative has called for America to end its "half-hearted attempts" to reduce dependency on oil and claimed that fuel cell technology and its infrastructure is much nearer commercial reality than widely thought.   Rep Zach   Wamp, who represents Tennessee's 3rd District, said that Freedom Car, a hydrogen fuel cell initiative begun by President Bush,  should be the first step in
concerted effort to deliver a fully functional hydrogen economy.
   "Now, more than ever, it is imperative for us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," he told Knox News. "We have a long way to go before we have a hydrogen car in every garage, but we must stay focused and committed to this objective," he added.
  Mr Wamp argued that the technology now needed economic support, with mass production potentially bringing down the cost of fuel cell technology, enabling a transition to the clean energy sooner rather than later. He claimed that the price of producing a fuel cell stack could drop to as little as $3,500 per unit - a price which he held up as evidence of the "competitive marketability" of hydrogen fuel cell cars.
UNITED KINGDOM     CERES POWER                           Financial Times       July 13, 2004 
The UK's Ceres Power: a stainless steel SOFC component. Image: Ceres Power Grants Provide the Power for Cean Energy Development Clive Cookson
  The company says its fuel cells stand out because of their use of affordable materials - stainless steel components and ceramic coatings - that do not require expensive catalysts. They make it possible to use today's fuels such as natural gas, as well as hydrogen. Applications
range from domestic combined heat and power to replace home boilers, to off-grid power supplies and auxiliary units for vehicles and commercial transport.
CANADA    BALLARD   FORD   DAIMLERCHRYSLER          Bloomberg     July 8, 2004
DaimlerChrysler, Ford to Pump $100 Mln into Ballard, Buy Unit
DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Co. agreed to invest another  $100 million in Ballard Power Systems Inc., giving the money-losing maker of automotive fuel cells cash as the U.S. steps up programs to develop cars run by fuel cells.

CONNECTICUT     FUELCELL ENERGY   MTU    DAIMLERCHRYSLER   July 8, 2004 

CLICK TO ENLARGE: A FuelCell Energy power plant is delivered to a previous customer's location. Photo: FuelCell Energy FuelCell Energy to Provide 250-kilowatt Fuel Cell Power Plant for Democratic National Convention     FuelCell Energy   
The Company's DFC300A power plant, a unit with enough power to provide the base load electricity requirements of a 300-room
hotel, will directly convert natural gas, through a patented internal reforming process, into the hydrogen needed to electrochemically produce electricity. This unit will add to the Company's 30 other customer installations throughout the world that, to date, have generated more than 40 million kilowatt hours of electricity. ...The sub-megawatt fuel cell power plant is a collaborative effort using Direct FuelCell(R) technology of FuelCell Energy and the Hot Module(R) balance of plant design of MTU CFC Solutions, GmbH, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler.
WISCONSIN  VIRENT ENERGY SYSTEMS   Milwaukee Sentinel Journal   July 6, 2004
Virent Energy Systems aqueous phase reformer. Image: Virent Energy Systems Keen on Clean: Letting Hydrogen Flow    Thomas Content
The company'sprocess - developed at engineering labs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison - has a complex technical name but a simple result. Called aqueous phase reforming, it essentially amounts to extracting hydrogen from the sugars found in corn plants and other plants, without increasing emissions of carbon dioxide.
ALASKA   UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS  ACUMENTRICS
US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE       Petroleum News                      Week of July 4, 2004 
Acumentrics SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) Photo: AcumentricsLatest Fuel Cell Project in Alaska Encounters Problems in Shipping, Operation at Seward’s Exit Glacier Visitor Center   Patricia Liles
The eighth and latest fuel cell test project in Alaska hasn’t mirrored recent successes logged by University of Alaska Fairbanks
researchers in the emerging energy industry. Fired by propane gas, the five-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell housed at the National Park Service visitor center at Exit Glacier, near Seward, shut down in early June, seven days after its celebratory start-up on May 28. Internal tubes were cracked and had to be replaced, said Dennis Witmer, a leading fuel cell researcher and director of the Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory, an organization that manages energy research projects at the University of Alaska funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Since then, the Exit Glacier fuel cell was repaired, restarted and shut down again, Witmer said. “The issue may be related to the increased difficulty in reforming propane (into hydrogen) and it is not clear at this time how successful the company will be in addressing this challenge,” he said on June 24. The propane-fired fuel cell was developed by a Boston-area manufacturer, Acumentrics. The first unit was delivered to the test site at Exit Glacier last September, but it was damaged during shipping, Witmer said. It was shipped back to Boston for repairs last fall.   more
EUROPE  FIAT    RENAULT   VOLSWAGEN     DAIMLERCHRYSLER    VOLVO ADROP  NUVERA FUEL CELLS    JOHNSON MATTHEY   DAF TRUCKS   OPCON AUTOROTOR    TENNECO   WEIDMANN PLASTICS    ENVIRONMENT PARK (IT)
INSTITUT KRAFTFAHRWESEN AACHEN   NETHERLANDS ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE     POLITECHNICO DI TORINO  PAUL SCHERER INSTITUTE    INSTITUT FUR MIKROTECHNIK MAINZ    IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE LONDON

CLICK TO ENLARGE Methanol fuel cell auxillary power unit (APU) for large trucks, developed by DaimlerChrysler's Freightliner division in 2003European Industry Consortium to Develop Integrated Automotive FC Power System
    
Tenneco/PRNewswire     July 1, 2004

Tenneco Automotive announced today its participation in a European industry consortium to research and develop an automotive hydrogen fuel cell system. The consortium will work under the auspice of the European Commission's Sixth Framework Program for Sustainable Development (FP-6), which will provide substantial funding for the consortium's HyTRAN project. The objective of HyTRAN is to advance fuel cell technology towards a commercially-viable solution, which will require improvements in cost, durability, weight, volume and efficiency. The consortium is led by Volvo and includes 19 partners. ...The goal of the consortium is to develop an 80 kW (107 horsepower) direct hydrogen fuel cell (DHFC) system capable of powering an automobile, and a 10 kW (13 horsepower) auxiliary power unit (APU) for on-board power and stationary applications such as truck cabin and trailer use.

AUSTRALIA    CERAMIC FUEL CELLS                                 The Age           June 27, 2004 
Image: Ceramic Fuel Cells Investors Plug into Ceramic Fuel Cells     Ian Porter
The funds raised in the float will be used to establish an office in Europe, where Ceramic's business plan will take shape. The company is already negotiating with companies that want to form joint ventures
to make the core fuel-cell stacks, which will then be fitted into household units that will provide electricity, hot water and heating.
MASSACHUSETTS   CELLTECH POWER    NANOPTEK                        June 27, 2004 

Nanoptek photocatalytic electrodes stacked in thin cell arrangement. Image: Nanoptek. Click to visit Nanoptek.
Nanoptek
photocatalytic
electrodes 
Celltech's SOFC alpha prototype
Celltech SOFC
alpha prototype

 Mass. High-tech H2: Renewable Energy Sources
Peter Reuell     Daily News Tribune
Nanoptek: One of the youngest, and -- with only three full-time employees -- smallest renewable energy companies in the region, Maynard's Nanoptek is working with funding from NASA in a bid to bring down the high cost of electricity-
generating hydrogen fuel cells. Using a combination of nanotechnology and a process similar to the one used to create compact discs, the company is developing a light-sensitive electrical circuit that can be used to produce the hydrogen fuel used in fuel cells.
Celltech Power: The 4-year-old company is working to develop a unique take on the hydrogen fuel cell using natural gas that will give telecommunications companies and data centers, which rely on a steady stream of power, the reliable source of juice they need to stay in business.
SOUTH AFRICA

Independent         June 27, 2004 

SA CONTEMPLATES PLATINUM ABUNDANCE AS THREAT TO FREEDOM
South Africa May Become the Powerhouse of the World
Christelle Terreblanche
    Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils has launched steps to ensure this country is ready and able to deal with developments should hydrogen indeed overtake oil as the world's premier energy source. ..."Platinum is being advanced as a possible catalyst to convert hydrogen into this new form of energy. If successful, we in South Africa are sitting on 86 percent of the new energy source of the world. Whatever the developments, it is important that we take the necessary security steps to ensure stability and solidarity in our region and continent, and protect our resources for the benefit of our people....
    "We've seen a century of exploitation and destabilisation in the Middle East and conflict as a result and we've seen certain classes of rulers growing wealthy and other societies poverty-stricken. Oil is at root to the instability and extremism that occurred."
    "...What if we become the epicentre of this new energy source? Would we then see southern Africa become the epicentre of conflict as the Middle East has been for decades and, in fact, African countries with the new oil reserves?"
CHINA   BALLARD    CHRYSALIX  

Asia Times        June 26, 2004 

Fuel Cells May Fuel a Cleaner China    Michael Mackey
It is the only country in the world that has the scope to produce fuel cells in numbers that become cost-efficient; it needs mass numbers and it's a cheap place to manufacture in volume for sale both internationally and locally.  ...As delegation member Michael Brown, chairman of venture capitalists Chrysalix Energy Management, said, "A whole sector can be made here, and the rest of the world catch up."
JAPAN  TOSHIBA                                                                Kyodo News        June 24, 2004
toshibacellphonefc80h.jpg (4012 bytes) Toshiba Develops Worlds Smallest Fuel Cell
The fuel cell is 56 millimeters long and 22 mm wide, or about the size of a thumb, and weighs 8.5 grams.  It has power output of 100 milliwatts and is capable of powering an MP3 music player for 20 hours on a single 2 cc charge of concentrated methanol.
NEW YORK     MTI MICROFUEL CELLS                            LinuxElectrons    June 22, 2004
MTI_Mobion100h.jpg (1979 bytes) MTI Micro Introduces Mobion Fuel Cell
Today MTI débuted Mobion™ technology integrated into two concept models, a handheld entertainment system and a PDA/smart phone. The integrated Mobion™ power pack is less than 40cc in size, achieving a technology milestone for the company while demonstrating miniatur- ization progress necessary for integration into portable electronic devices.
FINLAND      NOKIA                       International Herald Tribune                   June 16, 2004 
Nokia Plans Cellphone of the Future     Victoria Shannon

nokiaearbud.jpg (1506 bytes)

 Nokia is testing wireless mobile phone headsets powered by tiny fuel cells, the hydrogen-based energy source that could double or triple the life of portable devices with what is widely considered to be clean and efficient energy.  ...The cells are recharged by squirting methanol from a small container into a tiny internal tank on the headset, and each charge provides about 10 hours of talk-time.  Current Bluetooth headsets only provide about 2 hours of talk time.
CONNECTICUT   PROTON ENERGY SYSTEMS   GE  NASA    DESC

June 14, 2004 

Proton Energy Systems Announces Distribution Agreement with GE
Proton Energy Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp. and a manufacturer of on-site hydrogen generator systems for electric generator cooling within power plants, announced today the signing of a distribution agreement with GE Supply, a business unit of General Electric Company. The 36-month agreement appoints GE as a non-exclusive distributor of Proton's products for the electric power production industry throughout the world, excluding select European countries.
  • Water Rocket: Water to Boost Satellite Snooping John Gartner
    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with Proton Energy Systems on the Water Rocket program, which would develop a satellite that exploits a "closed loop" regenerative fuel cell: Solar power electrolyzes water into hydrogen, then the hydrogen is converted into electricity and water. The electricity would be used to power the thrusters and any other mission-specific operations.
  • Proton Energy H2 Generator at Heart of Malaysia H2 House
    Fuel Cell Today     June 9, 2004
NEW YORK   PLUG POWER                            Albany Business Review

June 7, 2004 

Plug Power Fuel Cells Heat Dairy Farm
The system at Wagner Farms uses liquefied petroleum gas as fuel.
UNITED STATES    CLEAN ENERGY STATES ALLIANCE                              June 2004
Click to read "State Based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Programs in the United States" by the Public Fuel Cell Alliance.

State Based Fuel Cell and
Hydrogen Programs
in the United States
Public Fuel Cell Alliance
2004 Member Survey
    The Survey results indicate that there is approximately $50 to $60 million annually available for renewable programs that can include fuel cell technology and approximately $1 to $5 million annually targeted exclusively for hydrogen programs (excluding California’s Hydrogen Highway Network Initiative which has been estimated by that State to cost up to $200 million by 2010 for the initial network).
PENNSYLVANIA     PENN  STATE                                Mechanical Engineering      June 2004
From Foul to Fuel     Gayle Ehrenman
Where a typical fuel cell runs on hydrogen, a microbial fuel cell relies on the anaerobic oxidation of organic matter in a material—in this case, the wastewater—to produce electricity. According to [Bruce
Logan, a professor of environmental engineering at Penn State and the director of the project], the wastewater produced by 100,000 people has the potential to generate 2.3 megawatts of electricity, if you could recover all the energy. This would be enough to power 1,500 homes, he said. ...Logan expects to be ready to have a pilot-scale device tested within one to three years, and treatment-scale systems ready within the decade.
FORD  GM    DAIMLERCHRYSLER   BP        Northwest Indiana Times     May 30, 2004 
Focus FCV: The Future is Near   Steve Smith More: HYDROGEN VEHICLES
fordfcfocus84.jpg (4413 bytes)
 If the rough equation put forth by GM engineers holds, and the Focus FCV runs 10 times the cost of a regular Focus, a mass-produced version would cost maybe $200,000. Ford nonetheless is placing a small fleet of Focus FCVs in California, Florida and Canada as an experiment and, in partnership with British Petroleum, is helping to build refueling stations for them.
JAPAN   UNITED STATES     MEDIS   MTI     KENSINGTON   HARRIS   INTERMEC   SAMSUNG     MOTOROLA   TOSHIBA   HITACHI  NEC    Small Times  May 27, 2004
NEC LAPTOP COMPUTER POWERED BY FUEL CELL INCORPORATING NANOTECHNOLOGY. Micro Fuel Cells Headed to Market, and a Showdown
Jack Mason    
An analysis released May 19 by the Asian Technology Information Program said Japanese manufacturers would begin incorporating small fuel cells into notebook computers in 2005.
JAPAN   CANADA   HYDROGENICS   ITOCHU   HITACHI ZOSEN    May 27, 2004
Hitachi Zosen electrolyzer. Click to visit the Hitachi Zosen web site. Itochu, Hitachi Zosen Demonstration of Renewable Electrolysis Incorporating a Hydrogenics 10kW Fuel Cell
 Japan Corporate News   
The system to be tested includes Hitachi Zosen's PEM water electrolyzer and Hydrogenics' 10 kW "HyPM-10" PEM fuel cell power module. The system will be   integrated by Hitachi Zosen with support
from Hydrogenics,and installed at the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT) in Yokkaichi City. This system uses renewable energy. Electric power for the electrolyzer will be supplied by a photovoltaic power generation system as well as grid power. Hydrogen generated by the electrolyzer will be reconverted into electricity by the fuel cell for use in ICETT. By using the combination of an electrolyzer, a hydrogen storage tank, and a fuel cell, this "regenerative" power system can supply a stable quantity of electric power from renewable energy sources, thus contributing to the attenuation of global warming. By producing hydrogen using off-peak grid power, the system can also contribute to the leveling of electric load demand.                                   

CANADA  US ARMY    HYDROGENICS   QUANTUM         Hydrogenics       May 25, 2004 

Click to learn about the Hypm10 at Hydrogenics' web site.

Hydrogenics Supplies Quantum with
Fuel Cell Power Module
for U.S. Army Concept Vehicle

Expected benefits of this fuel cell powered vehicle include a reduced thermal signature and near-silent operation, each of which offers compelling advantages in silent watch applications compared to a conventional military vehicle. In addition, the capability of fuel cell vehicles to generate off- board power supports the increasing use of tactical and communication equipment on the battlefield and in reconnaissance applications. Fuel currently comprises 70 percent of the supplies transported by the Armed Services to support battlefield operations. This project has the potential to demonstrate a pathway to address related logistic issues by using a fuel that can be synthesized locally from a variety of feedstocks, including water.
CANADA   BALLARD    FROST & SULLIVAN  Ballard Power Systems   May 25, 2004 
Learn about the Ballard Nexa RM at the Ballard web site.

Ballard Fuel Cell Product
Receives Two Frost & Sullivan Awards
"Nexa" RM Series Named 2004 Energy Product of the Year and 2004 Alternative Technology of the Year
More: FUEL CELLS
JAPAN   SAMSUNG ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

May 13, 2004
Samsung Institute's New Fuel Cell Can Output 20W, Run Notebook PC for 10 Hours    Nikkei Electronics Asia
The fuel cell has a maximum output of 20W and can run a PC of Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd for 10 hours. It uses 100ml of methanol solution for fuel, and employs the direct methanol system, which directly supplies methanol solution to the fuel pole of the fuel cell. According to SAIT, Samsung Electronics is scheduled to commercialize a notebook PC using a fuel cell around the end of 2005.
WASHINGTON VELOCYS  PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LAB   May 6, 2004
This PNNL miniature fuel processor is built upon a micro-channel vaporizer. Photo: PNNL   Can Gasoline Jump-Start Hydrogen?  
   Business Week 
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory think they have it. They're developing an under-the-hood steam reformer on steroids. "It can produce large amounts of hydrogen from gasoline vapors in only 12 seconds," says chief engineer Greg Whyatt. The key: pumping a vapor-and-steam mixture through myriad microchannels. In those tiny, confined
spaces, catalysts work their magic extremely rapidly, cracking the molecules of gasoline and water to release hydrogen. Even more magical: The extracted hydrogren actually has a higher energy value than gasoline, thanks in part to the extra hydrogen atoms liberated from the steam. That means a big bump in mileage. In fact, says Whyatt, "compared to an internal-combustion engine, we're projecting that a fuel-cell-powered car with our steam reformer would get at least twice the mileage" from the same amount of gasoline.

Fuel Cells      Part 2

 

New to ICHC? Read this:

How
Hydrogen
Can Save
America
Peter Schwartz
  and Doug Randall    
Wired   April 2003

The Human Right to Renewable Energy

HYDROGEN
HAWAII

Telly Award Finalist
Director: RD Masters
90-minute DVD from Amazon.com
or watch it now with
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NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES
Transitions to
  Alternative Transportation Technologies
2008
Full Book | PDF Summary

 


Benchmarking of Hydrogen Energy Roadmaps
HYWAYS-IPHE
June 8, 2008

Initial Guidance for Using Hydrogen in Confined Spaces - HYSAFE
Using Hydrogen in Confined Spaces
 HYSAFE 2009


20% Wind Energy by 2030 - DOE 2008

Click to download "California Hydrogen Blueprint Plan"
California Hydrogen Blueprint Plan

Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2007 by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
US Windpower Cost & Performance - DOE 2008


Renewable Portfolio Standards in the US
DOE 2008

Economic Impacts of the Tax Credit Expiration
Impacts of PTC Expiration
Navigant 2008


Analysis of the
Transition to Hydrogen
 DOE March 2008


Oil Change International 2007

The Economics of Nuclear Power by Greenpeace International. Click to download.
Greenpeace 2007


Future Investment
EREC/Greenpeace 
July 2007

Click to download the report "The Chernobyl Catastrophe - Consequences on Human Health" by Greenpeace. 2006
Chernobyl Catastrophe
Greenpeace 2007


Endless Energy Project -  GLOBE 2007

"World Energy Technology Outlook - 2050" by the European Commission
World Energy Tech Outlook 2050
European Commission 2007


Potential Hydrogen Communities in Europe Institute for Energy
January 2007


A New Energy Future
Environment California
2006


The Hydrogen Economy
UN Environment Programme 2006


Renewable Hydrogen
Clean Energy Group
2006


HyWays - A European Roadmap 2006
L-B-Systemtechnik


Manufacturing R&D for the Hydrogen Economy DOE 2006

Click to download "Nuclear Power - No Solution to Climate Change" September 2005 by the Australian Conservation Foundation
Nuclear Power
No Solution to Climate Change  FOE 2005

Click to download "Fuel Cell Vehicle World Survey" by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute

ussee2004cvr.gif (544 bytes)
A Global Survey of Hydrogen Energy Research
Development & Policy
Center for Energy and Environment Policy
 April 2004

Click to download the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report "Summary of Electrolytic Hydrogen Production: Milestone Completion Report" April 2004.
Electrolytic Hydrogen Production   NREL

Click to view the U.S Energy Department's "Hydrogen Posture Plan"
Hydrogen Posture Plan
U.S. Dept of Energy

Click to download the Illinois Coalition report "The Hydrogen Highway: Illinois' Path to a Sustainable Economy and Environment"
The Hydrogen Highway
Illinois Coalition

Click to download European Union report "Well-to-Wheel Analysis of Future Automotive Fuels and Powertrains in the European Context"
Wells-to-Wheels
Analysis of Future Fuels
European Union

Click to read the NRC Report
The Hydrogen Economy
U.S. National Research Council 2004

ArizonaH2Station.jpg (3048 bytes)
Arizona Public Service
Alternative Fuel/H2 Pilot
Plant Design Report
DOE FreedomCar 2003

Click to download the California Energy Commission's 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report
2003 Integrated Energy
Policy Report
California Energy
Commission

Click to download report
Research and Current
Activities
U.S Climate Change Technology Program 

Click to download "Transitioning to a Renewable Energy Future"
Transitioning
To a Renewable
Energy Future
European Union

Click to download Vision Report from the European Union
Hydrogen Energy
and Fuel Cells
 European Union

Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead - A Report of the Global Scenario Group
Great Transition
Global Scenario Group 2002
"It could well be that the first country to seriously address the issues of creating a market for renewables would become the central location for a major new international business sector - with all the positive consequences that carries in terms of economic activity and employment."
-------------
Rodney Chase
CEO BP
--------------
"We all share the responsibility for carrying out this project, for the assumption of responsibility is part of the dignity of human beings."
------------
Juergen Shrempp
Chairman
DaimlerChrysler
-----------
"Energy sources like coal and oil once overcame an economy based on horsepower. So, I suspect, our carbon-based economy may itself pass from the scene to be replaced, perhaps, by hydrogen."
-------------
Spencer Abraham
Secretary,
US Dept of Energy
-------------
"General Motors absolutely sees the long-term future of the world being based on a hydrogen economy.”
------------
Larry Burns
Director of R&D
General Motors
-------------

  H2 & FUEL CELL
-- COMPANIES --
3M -US
Acumentrics -US
Adaptive Materials -US
Air Products -US
Angstrom Power -CA
Ansaldo FC -IT
 Anuvu Fuel Cell -US
Apollo Energy Sys -US
 Asia Pacific FC -TW
Astris Energi -CA
Autorotor -SE
 Axane -FR
 Ball Aerospace -US
Ballard Power Sys -CA
BCS FC -US
Ceramic FC -AU
 Cellex Power-CA
 Cell Tech Power -US
Ceres Power -UK
Clean Fuel Generation -US
CMR FC -UK
 Dana -US
DCH Technology US
Delphi -US
 Distributed Energy-US
Direct Methanol FC -US
DTI Energy -US
DuPont FC -US
Eco Soul -US
ElectroChem -US
Electro-Chem-Technic -UK
Energy Conversion Devices -US
Energy Related Devices -US
Fuel Cell Components -US
Fuel Cell Control -UK
FuelCell Energy -US
Fuel Cell Technologies -CA
General Electric Energy -US
Golden Energy FC -CHINA
GenCell -US
General Motors -US
Gerard Daniel  -US
Giner -US
Global Thermoelectric -CA
Gore FC Tech -US
H Bank Technology -TW
H2 ECOnomy -US
Heliocentris Energiesys -DE
 Hydrogen Link -DK
Hydrogen Works -SP
Hydrogenics -CA
 HySafe -EU
Idatech -US
Independent Pwrr Tech -RU
Innovatek -US
Ion Power -US
Intelligent Energy -UK
 Ishikawajima-Harima -JP
 ITM Power -UK
Iwatani Int -JP
Johnson Matthey FC -UK
Logan Energy -US
Lynntech Industries -US
Manhattan Scientifics-US
Masterflex -DE
Mechanical Technology -US
Medis Technologies  -US
Mesofuel -US
Millennium Cell -US
Morgan Fuel Cell -US
Motorola Labs -US
MTI Micro Fuel Cells -US
Nanostellar -US
Nanoptek -US
Neah Power Systems-US
Nedstack -NL
NexTech Materials -US
NuVant System -US
Nuvera Fuel Cells -IT/US
P-21 GmbH -DE
Palcan Fuel Cells -CA
Plug Power -US
Polyfuel -US
Porvair Fuel Cells -UK
PowerNova Tech -CA
Quantum Tech -US
QuestAir Tech -CA
ReliOn -US
Siemens Westinghouse
Stationary FC -DE
Silverwood Energy -US
Smart FC -DE
SOFCo-EFS -US
 Stuart Energy Sys CA
Sulzer Hexis -CH
Teledyne Energy Sys -US
T/J Technologies -US
Tokyo Electric Power -JP
Toshiba Int FCs -JP
UTC FCs -US
Vairex -US
Velocys -US
Virent Energy Sys -US
Voller Energy -UK
Zetc -US

NOTE: The ICHBC is
adding wind power to
this list due to the
significant potential for
electrolytic hydrogen
production from wind.

WIND POWER
 Anglesey Wind -UK
Bonus Energy -DK
Fortis Windenergy -NL
Fuhrlaender AG -DE
Gamesa Energia -ES
GE Wind - US
Northern Power Systems -US
Proven Energy -UK
Suzlon -US
Vestas -DK
Windside -FI

WIND COMPONENTS

 ABB
Afab Tech LLC
Ameron International
American Superconductor -US
ATI Casting Service -US
Beaird Industries -US
Bergen Southwest Steel -US
BHS Getriebe -DE
CAB -US
Canton Drop Forge -US
Composite Technology -US
Custom Welding and Metal Fabricating
DIAB
DMI Industries
Energy Technologies -US
 Enron Wind US
GE Wind -US
Hilliard
Hitco Carbon Composites
Hodge Foundry -US
Innovative Metal Products
K&M Machine Fab -US
 Kenetech US
Knight and Carver -US
Lindquist Machine -US
LM Glasfiber -DK
Magnetek -US
Metso Drives -FI
Michael Byrne Manufacturing -US
Mitsubishi Power Sys -JP
MLS Electrosystem - US
Molded Fiber Glass -US
Motors and Controls International -US
Newmark International -US
NRG Systems -US
 Northern Power Sys US
Owens Corning
Parker
Peerless Winsmith
Performance Energy Solutions
Princeton Power Systems
ROHN Industries
Satcon
Second Wind
SIPCO
SMI and Hydraulics
Swantech LLC
Texas Electronics
Thomas & Betts