 |
|
|
The International Clearinghouse for Hydrogen Commerce www.hydrogencommerce.com |
| THIS COLUMN IS OPTIMIZED FOR THE APPLE iPHONE |
 |
Creating
Hydrogen |
|
Solar Cell Directly Splits Water |
|
|
"This is a proof-of-concept system that is very inefficient. But ultimately, catalytic systems with 10 to 15 percent solar conversion efficiency might be achievable," says Thomas E. Mallouk, the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics. "If this could be realized, water photolysis would provide a clean source of hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight." |
|
|
|
Making Hydrogen at Home without George
Bush |
With hydrogen production currently
dominated by the petrochemical industry, it's nice to see some simple
carbon neutral solutions to producing hydrogen, which you can make
yourself.
more
|
|
|
Denmark's Wind-Hydrogen Projects
|
|
NASA: SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON PROTOTYPE MOON POWERPLANT! |
|
|
Artist's
concept of full-scale NASA Lunar Power Plant
Images courtesy of NASA |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Artist's concept of basic array. |
Rengenerative fuel cells at NASA. |
| NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is leading an effort to develop systems that could store energy for use during the long, frigid lunar nights. The solution may be a fuel cell system that originally was designed for a high-altitude solar-electric airplane. ...."Even though it was originally designed for an airplane, the system has given us a leg up," said Ann Over, chief of Glenn's Advanced Capabilities Project Office. "The knowledge we gained will feed directly into our lunar regenerative fuel cell technology program." Glenn plans to begin work in 2008 on a prototype regenerative fuel cell system for the lunar outpost. more | |
 |
 |
|
AeroVironment HELIOS In-flight breakup of HELIOS - June 2003
|
|
|
Quantum Energy Kft. Eyes Wind Electrolysis |
| H2 Bus has finished the pilot version of its hydrogen-fuelled bus, Napi Gazdaság learnt. The bus was made for Quantum Energy, which signed a letter of intent with the government to make hydrogen fuel available in Hungary. "Quantum Energy is planning hydrogen-producing wind power plants for use in mass urban transport," CEO László Molnár said. "This will help to reduce city pollution and aid the utilisation of the notoriously erratic wind power," Molnár explained. |
|
BREAKTHROUGH! |
|
Microbial Hydrogen Production Threatens Extinction for the Ethanol/Biofuel
Dinosaur |
|
Traditional ethanol production
requires either hydrocarbons from fossil fuels or the fermentation of
sugary plants. This necessitates sugary crops such as corn or sugarcane to
be grown solely for fuel, not for human use. Bacteria-produced ethanol and
enzymatic produced ethanol are both being researched, but they have been
very costly, and have relatively low efficiencies. Logan and his team found that with certain configurations nearly all the hydrogen in the source material could be converted into hydrogen gas. He foresees this allowing for the process to be adopted on a large scale for easy hydrogen production. Even with the initial electrical jolt, energy lost to processing the hydrogen and other inputs, the overall efficiency of the system is 80 percent in the vinegar driven system. This is far better than any existing process for ethanol generation. It also handily beats electrolysis generation, being between three to ten times more efficient. more |
|
BREAKTHROUGH IN
MICROBIAL PRODUCTION: |
| In tests the system produced hydrogen that if burned would make between two and six times the amount of energy put in as electric power. By comparison hydrogen extracted from water can only pay back 50 to 70 per cent of the energy used to extract it. "It is surprising that such high hydrogen yields can so readily be obtained," says Patrick Hallenbeck of the University of Montreal in Canada. "The net energy yield appears much higher than what people are getting in other biofuel production processes – bioethanol, for example," he adds. more |
|
|
| The U.S. wind industry is on track to complete roughly 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind projects in 2007, shattering the 2006 record of 2,454 MW and solidifying wind as a major source of new power in the country today, according to a new market report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). |
|
BREAKTHROUGH |
|
|
|
|
|
Self-aligned, vertically oriented titanium iron oxide nanotube arrays demonstrate the ability to split water under natural sunlight. |
|
|
Revolution in Solar Hydrogen |
|
 |
"As I see it, we are a couple of
problems away from having something that will revolutionize the field of
hydrogen generation by use of solar energy." |
|
The prospect for the wide spread use
of hydrogen as a portable energy carrier is dependent on finding a clean,
renewable method of production. At Penn State University, a research group
headed by professor of electrical engineering Craig Grimes in the
Materials Research Institute is "only a couple of problems away" from
developing an inexpensive and easily scalable technique for water
photoelectrolysis - the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using
light energy - that could help power the proposed hydrogen economy. ...Previously, the Penn State scientists had reported the development of titania nanotube arrays with a photoconversion efficiency of 16.5% under ultraviolet light. Titanium oxide (TiO2), which is commonly used in white paints and sunscreens, has excellent charge-transfer properties and corrosion stability, making it a likely candidate for cheap and long lasting solar cells. However, as ultraviolet light contains only about 5% of the solar spectrum energy, the researchers needed to finds a means to move the materials band gap into the visible spectrum. They speculated that by doping the TiO2 film with a form of iron called hematite, a low band gap semiconductor material, they could capture a much larger portion of the solar spectrum. The researchers created Ti-Fe metal films by sputtered titanium and iron targets on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass substrates. The films were anodized in an ethylene glycol solution and then crystallized by oxygen annealing for 2 hours. They studied a variety of films of differing thicknesses and varying iron content. In this paper they report a photocurrent of 2 mA/cm2, and a photoconversion rate of 1.5%, the second highest rate achieved with an iron oxide related material. The team is now looking into optimizing the nanotube architecture to overcome the low electron-hole mobility of iron. By reducing the wall thickness of the Ti-Fe-O nanotubes to correspond to the hole diffusion length of iron which is around 4nm, the researchers hope to reach an efficiency closer to the 12.9% theoretical maximum for materials with the band gap of hematite. more
|
|
|
Wind Hydrogen Limited to List as WHN on Australia's ASX August 10 |
|
|
“Using Minnesota
wind to make nitrogen fertilizer for farmers could transform agriculture, wind
and hydrogen economics overnight. The fact that this could reduce input costs
for farmers and boost wind development without the need for transmission lines
or power purchase agreements makes this approach a potential grand slam." |
|
|
|
|
North Dakota State University Dedicates Wind-to-Hydrogen System |
|
 Minot: Basin Electric wind turbine |
Bismarck, N.D. -- Dedication ceremonies for a Wind-to-Hydrogen project have been set for Saturday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. The event will be held at the project site located at North Dakota State University's (NDSU) North Central Research Extension Center, one mile south of Minot, N.D. on U.S. Highway 83. The public is invited to attend and enjoy refreshments, provided by Verendrye Electric Cooperative. The hydrogen fueling site is the first of its kind in the nation. A short program will include a speech by U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan |
|
and speakers from electric cooperatives and industry
sponsors. Curtis Jabs, senior legislative representative for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, said that the Wind-to-Hydrogen project was a joint effort between a consortium of energy companies and research institutions in North Dakota and made viable through funding arranged by Sen. Dorgan through the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division. "Senator Dorgan has been a huge supporter of wind and developing hydrogen as a fuel of the future," Jabs said. "We're thankful to have him involved, as well as our many other project sponsors and participants." The primary consortium members include Basin Electric, Verendrye Electric Cooperative, Velva; Central Power Electric Cooperative, Minot; NDSU North Central Research Extension Center; the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Cooperative Research Network; and the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Grand Forks, N.D. The $2-million project just received the final component last month, a hydrogen electrolyzer delivered from Belgium. Now the research begins to turn variable wind energy into a firm, value-added energy source that can be stored and used as needed in the form of hydrogen fuel. The wind energy will come from Basin Electric's wind resources at Minot, Edgeley/Kulm and Wilton, N.D. As electricity is produced by wind turbines, it will be dynamically scheduled over the local transmission system to the project site where it will be used in an electrolyzer that separates water into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The hydrogen produced will primarily be used to refuel hydrogen-powered vehicles and a converted tractor, which will operate on a blend of hydrogen and diesel fuel. more
|
|
Project Turns Wind into Hydrogen
Patrick Springer
In-Forum News (ND)
May 7, 2007
 |
|
| Dedication of a $2 million project between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Xcel Energy at the National Wind Technology Center 12/14/2006. The Wind to Hydrogen Project will examine the systems intergration issues with wind-hydrogen production, compression, storage and use. Shown l-r: NREL scientist Ben Kroposki, NREL Director Dan Arvizu, Xcel Chairman Dick Kelly and Project Leader Frank Novachek. Credit: Jack Dempsey | |
 |
Wind-to-Hydrogen Project Video This video features the wind-to-hydrogen project, which uses electricity from wind turbines to produce hydrogen at NREL's National Wind Technology Center. |
|
Wind-to-Hydrogen Demonstration Project Xcel Energy |
|
"Converting wind energy to
hydrogen
|
The facility links two wind turbines
to devices called electrolyzers, which pass the wind-generated electricity
through water to split the liquid into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen
can be stored and used later to generate electricity from either an
internal combustion engine turning a generator or from a fuel cell. In
either case, there are no harmful emissions, and the only by-product from
using the hydrogen fuel is water.
On site is a new building that houses the electrolyzers and a device to
compress the hydrogen for storage; four large, high-tech tanks to store
the hydrogen; a generator run by an engine that burns hydrogen; and
a control room building, where computers monitor all the steps of the
process. Xcel and NREL are each paying part of the $2 million budget for
the two-year project.
|
|
DENMARK'S FIRST HYDROGEN PLANT OPENS "The large investors in California
need locally based facilities where they can test new environmental
technologies at full scale, in order to see whether it is possible to
bring them the critical way from the desk to the market. Lolland has
arranged itself in a way which is perfect to become such a test area." "The Americans are very interested
in how to integrate large amounts of renewable energy into the existing
net. Denmark has gained experience in this over many years, and Lolland is
now offering the opportunity to test it in practice." |
|
|
|
Lolland, Denmark to Become |
|
"Our goal is to use fuel cells to produce heat and electricity right at people's homes," said Nakskov's mayor, Flemming Bonne Hansen according to Borsen, adding that he hoped the investment in the region by fuel cell developers would also bring jobs to the local economy.
|
|
Southern California Edison Unveils Hydrogen Demonstration
Kevin Smith San Gabriel
Valley Tribune
May 23, 2007
Project Turns Wind into Hydrogen |
Mike Strizki:
|
BREAKTHROUGH |
|
Platinum Nanocrystals Boost Catalytic Activity
for Hydrogen Production |
| 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. |
|
|
| In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated that a hybrid system of hydrogen and carbon can produce a sufficient amount of liquid hydrocarbon fuels to power the entire U.S. transportation sector. Using biomass to produce the carbon, and solar energy to produce hydrogen, the process requires only a fraction of the land area needed by other proposed methods. |
|
|
|
Hydrogen Project Could Point Way
to New Energy Paradigm |
| There are no electric transmission lines to transport wind-generated electricity from the Plains, and building enough lines wouldn't be feasible. Leighty's proposed solution is to use the wind to produce hydrogen and ship it to population centers through pipelines. At the end of the pipes, the hydrogen could be burned as a motor fuel, converted back into electricity to power homes and businesses, or used to manufacture ammonia or other chemicals. His proposal has one more element - 15,000 salt caverns on the Plains to store hydrogen underground, to assure a steady supply would be available when the wind isn't blowing. |
|
|
|
|
Second Las Vegas Hydrogen Fueling Station Opens |
| In order to manufacture hydrogen, the LVVWD’s fueling station uses solar panels to collect energy from the sun. Then, through electrolysis, hydrogen is removed from water that is then stored and used as fuel. |
|
|
| The project is part of a multi-faceted research project that received $12 million in research and development funding from the Department of Energy. An additional $4 million was contributed in matching funds. Other components of the project include a hydrogen safety workshop; a hydrogen road-mapping exercise for Nevada; research into the production of hydrogen using photoelectric chemistry; and improvements on membrane and electrolyzer performance and efficiency. |
 |
"Our technology is designed to help
make wind power a more reliable, affordable and scalable power generating
solution and thereby expand the penetration of wind power in energy
markets." Dr. Tapan Bose, President HEC |
|
Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc. Demonstrates Its |
|
| By integrating HEC Oxx Power™ generator systems with wind-sourced power, customers can bring on line a sustainable solution that extends the capacity and value of wind energy, while reducing customers' dependence on petroleum and gas burning technology. | |
|
Solar-Powered Hydrogen Generation
Rust-based solar panels could make hydrogen cheap and efficient Kevin Bullis Technology Review December 12, 2006 Researchers in Switzerland have demonstrated more-efficient water-splitting solar cells based on a cheap, abundant, and long-lasting material: rust. The advance could lead to a cheap and energy-efficient way to generate hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles using solar energy. ...The findings suggest several strategies that could help the iron-oxide-based panel reach the 10 percent efficiency level that would make the technology competitive with current ways of creating hydrogen... |
|
|
|
"Converting wind energy to
hydrogen
|
The facility links two wind turbines
to devices called electrolyzers, which pass the wind-generated electricity
through water to split the liquid into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen
can be stored and used later to generate electricity from either an
internal combustion engine turning a generator or from a fuel cell. In
either case, there are no harmful emissions, and the only by-product from
using the hydrogen fuel is water.
On site is a new building that houses the electrolyzers and a device to
compress the hydrogen for storage; four large, high-tech tanks to store
the hydrogen; a generator run by an engine that burns hydrogen; and
a control room building, where computers monitor all the steps of the
process. Xcel and NREL are each paying part of the $2 million budget for
the two-year project.
|
Swiss Researchers Claim "Unprecedented" 42% Efficiency
in
Water-Splitting
Physorg
December 4, 2006
|
RELEASED! |
|
Imagine the future of
energy. The future might look like a new power plant on the edge of
town—an inconspicuous bioreactor that takes in yard waste and
locally-grown crops like corn and wood chips and churns out electricity to
area homes and businesses. Or the future may take the form of a
stylish-looking car that refills its tank at hydrogen stations. Maybe the
future of energy looks like a device on the roof of your own home – a
small appliance, connected to the household electric system, that uses
sunlight and water to produce the electricity that warms your home, cooks
your food, powers your television, and washes your clothes.
|
|
Do deep subterranean bacteria create
the hydrogen that makes oil and natural gas - and someday promise humanity
unlimited clean power? |
|
|
|
Solar Split Scientists have combined two molecules that occur naturally in blood to engineer a molecular complex that uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. ...This molecular complex can use energy from the sun to create hydrogen gas, providing an alternative to electrolysis, the method typically used to split water into its constituent parts. The breakthrough may pave the way for the development of novel ways of creating hydrogen gas for use as fuel in the future.
|
Cheap Hydrogen: GE's Low-Cost Electrolyzer
Logan Ward
Popular Mechanics
November 2006
The Storage of Wind Energy
Technological and Economic Realisation
Jörg Linnemann, Dr. Robert Steinberger
1st International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES I)
Gelsenkirchen, Germany October
30 - 31st , 2006
When Kitchen Waste Isn't Wasted
Upscale Bay Area restaurants helping
feed machine
that turns scraps into electricity, vehicle fuel
Glen Martin
San Francisco Chronicle
October 25, 2006
|
Popular Mechanics Magazine Awards GE Researchers for Electrolysis Breakthrough The Business Review (NY) October 6, 2006 The GE design uses a special plastic to replace expensive metal parts. Metal coating techniques borrowed from aircraft engine and power turbine products were used to make high performance electrodes at low processing costs. |
|
|
|
The board of the New York Power Authority approved the
"hydropower-to-hydrogen" plan Tuesday, and Pataki is expected to formally
announce it today. Transit buses and state fleet vehicles are among the
possible hydrogen-consuming vehicles. "It puts New York State in the cutting edge of this clean-fuel technology," Power Authority spokesman Michael Saltzman said. Details of the plan released Tuesday envision two fueling stations at undetermined locations, potentially at Niagara Falls State Park and at locations operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. more
|
Hydrogenics Leaves Prince Edward
Island Wind/Hydrogen Project
Work Begins on $56-million Wind Turbine Power Project
Andy Walker The
Chronicle Herald (Canada)
September 20, 2006
Canada Supports Development of Alternative Energy Project
Industry Canada
April 22, 2005
|
AUSTRALIA LEAPS AHEAD
WHILE AMERICA WAGES |
|
Wind farm operator Wind Hydrogen Ltd has bought the rights to
Australia's most powerful wind farm a week after announcing plans to raise
new capital and float on the Australian Stock Exchange. The renewable energy company said it had entered into an asset purchase agreement for the 232-megawatt Mount Gellibrand project at Colac in Victoria, which it estimates to be worth $460 million on completion. "Wind Hydrogen will acquire the project for an undisclosed sum from German development group Pro Ventum International GmbH, which will continue to have an advisory role on the project's development and will retain a minority interest," WHL said in a statement. more |
