Welcome
to the
International Clearinghouse for Hydrogen Commerce
BUILDING A WORLD THAT WORKSTM
CONTACT
"First they laugh at you,
then they ignore you, then they fight with you, then you win." -- Ghandi
"Mankind's future depends
on America's energy choices. Let's clean house and abandon the
phony solutions that result in war, environmental ruin,
poverty, hunger, hatred and disease.
We must lead. We must set the example and Build A World That
Works!"TM -- Richard D.
Masters
"Oilgators!"
Designing the Future
Part
1
2
3
4
5 Advanced nations
are edging beyond fossil fuels. But who will lead?
"THE CROWN JEWEL" OF UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA'S MULTIDISIPLINARY
RESEARCH UNITS
White Mountain Research Station Facilities Exploring Change to Total
Alternative Energy by Paula Brown-Williams
The Inyo Register, Bishop, California June
30, 2002
...The three-day retreat culminated with leaders
from industry, government and universities pledging support for a proposal to use the WMRS
facilities as a test and demonstration site for hydrogen as well as other varieties of
renewable energy.
...In a panel discussion the head of the California Air Resources Board, a California Energy Commissioner, and a senior energy
advisor to California Governor Gray Davis agreed that the proposal was an extremely
important undertaking worthy of financial backing.
WMRS Station Manager Dr. Michael L. Morrison said
the retreat was a 100-percent success. "I would predict within the next one or
two years there will be a multimillion dollar renewable energy program centered at White
Mountain," Morrison said. go to complete article and photos
As long as fossil fuels remain cheap and as long as release of pollution and CO2 from
fossil fuel combustion is allowed, they will be cheaper to use to produce electricity,
even in remote locations.
When the price of fossil fuels rise and we take a more responsible role
in protecting the environment, we will transition to a Hydrogen Economy. Energy will be
produced by non-polluting, sustainable methods such as solar and nuclear. This energy will
be produced and carried in the form of electricity or hydrogen. Hydrogen has the benefit
that it is more easily stored and more efficiently transported than electricity. But this
will not happen is the near future.
There are special circumstances where hydrogen is the economic choice
today. These are locations where access to provide electricity or fossil fuels is
difficult or expensive. In these locations, electricity can be produced by windmills or
photovoltaic panels. Surplus electricity can be used to make hydrogen by electrolysis.
This hydrogen can then be used to power fuel cell generators when the wind isn't blowing
or the sun doesn't shine.
An example of this is the University of California White Mountain
Research Laboratory, high in the mountains of southeastern California. Plans are in
progress to use solar panels and wind energy with hydrogen generation and storage to
replace the undersized, expensive and unreliable electricity line that is currently used. -- Ken Schultz,
Ph.D., P.E.,
Operations
Director, Lasers and Inertial Fusion, General Atomics
University of California White
Mountain Research Station's renewable hydrogen proposal
appears in the international Elsevier Science's
November 2002 REFOCUS, in an
article by Tom Koppel, acclaimed author of Powering the
Future - The Ballard Fuel Cell and the Race to Change the
World read
How Ratifying the Kyoto
Protocol Will Benefit Canada's Competitiveness
A new report by the Pembina Institute surveys real-world evidence of ways that initiatives
to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and address other environmental challenges have
affected a variety of competitiveness indicators. July 3,
2002
"...18% of
Canada’s GHG emissions currently comes from road vehicles. Yet the fuel efficiency of
personal vehicles in North America has actually been falling for the past 15 years. This
creates a huge growth potential for alternative transportation technologies such as
renewable biomass fuels, natural gas engines and hydrogen fuel cells. Major firms such as
Shell International and DaimlerChrysler expect hydrogen to emerge as the world’s
primary energy medium and fuel cells to play an integral part in the hydrogen economy. The
attractiveness of fuel cell vehicles goes beyond their potential for more efficient
operation and zero tailpipe emissions. They also have the potential to use zero-emission
fuel sources, thus eliminating all lifecycle GHG emissions from vehicle operation. The
development of fuel supply infrastructures for fuel cell vehicles in Canada can be
accelerated through initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. The federal government recently
provided the Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance with $23 million to do just that
over the next five years."
The U.S. Department of Energy
officially calls for hydrogen-based energy to replace the equivalent amount of fossil-fuel
energy to power 2 million to 4 million American households by the year 2010, and 10
million households by 2030. The Department of Energy is proposing increasing
research funding by $10 million, to about $100 million this year. That does not include
the NASA grant, or any Department of Defense research. Still, that's only about half the
$200 million the Department of Energy spends on clean-coal technology
research.
"Hydrogen is
getting major attention by the Bush administration. The administration has caught
the vision of hydrogen and what it can do for our economy, our energy security and the
environment."
John Turner,
"As you know, one of the major challenges facing the nation is to reduce the
consumption of petroleum in the transportation sector. Transportation represented about
two-thirds of total U.S. petroleum consumption and roughly one-quarter of total national
energy consumption. Furthermore, the United States consumes about 45 percent of the
gasoline consumed in the world. The nation’s continued reliance on petroleum makes
the sector highly vulnerable to the uncertainties of the world oil market and greatly
increases the difficulty of achieving clean air objectives. Over the past 25 years, the
federal government has spent billions of dollars attempting to reduce the consumption of
petroleum in the transportation sector."
Mr. Jim WellsTESTIMONY
Director, Natural Resources and Environment
US General Accounting Office, 441 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20548
"We are seeking to develop cars and
trucks that are free of foreign oil and harmful emissions, without sacrificing safety,
freedom of mobility and freedom of vehicle choice. We are looking to eventually remove the
automobile as a factor in the environmental equation, and as a factor that drives our
dependency on foreign petroleum. This is a dramatic, far reaching vision… one that
requires new technology. We cannot break the bonds of oil dependency by continuing with
the status quo."
The
Honorable David K. GarmanTESTIMONY
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
US Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 6C-016
Washington, DC 20585
"While progress on this very promising technology is being made, much research and
development works is still needed. Affordability remains a major challenge. The costs
associated with putting fuel cell powertrains into vehicles at the current technology
level are literally in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Significant future progress
on this affordability challenge must be made in order to make a business case for
producing them. Because this technology is high risk but offers significant societal
benefits, it is appropriate and necessary for Government involvement."
Mr.
Robert CulverTESTIMONY
Executive Director
United States Council for Automotive Research
1000 Town Center Building, Suite 300, Southfield, MI 48075
"An interesting and troubling
likely outcome of the transition period where a significant portion of the electricity to
produce hydrogen might come from fossil-fuel plants and/or where hydrogen is partially
produced from steam-reforming natural gas (as almost all hydrogen is produced today) is
that the consumption of fossil fuel per unit of fuel energy available for transportation
will likely increase. In other words, there will probably be a period of time when we
actually use more fossil fuel in our efforts to transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen
in transportation systems. In addition, since hydrogen must be produced in an energy loss
process, the total electrical energy consumption as we move towards a hydrogen economy is
sure to increase dramatically. For example, an average American home uses around 1000 kWh
of electricity per month. If this home has two fuel cell cars operating on hydrogen, it
will take about an additional 1000 kWh of electricity to produce the hydrogen fuel for the
cars. The implication is that a complete transition to electrolysis-produced hydrogen for
transportation fuel will roughly require doubling the residential electrical generation
capacity."
Dr.
Vernon P. Roan Ph.D., P.E.TESTIMONY
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Fuel Cell Laboratory
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
The PNGV Peer Review Committee, National Research Council
"Eventually the hydrogen market may be big enough that we can make hydrogen in large
centralized plants, similar to refineries today. But this still needs to be distributed
across the country. The challenge will be to build a network of large-scale industrial
hydrogen generation facilities, pipelines, truck delivery systems and smaller on-site
generation facilities -- all expanding as an economic market develops due to increasing
consumer acceptance of fuel-cell vehicles."
Dr. Donald L. PaulTESTIMONY
Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer
Chevron Texaco, 575 Market Street, 39th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
"The evolutionary process will include stationary power plants by the end of 2003 at
a cost of $1,500-$2,000 followed by inner city bus demonstrations in the 2004-2005
timeframe and commercial availability in 2006. Success in these applications will help
drive towards $50 per kilowatt for the automotive market around the end of the decade.
These milestones are aggressive, but can be met and serve as appropriate benchmarks for
progress."
-- CANADIAN BRAIN DRAIN CONTINUES --
NO MATCH FOR U.S. INCENTIVES, LOWER TAXES
"From the federal administration in Washington D.C. down to state
governments, substantial incentives are being offered to the fuel cell sector. Almost
every day new initiatives are announced and U.S. state officials are actively encouraging
Canadian companies to relocate south of the border."
Ron Britton,
Chairman Fuel Cells Canada
The report is the most comprehensive review
ever of the potential long-term economic benefits for Canada of the fuel cell industry. It
was commissioned by Fuel Cells Canada, an association representing 46 companies in the
fuel cell sector.
Fuel Cells Canada chairman, Ron Britton, says countries like the U.S.
and Japan are investing heavily to help their fuel cell sectors overtake Canada. The U.S.
in particular has become strongly focused on the potential economic benefits of fuel cells
and the hydrogen economy.
...According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, the North American
fuel cell industry is expected to provide 108,000 direct and indirect jobs in the
stationary sector, and 33,000 direct and indirect jobs in the transportation sector by
2011.
It says the impact fuel cells will have on the world is comparable to
other global "change technologies" such as electricity, the telephone,
television, personal computers and the Internet. more
G8 PLANS FOR GLOBAL HYDROGEN
ECONOMY
Energy Forum In Conjunction with the G-8 Ministerial
Conference ProceedingsUS Energy
Agency May 2, 2002
Official
Report:
As North Sea Oil Runs Out...
Renewables and Hydrogen
to Surge in United Kingdom
"In the
longer-term a substantial hydrogen sector could very much reduce [energy] storage
costs. ...The longer-term possible shift to zero carbon hydrogen powered vehicles
needs to be considered as part of the development of the energy system as a whole, so that
it goes hand-in-hand with the development of low carbon electricity. ...If the hydrogen
route is taken, the development of a UK infrastructure to deliver hydrogen would be a
major endeavour. ...The Chief Scientific Adviser's review of energy research
identified hydrogen production and storage as one of six key areas in which increased
support for R&D and development would be particularly beneficial. It advised that
there be a dedicated hydrogen research programme separate from, but complementary to, that
for fuel cells." "The
Energy Review"
A Performance and Innovation Unit Report by the Government of the United Kingdom February 14, 2002
California has introduced a "zero emissions" policy to cut car pollution and
Lombardy, which includes Milan, wants to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars
by 2005.
...Prof King, head of the Office of Science and Technology, stressed that he did not
favour one proposal over another. But he said ministers had to consider imposing these
kinds of targets or incentives, known as "regulatory drivers", to force industry
and academia to invest in new forms of energy.
In his report for Downing Street's energy review published 10 days ago, Prof King said
Britain was "significantly underspending" on research into new energy sources
compared with its European rivals.
..."The last time I talked about an example, I talked about the state of Lombardy
but another example that has been used was California introducing the clean air regulatory
process that brought on board the car exhaust catalyst. We want to bring on board economic
and social research alongside research into the physical sciences. One aspect that I see
as centrally important is research into appropriate regulatory
drivers." more
The review added: "There is the long-term prospect
that the technology for powering vehicles by fuel cells fed on hydrogen will fulfil its
current promise, and so ultimately provide the means of providing a substitute for
oil."
Iceland's ambassador to the United States,
Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson, joked about returning to Minneapolis from a conference with
other Scandinavian ambassadors in Houston, the self-proclaimed "Energy Capital of the
World." "(Iceland's) role was to warn them that they were on the
wrong track, and if we are going to take control of our destiny in the next 400 years, we
had better do something about it," he said. April
20, 2002
Europe Set to
Lead the Way To a Hydrogen-Based Fuel Economy According to a joint WWF- Iceland Nature Conservation Association report,
Iceland could power up to 40 per cent of its cars and fishing vessels with hydrogen by
2020, and have a 100 per cent hydrogen based transport system within 35 years. --
World Wildlife Fund
For years, folks laughed
at Bragi Arnason’s vision of a society powered by the H in H2O. Now the first test is
about to be launched in his native Iceland. Next: the world? by Adam Piore Newsweek
April
8, 2002
The roster of experts who see
hydrogen as the most likely replacement for oil when the wells run dry now includes the
oilmen of the Bush administration, and the futurists at General Motors and Ford.
Iceland’s plan is now backed by
DaimlerChrysler, Shell and the European Union, which plan to spend tens of millions of
Euros to create the first societal lab test of a hydrogen economy. In the coming months,
Iceland will roll out three hydrogen-powered buses and begin constructing a filling
station where hydrogen gas will be produced on-site.
If all goes according to plan, this
demonstration will expand to cars and fishing vessels in 2005, and all vehicles within 30
to 40 years. Other nations are likely to follow. The only question is when, says Margaret
Mann, an engineer at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “In the long term
we have to move to hydrogen. It’s the only way to really divorce ourselves from
fossil fuels.”
"Renewable energy technologies offer the nation powerful tools for enhancing homeland
security. Renewable energy technologies that are unobtrusive, silent, and portable can
keep emergency crews working in the light, critical computers on-line, essential
communication lines open, and vital medical supplies refrigerated when other power sources
are down.
"...Because renewable energy systems can be spread over a broad
area, providing power close to the site of the user, they are a more secure type of
infrastructure, less vulnerable to terrorist attack.
"...By now, we've all heard about the coming "hydrogen
economy." And the Department of Energy has placed new emphasis on turning this
concept into reality. Hydrogen can be made safely, is environmentally friendly, and
versatile, and has many potential energy uses, including powering non-polluting vehicles,
heating homes and offices, and fueling aircraft. As part of DOE's FreedomCAR initiative
and Hydrogen Roadmap, NREL is exploring some of the most challenging issues in hydrogen
development today.
"From a homeland security perspective, the goal of reducing our
dependence on imported oil by using hydrogen as a transportation fuel is an effective
strategy. NREL is a key player in the development of processes to produce hydrogen from
renewable resources, the identification of advanced hydrogen storage technologies and the
simulation of advanced vehicle concepts, which will move us along the road to a future
fueled by hydrogen.
"...We can safeguard our energy supply but it's going to take
commitment and hard work to arrive at a secure energy destination. Our scientists and
engineers at NREL started that journey 25 years ago. Ironically, our mission in 1977,
established in the wake of the 1973 oil embargo and resulting supply disruptions, was to
make the nation more energy independent. Today, we renew our commitment to that goal for
America. We renew our commitment to a future in which secure, reliable, never-ending
sources of energy is not some far-off goal, but the reality of
today." more
The Department of Energy
Hydrogen Program
James Daley, Director of the Office of Hydrogen and High
Temperature Superconductivity, leads the Hydrogen Program, while Sigmund Gronich leads the
Hydrogen Program Team. Additional support for the Hydrogen Team comes from Neil
Rossmeissl, Program Manager for Research and Development; Chris Bordeaux, Program Manager
for Technology Validation; Matthew Rowles (analysis); and Samuel Rosenbloom (safety and
sensors). Part of DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the
Hydrogen Program falls under the Office of Power Technologies, which is led by Deputy
Assistant Secretary Robert Dixon and his associate William Parks. EERE is lead by
Assistant Secretary David K. Garman.
Strategic Program Review (PDF 1.5MB)
DOE, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
March, 2002 U.S. national security is impacted by energy in several ways,
particularly through the import of over half of the oil we use and by the risk of supply
disruptions in domestic energy systems such as electricity.
The United States consumed about 19.5 million barrels of oil per day
(MMBbl/day) in 2000, a little more than a quarter of global oil use (75 MMBbl/day in
1999). Net oil and refined product imports are projected to increase to about 16.5
MMBbl/day by 2020, out of total consumption of about 26 MMBbl/day.
Most of the world’s remaining low-cost conventional oil
supplies are located in the Middle East, typically estimated at two-thirds to
three-quarters of proven reserves, raising concerns about the political volatility of the
region and the extent to which the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
can control production and determine oil prices.
Oil price shocks in 1973-74 and 1979-1980 significantly impacted the
U.S. economy, with costs variously estimated as 1-5% of GNP, as $1.2 trillion 29
cumulative during the 1970s, as $73 billion per year averaged over the period 1972-1991,
and so forth.
...The promise of hydrogen as an energy carrier that can provide
pollution-free, carbon-free power and fuels for buildings, industry, and transport makes
it a potentially critical player in our energy future. The acceleration of hydrogen
technology development is appropriate and necessary. However, work is needed to more
effectively structure the existing Hydrogen program within EERE’s Office of Power
Technology (OPT) to meet this challenge. In particular, this includes ensuring that RD
activities are appropriately balanced so that near term projects that contribute to
creating a hydrogen infrastructure also fit within the longer term plan for hydrogen
providing energy security to the United States.
"I
have issued a big challenge to the markets and the car manufacturers. We have been talking
about environmentally friendly vehicles for decades, but the sector has never taken
off. I would like to set a date that is as near as possible, and I think January 1,
2005 would be suitable and I have sent the message: car-makers, get cracking." Roberto Formigoni, President of the Italian region of
Lombardy
Lombardy's 9m inhabitants produce much of Italy's national
wealth, but their economic activities and the movement of about 4m cars on the roads
generate a cloud of microscopic pollution particles that, in still and rainless weather,
becomes trapped between the Appenine mountains and the Alps.
Air pollution is blamed for chronic respiratory problems and lung
cancer, and about 180 people in the region die every year from pollution-related
illnesses.
Mr. Formigoni, a member of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza
Italia party, aims to tackle the emergency by improving the environmental performance of
private vehicles, replacing traditional oil-based fuels with electricity, gas and
hydrogen.
The initiative is the first of its kind in Europe and seeks to promote
the kind of environmental awareness found in California, where administrators hope to have
10% of cars running on hydrogen by 2004. more
"We can only afford to make such an
infrastructure transition once. We have to make sure that what we're going to do is
feasible, that it will deliver not only environmental and supply security, but that
customers want it. And we have to phase it in in a way that's affordable. "
Shell Hydrogen
CEO Donald Huberts Running the
Fuel-Cell Marathon Shell Hydrogen CEO Donald Huberts on the long-term benefits and challenges of
using hydrogen to power cars Business Week
February 18, 2002
"We don't have
to go to war for oil. It's much more than important to Hawaii; it's a matter of
national vested interest." U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, HI
This week's opening of the state's
first fuel-cell test facility will establish the islands as a center for hydrogen energy
development and act as a magnet for additional research projects, supporters said. The
opening of the center -- in Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc.'s Cooke Street warehouse --
coincides with a Bush administration decision this week to abandon a $1.5 billion Clinton
administration project to build super-fuel-efficient cars and instead develop
hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The initiative will take place through a government-business
partnership involving General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG and the
U.S. Department of Energy.
As fuel cells become more prominent, America will lessen its dependence
on foreign oil, making their development an issue of national security as well as one of
economic development for Hawaii, which has everything to become a world leader in fuel
cell technology, said Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.
The project is a collaboration between UTC Fuel Cells Inc. a division
of Connecticut-based United Technologies; the University of Hawaii's Hawaii Natural Energy
Institute; Hawaiian Electric; and the Department of Defense's Office of Naval Research.
The project received $1.6 million in federal funding last year and has $2.6 million this
year.
Inouye is being asked to secure $5 million for next year. The money
comes from the Office of Naval Research budget, the senator said. Oil has been at root of most U.S.
military conflicts in recent decades, although the government never admits that, Inouye
said at Tuesday's opening of the test facility.
Becoming energy independent will save the nation billions of dollars
now spent on oil, money that could be spent on education and other worthy projects, the
senator said.
A proposal would create a
Hydrogen Energy Authority at UH-Hilo. The plan would tap the geothermal wells on the
Big Island as an alternative energy source to oil. House Speaker Proposes Waikiki
Authority- Yahoo
January 17, 2002
VIDEOS! Hawaii's House Energy Chair Mina
Morita The amazing Kauaiian woman who steered Hawaii back on the
road to hydrogenHydrogen for HawaiiQuicktime by VIMS Rep. Morita's address to the CHBC at the
California Air Resources Board
HYDROGEN HAWAIIwith Tom Koppel
Documentary produced and directed by Rick Masters, Webmaster of the California Hydrogen Business
Council, at the request of Hawaiian House Energy Chair Mina
Morita and distributed to the Hawaiian Legislature prior to the unanimous passage of the
Hydrogen Appropriations Act of 2001
"The plan is to use the initial
onshore wind farm to generate the cash to finance the cable. The second stage will be to
develop offshore wind and tidal power and, looking far ahead, to position the Hebrides as
an ideal sight for the nirvana of energy - hydrogen power. This project could unlock the
whole potential of renewables to give Britain sustainable, clean energy."
MP Calum MacDonald, United Kingdom Plan for World's Largest Wind
Farm by John Vidal and Kirsty Scott Guardian
(UK) November 26, 2001
"Even if we set aside
the issue of climate change, the need to be more competitive and less polluting points to
increases in efficiency and a cleaner future. Pioneering firms are already leading the way
to green profits." United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001
News from China
January 15, 2002
People's Daily (China) China Strategically Develops
Green Hydrogen Energy
When the world is facing environmental deterioration and
potential energy crisis, China announced Thursday to join the international race in
effectively using hydrogen energy.
By launching the proton exchange
membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) plans to
compete with a few of developed countries to develop the environment- friendly energy of
hydrogen. The total investment into the technological endeavor in the next three years
would reach 100 million yuan (12 million US dollars).
...Chinese people mostly consumed low-effective
coal and lack oil resources. In 2000, the country spent 25 billion US dollars in importing
70 million tons of crude oil and 30 million tons of refined oil. Oil strategists analyzed
that the warning line of oil import for a big country like China would be at 40 million
tons annually. The strategists estimated that the whole country would need 100 million
tons of imported oil in 2005 and 170 million tons in 2010.
With the rapid economic growth, more and more Chinese families want to
buy home vehicles. However, experts said that the development of traditional vehicle
manufacturing would find no way out.
Chief executive officer of the giant technological project Zhang
Minhua, who is professor at the CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, said that
research and development of the fuel cell will make China be competitive in manufacturing
environment-friendly vehicles.
Promotion of using hydrogen energy will be the final target for
developing the fuel cell, Zhang said.
A ceremony for celebrating the official starting of the collaboration
project of "Clean Energy Facing the Future" was held on January 8 at the Hilton
Hotel in Dalian. This project will be jointly operated by British Petroleum Co.(BP) of the
United Kingdom and DICP. Mr. DAI Yulin, Deputy Mayor of Dalian, Mr. Steve Bucklen, Deputy
Attache of Commerce of the UK Embassy in China, officials of the International Cooperation
Bureau of CAS, officials and scientists of BP, and scientists from the Tsing Hua
University, Shanxi Coal Chemistry Institute of CAS, Metallurgy Institute of CAS and DICP
attended the ceremony.
The ceremony was presided by Prof. BAO Xinhe, Director of DICP. After
his opening address, several distinguished guests also talked warmly in the ceremony. The
speakers included Mr. Dai Yulin, Mr. Bernad Bulkin, BP Chief Scientist of the
collaboration project, and Mr. LI Zhiyi, Division Head of the International Cooperation
Bureau of CAS. They all acclaimed the establishing of this strategic collaboration. Then,
representatives of BP, Dr. Stephen Wittrig and Mr. Bill Luk, talked about the activities
of the BP Research Centers and the BP(China) Co., respectively.
According to an agreement between CAS and BP, scientists of CAS and BP
will collaborate in basic researches relating to natural gas and hydrogen energy. This
collaboration will be carried out for a span of 10 years, and BP will give a funding of
approximately ten million US dollars to support the project. For implementing the project,
a "BP(China) Research Center" is set up in DICP, which will act as the research
base of the collaboration project. This Research Center is the first one established in
Asia, and is the fifth of this type of BP-supported research centers in the
world. more
Stuart Energy Systems Corporation
(TSE:HHO) announced today that it has achieved an important milestone as a major hydrogen
solutions provider to the Asia-Pacific market. The Company has signed a letter of intent
("LOI") with Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings ("CKI"), a Hong Kong
listed company, which is a major shareholder of Stuart Energy. With this LOI, Stuart
Energy aims to aggressively pursue and penetrate the market for medium-to-large scale
hydrogen back-up power solutions (H(2)BPS) in the Asia-Pacific market.
Subject to Stuart Energy achieving certain milestones, the letter of intent contemplates
minimum purchase orders for 2,750 H(2)BPS [Back-up Power Systems] by March 31, 2004,
representing an estimated CDN $600 million in revenue over the term of the seven-year
project. Stuart Energy's H(2)BPS is intended to replace diesel-powered systems for
existing and newly constructed buildings in the Asia-Pacific market.
Stuart Energy will be the systems integrator for this
project, bringing together the Company's commercial hydrogen technology with commercially
available storage and proven internal combustion engine technology. Emerging fuel cell
technology will be incorporated into the solutions as it becomes commercially viable.
PRNewswire/Sturat Energy Systems October
24, 2001
July 25, 2001
$1.6 Billion Investment in Energy Efficiency
Yielded Net Economic Benefits of $30 Billion
Reports U.S. National Research Council U.S. Department of Energy - Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
U.S. Investment in Energy Efficiency Research Pays Off
The
United States has reaped huge economic benefits from its investments in energy efficiency
research and development, says a report released last week by the National Research
Council (NRC). An NRC panel examined 17 energy efficiency projects that represented $1.6
billion in federal investment, or roughly 20 percent of the $7.3 billion that DOE has
spent over the past 22 years. The panel estimates
that the $1.6 billion investment yielded net economic benefits of $30
billion.
Incredibly, three DOE projects that cost only $11 million resulted in most of the
economic benefit: compressors for refrigerators and freezers, energy-efficient
fluorescent- lighting components called electronic ballasts, and low- emission (low-e)
window glass that resists the transmission of heat through windows. The NRC also credits
federal standards and regulations that incorporated the efficiencies attainable by these
new technologies, ensuring that the technologies would be adopted nationwide.
As part of the report, the panel also examined federal investments in fossil
energy research and development.For 22
projects costing $11 billion -- about 73 percent of the $15 billion spent over 22 years --
the NRC estimates net economic benefits of $10.8 billion. (emphasis: CHBC)
"USCAR recommends that while it is
appropriate to re-evaluate priorities for the future of collaborative research and
development programs at the Department of Energy, such programs should continue to focus
on longer-term research that attacks fundamental obstacles to those technologies that have
the potential for substantial societal benefits. This should include an emphasis on
improving the efficient production and use of energy in vehicles, as well as compatibility
with a future hydrogen economy for personal transportation." United States Council for
Automative ResearchJune 26, 2001 SYNOPSIS OF TESTIMONY GIVEN AT JUNE 26 HEARING OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY'S OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY USCAR is an umbrella organization where DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General
Motors coordinate collaborative, pre-competitive research
Reauthorization of the Hydrogen Future Act U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Science
Sherwood L. Boehlert, Chairman
Thursday, June 14,
2001 Hearing onPresident’s
National Energy Policy: Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy R&D Legislation Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy R&D Legislation
WITNESS LIST Panel I – Reauthorization of the Hydrogen Future Act
The Honorable David K. Garman TESTIMONY
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
Dr. H. M. Hubbard, Chair
Committee on Programmatic Review of the
U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Power Technologies
National Research Council
Arthur T. Katsaros, Group Vice President TESTIMONY
Engineered Systems and Development Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Lehigh Valley, PA
on behalf of the National Hydrogen Association
"How
will we reduce our dependence on foreign oil? What assurance do we have, if we are
unwilling to make the investments, that new energy technologies will be there when we need
them?"
Congressman Ralph Hall of
Texas Committee on Science
United States House
of Representatives Hearing on President’s National Energy Policy: Hydrogen
and Nuclear Energy R&D Legislation WEBCASTRequires RealPlayer
---- Funding Doubled for NRC Innovation Centre in Vancouver, B.C. ---- Canadian Minister of
Industry Announces C$20 Million Investment in Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Technologies
National Research Council (Canada) March 13,
2002 Today's announcement will allow the NRC research
institute to increase research staff, strengthen its already active fuel cell testing and
demonstration program, and expand its contributions to training people for the fuel cell
sector as well as its role as a showcase for innovative Canadian technologies and
companies.
The Canadians have historically been eager
to ship methane south, and today half the country's gas is exported to the States. But
last winter, as Canadian gas bills doubled, a debate over this practice began. Canada is,
after all, a frigid country and some Canadians are beginning to suggest capping the amount
of gas sent to the "damn Yankees" so that future generations will have adequate
supplies. Gas fields in western Canada are aging like those in Texas, and the Canadians
are wrestling their own depletion demons, running their own treadmill. It takes 20 new
wells per day, nearly 7,500 per year, to keep Alberta's
production from declining. Methane Madness
- CORE
Gary Doer, sworn in as Manitoba's 20th Premier on October 5, 1999, was
born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Mr. Doer, the former President of the Manitoba Government Employees
Association and former Deputy Superintendent of the Vaughan Street Detention Centre, was
first elected as Concordia's MLA in 1986. He was appointed Minister of Urban Affairs and
Minister of Crown Investments, Minister Responsible for the Telephone Act, and Minister
Responsible for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission, in his first year in Cabinet. Mr.
Doer was also the lead provincial representative in negotiating with the city and the
federal governments, The Forks renewal plan to convert the railyard and the historic
junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers back to the people. He implemented the Business
Improvement Zone Legislation that has proven such an effective model for business
revitalization throughout Winnipeg. He oversaw the introduction of cellular phone service
to Manitoba.
In 1988, Mr. Doer was elected leader of the New Democrats and began
rebuilding the party. In 1990, he became the Leader of the Opposition. In the 1995
election, he led the party to 23 seats - six short of government. On September 21, 1999,
he led the NDP to victory and was sworn in as Premier of Manitoba on October 5, 1999.
-- Province of Manitoba
Three chief ministers from
western Canada and one premier-elect said Thursday they want a say in any decisions on the
development and export of Canadian oil and natural gas to the United States.
..."We shouldn't just be transporting our energy...to
an American grid," [Priemer Gary Doer of Manitoba] said, but should also be
considering an east-west grid that would take it to the rest of Canada.
Canadians should "also be looking at a finite supply in North
America," and begin "accelerating our efforts" in hydrogen development, he
said.
With the United States offering its companies tax breaks for
energy development, Canada should be "looking at new energy sources like
hydrogen."
"We have power, we have water in Canada," and the
country should be "looking down the road at future energy sources that are clean
(and) reliable," Doer said.
At
the Natural Gas "Cliff," Canada Reconsiders THE NEXT
GAS CRISIS
If you thought the worst was over, get ready.
Demand is up, supply is dwindling, and new finds are scarce.... by Andrew Nikiforuk
Canadian BusinessAugust 20, 2001
Citing recent scientific
reports on smog and global warming, Ballard
president Firoz Rasul told the continent's car makers at this year's Toronto auto show:
"Your industry is undergoing a revolution brought about by fuel-cell technology. The
question you must ask yourselves is: Are you a spectator or a player?"
But despite the advent of Ballard's brilliant fuel cell, and Mr.
Rasul's confident words, truly zero emission cars are a long way from a done deal.
That's because it will take billions of litres of hydrogen to power a future national
fleet of fuel-cell vehicles -- and the leading contenders to make that hydrogen are the
very fossil fuels that cause smog and greenhouse gases.
If that happens, those pollutants will not disappear -- most will
simply be shifted from tailpipes to where fossil fuels are extracted and the hydrogen is
made. In fact, some of Ballard's biggest allies are betting heavily on just that:
- Oil companies and car makers like GM are touting
under-the-hood "re-formers" that would convert ordinary gasoline into hydrogen
as the car drives down the highway.
- Vancouver-based Methanex, the world's largest supplier
of methanol extracted from natural gas, is promoting on-board methanol reformers to make
hydrogen. DaimlerChrysler is investing most of its research money and effort there.
- Natural gas companies are pushing to make hydrogen at
their refineries, or at converted retail gas stations in urban areas.
- Some companies and utilities are pitching plug-in
devices that would use household electric power from coal-dependent utilities such as
those in Alberta or the Maritimes to make on- board hydrogen for cars.
This is rarely mentioned when car
makers, energy companies and even Ballard executives promote fuel cell technology. They
stress low tailpipe emissions, and cleaner urban air. But behind the scenes, these
players are moving quickly to shore up their market share -- and protect billion-dollar
investments in auto plants, frontier oil and gas projects, coal deposits and generating
plants, refineries, pipelines, tanker ships, retail fuel networks and gas stations.
If they succeed, North America's car makers, and the petro-chemical "Carbon
Club," will simply put a green sheen to business as usual. more
--
News from Iceland --
U.S. Ambassador to
Iceland Barbara Griffiths with David P. Haberman, Co-Founder and Chairman of DCH Technology, and
Co-Founder of the California Hydrogen Business Council
Ambassador Barbara Griffiths participated
in a March 3 event to inaugurate the first project to market hydrogen energy technology
for use by the general public. DCH Technology, a
California-based firm, signed a partnership agreement with Iceland New Energy to develop a
market for small hand-held hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to batteries or
generators. This project is part of a larger Government of Iceland program to eventually
eliminate the use of fossil fuels in Iceland. U.S. Embassy, Reykjavik, Iceland
REMARKS
BY AMBASSADOR BARBARA J. GRIFFITHS ON
SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2001IN
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to be part of this exciting event.One thing I have been very pleased to see during
my time in Iceland is a steady growth in scientific and technological cooperation between
our countries, involving both public and private sectors.Today’s announcement marks another step forward in what is an increasingly
important area of our bilateral relations.
In recent years the United States has put considerable effort into
developing clean energy sources, including hydrogen.In 1996, Congress passed the Hydrogen Future Act, which established a five-year
program led by the United States Department of Energy to develop and promote hydrogen
energy.There is bipartisan support in
Congress to reauthorize the Act for another five years.
As part of this program, DCH Technology has teamed up with the
Department of Energy national laboratories to commercialize fuel cell technology developed
by the labs.This process of
commercialization through public/private partnerships is a key element of our alternative
energy policy, since it provides a dynamic means of introducing new technology into the
economy, and of repaying the public investment in its development.
At the same time, the Government of Iceland has been developing a
strategy to eliminate most uses of fossil fuels, with the long-range goal of transforming
this country into a ‘hydrogen economy.’The
advantage of hydrogen as Iceland’s fuel of the future is that it can be produced
using energy from Iceland’s abundant hydroelectric and geothermal resources.
The benefits of a clean fuel produced from clean resources are
potentially significant, not only for Iceland, but for the U.S. and any country interested
in reducing the effects of climate change and in long-term protection of the environment.The efforts of the international community to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Kyoto negotiations are an indication of both
the complexity and the importance of these goals, and of how difficult they can be to
achieve.
Today, DCH Technology and its partners launch their commercial fuel cell
initiative.
It will serve the dual purpose of testing the commercial market for this
clean energy technology, and helping Iceland move ahead in its transition to a hydrogen
economy.We wish them good luck and a
bright, hydrogen-fueled future.
Europe Set to Lead
the Way
To a Hydrogen-Based Fuel Economy According to a joint WWF- Iceland Nature
Conservation Association report, Iceland could power up to 40 per cent of its cars and
fishing vessels with hydrogen by 2020, and have a 100 per cent hydrogen based transport
system within 35 years. -- World Wildlife
Fund
European Union,
United States
To Develop Joint Standards,
Share Facilities in Energy Research
The EU
and the U.S. have signed agreements to develop joint standards, share research and
development facilities and exchange experts in the fields of non-nuclear and nuclear
energy, the European Commission said. The two sides will collaborate in fossil energies
and coping with climate change, in new energy sources such as hydrogen and solar energy,
and in energy efficiency, it said. The agreements aim to make it easier for researchers to
participate in each others' programmes and share information systematically. - AFX Europe May
14, 2001
The
cooperation foreseen in the agreements is designed to enable researchers and scientific
organizations of both sides to participate in each other's programs and to exchange
information in a more systematic way. thermonuclear fusion and energy efficiency,
the US is quite advanced in the areas of fossil fuels and CO˛ emission research. The main
fields of interest for the Commission are fuel cell technology, hydrogen production
technologies, solar energy and biomass. European Commission
Signs Energy Research Cooperation Agreements
European Commission
May 14, 2001
This month, Iceland New
Energy, a international consortium that includes Norway's Norsk Hydro, Shell Hydrogen,
Daimler Chrysler and Iceland's energy holding company Vistorka, officially launched two
projects aimed at promoting hydrogen as an energy source. One four-year program will
introduce three buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells into Reykjavik's city transport
fleet. The first two years of the project will focus on environmental research, building
up infrastructure and staff training. The buses, produced by Daimler Chrysler at $1.1
million apiece, are scheduled to go into regular service at the end of next year,
spearheading a gradual switch of the nation's 180,000 vehicles and 2,500 fishing vessels
to hydrogen power.
The second program, a joint venture between
California's DCH Technology
and Skeljungur, Shell's Iceland subsidiary, will begin replacing conventional chemical
batteries with fuel cells to meet special needs—for example, to power mobile homes or
houses and businesses that are not on the regular electric grid. During an a four- to
six-month trial period, the partners will distribute fuel cells for free to see how they
perform. If that goes well, the cells will be mass produced and sold at a price determined
by the size of the market.
For the mobile fuel cells,
refills will be available from hydrogen canisters at Shell service stations scattered
around the country. The buses will start with one central fuel depot in Reykjavik, but as
hydrogen usage spreads to other vehicles, more fueling facilities will be integrated into
the Shell network. "Fossil fuels are only 100 years old," says Iceland New
Energy general manager Jon Bjorn Skulason. "They may last another 50 and then it
could be the turn of hydrogen for 150 years after that." By demonstrating that an
entire economy—albeit a small, isolated one—can free itself of fossil fuel
dependency, Iceland could be a source of hope and inspiration in a world threatened by
climate chaos. Cool and Clean
Time Magazine Online Edition
April 9, 2000
EU
Project Pioneers
Zero Emission Buses
March 6, 2001 CORDIS
An EU funded project, which
will see fuel cell buses introduced to public transport is about to take off in Reykjavik,
Iceland. The project, ECTOS, is part of the key action 'city of tomorrow and cultural
heritage', under the 'energy, environment and sustainable development' programme of the
European Commission's Fifth Framework programme. The project will combine demonstration
and research of hydrogen infrastructure and operation of hydrogen fuel cell buses. It will
play a vital role in assessing the feasibility of fuel cell technology as compared with
other clean and traditional alternatives. Hydrogen energy produces zero emissions, and
thus plays a part in the reduction of greenhouse gases, to which the EU is committed when
it signed the Kyoto Protocol. The EU has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by
eight per cent compared with 1990 levels in the period 2008 to 2012. The ECTOS project is
the first in a series of fuel cell hydrogen bus demonstrations taking place in Europe. The
European Union will contribute 2.85 million euro to the project.
Iceland
is paving the way for sustainable urban transport in an EU funded project in Reykjavik in
which fuel cell buses will be launched in the public transport system. The project will
assess the feasibility of fuel cell technology as compared with other clean and
traditional alternatives. Using hydrogen energy is a true zero emission technology, and as
such contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases to which the EU is committed as a
signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. The ECTOS (Ecological City Transport System) project is
the first in a series of fuel cell hydrogen bus demonstrations taking place in Europe in
the years to come.
General Manager of Icelandic New Energy Jón Björn Skúlason, DCH
Chairman David Haberman, and Skeljungur's Director of Industrial
Marketing Friđrik Stefánsson.
"This
is the first time ever that a wholly commercial enterprise is comprehensively addressing
the hydrogen energy market as a viable business. Skeljungur Ltd. and the INE are
demonstrating the leadership that validates Iceland's commitment to, and ultimately
success in, using hydrogen energy. DCH is extremely pleased to the only provider of fuel
cells, hydrogen sensors, and hydrogen safety services to this initiative."
DCH Chairman David Haberman
DCH Technology, Inc. (Amex: DCH), a leading innovator of hydrogen fuel cells and safety
devices, announced they have signed an agreement with Skeljungur Ltd. (The Shell
Distributors in Iceland) under which the energy provider will distribute DCH fuel cells in
Iceland as part of a six-month market opportunity assessment. Skeljungur Ltd. will then
act as the distributor of DCH fuel cells to markets identified. DCH further announced they
have signed an agreement with Icelandic New Energy (INE), a commercial consortia that
includes several global and Iceland businesses, to provide hydrogen fuel to users of DCH
fuel cells from a hydrogen depot the INE has constructed in Reykjavik, the nation's
capitol. The depot will provide hydrogen at consumer pricing significantly less than that
typically available from today's industrial and commercial vendors. Both announcements are
part of an INE strategy to launch a hydrogen-based economy in Iceland -- in harmony with
the nation's government strong commitment to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, and as a
model for implementing hydrogen energy infrastructures worldwide. Other consortia members
include Norsk Hydro, one of the world's largest manufacturers of hydrogen-generating
equipment, and VistOrka. more
"It was Senator Matsunaga's
vision
that renewable energy could provide
a sustained source of non-polluting energy
and that such forms of alternative energy
might ultimately be employed in the production
of liquid hydrogen as a transportation fuel
and energy storage medium
available as an energy export."
from Section 2119 -- The Matsunaga Hydrogen Act
LIHU'E
- With advances in technology, competition for oil from developing countries and other
developments, state Rep. Mina Morita sees a future when Hawai'i is an exporter rather than
importer of energy.
Morita, 46, of Hanalei, plans to make energy a major issue in the 2001
Legislature if successful in her bid for re-election in the 12th District.
Morita sees a switch to a hydrogen-based economy versus a
petroleum-based economy, with solar and wind power transformed into hydrogen which can be
stored and transported.
"We could become exporters of energy, instead of importers,"
said Morita, chairwoman of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee.
In 1998, residents of Hawai'i spent over $700 million on fuel. With the
price of a barrel of oil doubling and fuel costs increasing, it's feasible that the state
will spend $1.4 billion on fuel in the next two years. more
Iceland already has changed its
energy infrastructure once. After World War II, the government launched a systematic
program to replace imported coal and heating oil with hydro-electric power and geothermal
hot water heat from deep within the Iceland's volcanic rock. It worked. more
Andrew Stuart, President of Stuart Energy Systems,
proposes
the establishment of an affordable hydrogen fueling system
across North America to U.S. Senator Tom Harkin National Hydrogen Association 11th Annual Meeting, Vienna, VA
Fuel cell energy
company Stuart Energy Systems Inc.,
backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, filed a prospectus Thursday to raise C$172
million ($115 million) in an initial public stock offering, spurred on by a hearty
investor appetite for fuel-cell-related firms.
Canada's Stuart Energy is developing the Stuart Personal Fuel
Appliance, designed to separate hydrogen from water for so it can be used as an energy
supply in fuel cells.
..."The demand for companies in this space is significant."
said a Toronto-based specialist in equity syndication. ..."People have identified a
new sector and an exciting opportunity. They know it's very early days - not dissimilar to
biotech - so they want to buy a basket of this stuff," he said.
... The company said Thursday that it would sell in an initial public
offering 5.8 million common shares at C$26 each through an underwriting syndicate led by
CIBC World Markets Inc. ...Stuart Energy expects the shares to begin trading on the
Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HHO, on or before October 5, said the company in a
statement. Company spokeswoman Wanda Cutler said shares are being sold to U.S. investors
on a private placement basis following the filing of form 144 A with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission.
Stuart Energy Systems Corporation
announced today that Ford Motor Company has issued a purchase order to test and evaluate a
series of Stuart Personal1(TM) Fuel Appliances over the next two years.
The Stuart Personal(TM) Fuel Appliance is packaged, scaleable, portable
and compact proprietary hydrogen fuel technology. The appliances to be delivered to Ford
will convert electricity and water into pressurized hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles
and test beds on a zero emission basis. Ford is scheduled to receive the first Stuart
Energy prototype unit this year.
Ford will conduct evaluations and provide information on usability and
performance. The data will be incorporated into subsequent prototypes to be delivered to
the automaker over the two year period. Andrew Stuart, President and CEO of Stuart Energy,
said Ford's interest in the Stuart Personal(TM) Fuel Appliance development program will be
very valuable in preparing the product for market.
"Ford's feedback will help us to develop a user friendly and cost
effective hydrogen fueling product. Our plan is to have the Stuart Personal(TM) Fuel
Appliance ready for market at the same time as the hydrogen fuel cell cars are introduced
in showrooms."
Stuart Energy has been collaborating with Ford since 1995, when the
Company was contracted by Ford in a study to evaluate a gaseous hydrogen fuel
infrastructure option. The Stuart Fuel Appliance approach, consisting of distributed
hydrogen generation and supply, was identified by Ford as being an effective solution to
the hydrogen fuel infrastructure challenge.
Stuart
Energy Systems is a leading developer and provider of
generating systems that produce hydrogen at the pressure and purity required for use as a
transportation fuel. With its advanced technology, Stuart has mastered the challenge of
converting hydrogen into a fuel that is both cost-efficient and easy to transmit. This is
a major breakthrough in the field of science as hydrogen has always been a very valuable
source of fuel. To capture the market which is expected to grow exponentially arising from
regulatory requirements in the US for introducing zero emission vehicles, the company has
demonstrated usage of Vehicle Fuel Appliances for hydrogen cars and buses. Hydrogen fuel
can also used for home appliances such as heaters and cooking stoves, and in marine
propulsion and regenerative power systems.
Stuart is filing for an IPO and intends to file an amendment to its
preliminary prospectus which provides additional details of the relationship between CKI
and Stuart. Stuart's IPO roadshow activities will commence at the end of the month, and
the company will be introduced to the Hong Kong investment community in the beginning of
September. CKI's investment in Stuart has made CKI one of the three cornerstone
shareholders of Stuart together with the founding Stuart Family Trust and Samuel C.
Johnson Trusts.
"We are very excited about this opportunity to participate in the
pre-IPO stage of a company as promising as Stuart. With environmental protection becoming
a global trend, clean and cost-efficient fuel will be the key to future technology growth.
CKI sees great potential in the hydrogen fuel business. With Stuart's extensive experience
in the hydrogen business and its hi-tech capabilities, we are confident that the company
will quickly become a leading supplier of hydrogen fuel appliances and fuel services in a
vast range of fuel-driven industries," said Mr H L Kam, Group Managing Director of
CKI.
In addition to acquiring an equity stake in Stuart, which aims to
market hydrogen fuel to all fuel-driven industries on a worldwide basis, CKI has obtained
exclusive rights to Stuart's technology and products in Asia Pacific. This exclusivity was
licenced to CKI by a joint venture company formed by Stuart and CKI (Stuart: 60%
shareholding; and CKI: 40%) whose mission is to develop the hydrogen fuelling business in
Asia Pacific.
California Hydrogen
Business Council Video
Stuart Energy's Personal Vehicle Refueling Appliance
NRG Technologies' Hythane Crown Victoria
Download: Fair Quality 6.5 Mb High Quality 28.0 Mb
"The
large-scale electricity model appears to be collapsing under its own economic and
ecological weight." - Seth Dunn,
Worldwatch Institute Micropower - The Next Electrical Era - July 15, 2000
...distributed generation
has all the earmarks of a so-called disruptive technology - one that can bring about a
significant market shift. - Arthur D.
Little, Inc. Distributed Generation Emerging as Viable Technology
- July 13, 2000
"The transmission game
has to start creating incentives. Otherwise, distributed
generation will take over."
Etienne Deffarges,
Andersen Consulting- Reuters - July 7,
2000
"Our electricity grid is very old.
It's antiquated.
We don't want to panic anybody, but we are concerned in the upper Midwest, in
California, in the Southwest and parts of the Northeast. These are areas that are
especially vulnerable because of inadequate transmission, inadequate capacity, and we're
worried...." U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson - May 26, 2000
...Honeywell got its first
multi-fuel, 75 kW Parallon 75 turbogenerator into New Delhi’s power utility
on—of all the dates—Aug. 7, the same day the Southeast Asia dawn set for a
considerable amount of big power interests. In the background, GE MicroGen and
International Fuel Cells (IFC) are about to duke it out across Asia through Kubota and
Toshiba, respectively. Microturbines? Cogeneration? Talk to Honda and Yanmar. Out in the
sticks hybrid diesel/biogas and other systems are making inroads.
More than 40 small, natural gas power plants are
being planned throughout Illinois... ...these
"peaker" power plants, some as small as a one-car garage and designed to switch
on during periods of peak demand, have touched off myriad political clashes from people
who don't want electricity generated down the street...."No one wants to live near a
power plant," groused Terri Voitik, who complains that a nearby unit rattles her
Aurora townhouse and has organized a group to fight the construction of one peaker.
The use of wind,
solar power, and fuel cells fueled by hydrogen can also help reduce global carbon dioxide
emissions, one third of which come from electricity generation. In the United States,
widespread adoption of micropower could cut U.S. power plant carbon dioxide emissions in
half. In developing nations, small-scale power could lower carbon emissions by 42 percent
relative to large-scale systems.
The power supply
in Silicon Valley was recently drained to a point where dozens of companies lost millions
of dollars. The event was the most serious indicator so far that America's electricity
supply cannot cope with the power needed to run the digital economy.
"We have to do something to make sure we develop a
long-term energy policy and do something with alternative fuels. Solar, wind, and
geothermal are areas we need to explore. We have spent very small amounts of money each
year on hydrogen fuel development; this, some day, will overtake the fossil fuels that we
use." Senator Harry Reid, Nevada - April
10, 2000
The California Fuel Cell
Partnership today announced plans to construct a headquarters office in West
Sacramento which will house fuel cell electric vehicles and a hydrogen refueling station.
The facility will serve as an operations base for executing the Partnership's goals of
demonstrating fuel cell vehicle technology and an alternative fuel infrastructure over the
next four years. The 55,000 square-feet, state-of-the-art facility is expected to open in
autumn 2000.
...Automotive partners DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen will
occupy indoor garage "bays" designed to house vehicles for routine servicing,
repairs, and diagnostic purposes. The vehicle partners will share costs to install a
chassis dynamometer bay for additional testing needs. Energy partners Arco, Shell and
Texaco will jointly fund a hydrogen fueling facility which will dispense liquid and
compressed hydrogen fuel for the vehicles. The station is modeled after similar facilities
built in Nabern near Stuttgart, Germany for the DaimlerChrysler AG, in Dearborn, Michigan
for the Ford Motor Company and in Chicago, Illinois for the Chicago Transit Authority.
...The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a voluntary effort to advance a
new automobile technology that could move the world toward practical and affordable
environmental solutions. The Partnership will demonstrate fuel cell-powered electric
vehicles under real day-to-day driving conditions; will demonstrate the viability of an
alternative fuel infrastructure technology; explore the path to commercialization; and
increase public awareness of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Partnership will place about
50 fuel cell passenger cars and fuel cell buses on the road between 2000 and 2003.
-- The Auto Channel
U.S. Department of Energy's
Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel
Celebrates California Fuel Cell Partnership
October 20, 1999
Dr. Chung S. Liu, Deputy Executive Director for
Science & Technology Advancement, California Air Resources Board addresses HTAP during
the roundtable discussion. Seated: McKinley Adam, California
Energy Commission, Catherine Lentz, Project Leader, California Fuel
Cell Partnership, Jason Mark, Union of Concerned Scientists, and James
Heffel, Advanced Vehicle Engineering Program, University of California,
Riverside, College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology.
CHBC Exclusive: ALL CHBC RELEASES ARE FREE FOR
DISTRIBUTION
In
an extraordinarily upbeat meeting hosted by the California Air Resources Board
in Sacramento, the Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel reviewed a series of developments,
with an emphasis on clean transportation, that now bring hydrogen power to the brink of
commercialization.
"I could not believe, when I look back 5 years or so, that we
would actually be experiencing pre-commercial vehicles on the road running on hydrogen
next year," said Dr. Alan Lloyd, current CARB Chairman and previous HTAP Chairman.
"I think that's a tremendous testament to what has been accomplished."
"Our primary strategy," said Catherine Lentz, the project
leader for the California Fuel
Cell Partnership, "has been to use sound science to push technological advances
that improve air quality in an economical manner. And we do believe that hydrogen
has the potential to play an important role in giving us the air quality we need at a
reasonable cost."
"The original eight members of the Partnership are
DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Ballard, Arco, Shell, Texaco, the California Air Resources Board
and the California Energy Commission. Two weeks ago we were very pleased to announce
the addition of two more vehicle manufacturers, Honda and Volkswagen. It is an
entirely voluntary commitment by everyone involved and depends heavily on industry's
commitment and firm belief that this is a technology that will really work in the future
and will be one that they can make a business out of."
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
HTAP member Chris Flavin of the WorldWatch Institute remarked that the
current trend to develop an energy infrastructure based on natural gas was "the most
exciting development I've seen. We can utilize the gas for the first generation of
fuel cells."
DOE Hydrogen Program manager Sig Gronich agreed that natural gas would
"set the stage" for a hydrogen infrastructure and hinted at possible success
"by 2005" with carbon-based hydrogen storage. "Then they'll jump on
it!"
Gronich also identified as a significant development the award of a DOE
grant for a major hydrogen refueling station to the City of Las Vegas and its partners
Plug Power and Air Products and Chemicals. The City plans to operate eighteen
vehicles, including some large buses, on hydrogen produced from an Epyx reformer.
-- CHBC
"We are pleased to
welcome Honda and VW to the team," said Alan Lloyd, Chairman of the California Air
Resources Board. "With the addition of these new partners, including the first
Asian-based company, this gives us a truly global partnership. Together, the shared
expertise and commitment to expand our efforts to develop this environmentally-friendly
technology will help us reach more consumers and help pave the way to
commercialization."
...Ben Knight, vice president, Honda Research and Development,
said, "Honda is planning to make fuel cell powered vehicles available in the year
2003. Cooperative activity with the California Fuel Cell Partnership will be important to
the success of fuel cell vehicles by helping create an infrastructure and public awareness
and understanding."
Wolfgang Groth, Director of Volkswagen of America Inc.'s
Environmental and Engineering Group, said, "Volkswagen is pleased to join the
California Fuel Cell Partnership. We look forward to working cooperatively with the state
of California and petroleum company partners to introduce the clean fuels and develop the
enabling technologies required for fuel cell vehicles."
- California Fuel Cell Partnership/Business Wire
AACHEN, Germany -- After inviting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to drive the zero
emission Ford P2000 HFC fuel cell car, Ford Motor Company Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.
today declared Ford would be a leader in the "Clean Revolution."
"While my great-grandfather was a leader in the first
industrial revolution, I want Ford Motor Company to be a leader in the second industrial
revolution -- the Clean Revolution," said Mr. Ford at the opening of Ford's new $35
million European advanced research centre, the Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen (FFA).
"To achieve his vision, Henry Ford had declared customers could
have whatever color they wanted, as long as it was black. To achieve my vision, I am
declaring customers can have any vehicle they want, as long as it is green."
Mr. Ford committed Ford Motor Company to offering European consumers
the widest range of environmentally friendly alternative fuel vehicle technologies,
including bi-fuel, electric and fuel cell vehicles, as soon as possible.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--In an important step
forward for fuel cell electric vehicles, California Governor Gray Davis and industry
leaders today announced a fuel cell vehicle partnership that will demonstrate clean
transportation technology on California's roadways in the future. - Business Wire
The ZE bus is being
brought to Kennedy Space Center by DBB Fuel Cell Engines Inc. of Vancouver, Canada. The
company is an alliance of Daimler, Chrysler, Ford Motor Co. and Ballard Power Systems. -
MSNBC
"For the first
time ever, fuel companies are joining with automobile companies to demonstrate fuel cell
vehicles under real day-to-day driving conditions," said DaimlerChrysler Chairman
Robert Eaton. "When we unveiled our fifth fuel cell car, NECAR 4, in Washington, D.C.
last month, we said cost and development of a fuel infrastructure were key challenges.
Today,three major fuel companies are exploring the possibility of providing the fueling
infrastructure needed for the introduction of consumer fuel cell vehicles."
The California Fuel Cell Partnership plans to place about 50 fuel cell
passenger cars and electric buses on the road between 2000 and 2003. DaimlerChrysler's
goal is to demonstrate 15 passenger vehicles in California by 2003 as part of the project.
The exact vehicle models have yet to be determined. In addition to testing the fuel cell
under typical driving conditions, the partners will identify fuel infrastructure issues
and begin preparing the California market for the new technology. The energy providers
will supply a variety of fuels for the demonstration project, including hydrogen, methanol
and potentially a cleaner type of gasoline.
DaimlerChrysler/PRNewswire
States Get Tough
On Auto Pollution New laws in New York and Massachusetts
may force automakers to push electric cars
November 10, 1999 by Dina Elboghdady The
Detroit News
New York Gov. George Pataki announced Monday
that his state will adopt the California rules, the toughest in the nation. Pataki expects
the state legislature to accept the plan.
Massachusetts had previously signaled its intention to follow
California's lead, and held a hearing Tuesday to pave the way for adoption of its plan.
...California, New York and Massachusetts carry a lot of weight because
of their 18 percent share of total auto sales, their vocal stance on all issues
environmental and their trend-setting reputations.
...Electric vehicles have been a flop in California. GM sold only 94
EV1 battery-powered coupes this year. Nationwide, only about 3,000 electric vehicles have
been sold in the past four years, largely to government and commercial fleets.
Because of their range limits and other technological hurdles,
California backed away from mandating their production in 1998. But starting with the 2003
model year, 10 percent of the vehicles sold in California -- and states that adopt its
rules -- must be zero-emission vehicles.
So far, only electric vehicles can meet the requirement. But the state
allows a certain share of that 10 percent to be low-emission vehicles, such as hybrids
that run on gas and electricity. Fuel-cells that use hydrogen directly are also
pollution-free, but are years from introduction because of cost and other problems.
California
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 1.67 million
* U.S. market share: 10.6%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 167,000 New York
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 830,000
* U.S. market share: 5.2%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 83,000 Massachusetts
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 347,000
* U.S. market share: 2.2%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 34,700
1998 U.S. new vehicle
registrations: 15.7 million -- Source: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, GM, Ford and
DaimlerChrysler.
The members of the
California Hydrogen Business Council
extend their sincerest appreciation to the elected representatives
who fought to bring the alloted funding for hydrogen research
close to its designated level, and to Admiral Richard Truly for
identifying hydrogen energy as a vital national security issue.
"Without a sustained and diverse program of
energy R&D and implementation, we are crippling our ability to make the necessary
improvements in the global energy economy." Robert M. Margolis and Daniel M. Kammen
Comment on
Underinvestment
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999
(Discussion - House of Representatives)
Congressman Ralph Hall of Texas
Member House Science Committee September 15, 1999
Some of the most striking cuts
are to Solar and Renewable Energy, which is down $84.4 million, Energy Conservation
R&D, down $67.8 million, and the Spallation Neutron Source, down $96.1 million from
the President's request.
Even more distressing is how energy and other research programs have
been faring in the appropriations process this year. We have watched a pattern of research
cuts in one appropriations bill after another. How can we expect to have a strong economy
in the future when our priorities are so misplaced in the present?
Last week in committee, we developed an important multiyear computing
and information technology bill (H.R. 2086) which gives a real boost to understanding how
to build bigger and faster computers and to use them to solve even larger problems than we
can dream of tackling today. Yet, we have watched the Appropriations Committee make cuts
in these programs, agency by agency, to the point that the program we have authorized
can't be carried out as designed. We worked hard to make NASA lean and mean only to have
the appropriators decide to slash another billion from NASA's hide.
Now today we are bringing forward a carefully thought-out budget for
energy research which, while not perfect, comes close to doing the job. Unfortunately, our
friends on the Appropriations Committee have cut $580 million from the administration's
budget for environmental and energy research. When we reduce actual funding to these
levels, how can we expect to gain the understanding we need of how energy use affects the
environment we live in?
How will we reduce our dependence on foreign oil? What assurance do we
have, if we are unwilling to make the investments, that new energy technologies will be
there when we need them?
"Germany
is 10 giant steps ahead of the rest of the world with regard to developmental work on
hydrogen technology for use as an automotive fuel." -- Bob Keeley, editor of CryoGas International
The Renewable Energy
Policy Project has released a new paper, "Renewable Energy Policy Outside the United
States," which warns that U.S. renewable energy technology firms are losing ground to
overseas companies.
It notes that "Europeans have now seized the lead in
deploying" renewable energy technologies and Japan has "systematically laid the
groundwork for a possible widescale deployment of renewable energy."
The report assess green labeling, consumer financing, guaranteed
electricity purchases, tax incentives, competitive bidding, and other measures being used
in Germany, Denmark, Japan, United Kingdom, and The Netherlands. -- Sustainable Energy Coalition
"Weekly Update" 11/14/1999
"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
-------------
"Hydrogen is
getting major attention by the Bush administration. The administration has caught
the vision of hydrogen and what it can do for our economy, our energy security and the
environment." 
The Committee on
Energy and Commerce 
"I
have issued a big challenge to the markets and the car manufacturers. We have been talking
about environmentally friendly vehicles for decades, but the sector has never taken
off. I would like to set a date that is as near as possible, and I think January 1,
2005 would be suitable and I have sent the message: car-makers, get cracking." 
California Hydrogen Business
Council, at the request of Hawaiian House Energy Chair Mina
Morita and distributed to the Hawaiian Legislature prior to the unanimous passage of the
Hydrogen Appropriations Act of 2001
EU
Project Pioneers
