Feb 9, 2010 (1 hour ago)
Two recent studies, both concerning solar energy used to produce hydrogen may help PEM fuel cells become more efficient and effective. One set of research is from Great Britain at the University of East Anglia. The second research study is from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). At the University of East Anglia the scientists are using a gold electrode covered with indium phosphide (InP) nanoparticles and then layered with an iron-sulfur complex, [Fe 2 S 2 (CO) 6 ]. Just add water and light to this photoelectrocatalytic system and the scientists were able to achieve 60-percent efficiency. At UCSC the researchers are using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) reaction to create a direct solar to hydrogen production inside the solar cell itself. The system uses a light absorbing anode and two different techniques called elemental doping and quantum dot sensitization. Either one of these techniques is efficient in causing a reaction and producing hydrogen, but by combining techniques, higher efficiency can be demonstrated. According to Nanotechnology Now , “The researchers synthesized thin films of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, as well as titanium dioxide nanowire arrays vert..
Feb 9, 2010 (13 hours ago)
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 21 January 2009: The UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, spoke at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on Monday to highlight the UK\'s leading role in meeting the global challenge of combating climate change with renewable energy.
Feb 8, 2010 (1 day ago)
In November 2009, I had talked about how the first of the 20 BC Transit hydrogen fuel cell buses were arriving in Whistler, British Columbia in time for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The 20 BC Transit hydrogen buses, powered by Ballard fuel cells, are the largest single bus fleet anywhere. Besides being zero emissions vehicles, the BC hydrogen buses have a range of over 300 miles and can be refueled in 8 to 10 minutes. Air Liquide will be supplying the compressed hydrogen gas for refueling. Once the Olympics are over with the buses will continue to be part of the BC Canada Hydrogen Highway system, which is part of the West Coast hydrogen highway system that is being built from Whistler, BC all the way down the coast to around the San Diego area. The 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour that took place this past summer featured a procession of hydrogen cars traveling from Chula Vista, CA (south of San Diego) to Vancouver, BC with many stops at H2 fueling stations along the way. Joining the 20 BC Transit H2 buses at the Olympics will be a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid bus from the University of South Carolina and a fleet of Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicles. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics w..
Feb 6, 2010 (3 days ago)
With the use of the new super material graphene, Swedish and American researchers have succeeded in producing a new type of lighting component. It is inexpensive to produce and can be fully recycled.
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen Olympic fuel cell buses - Click above to watch video after the jump With the Winter Olympic games set to kick off next week in Vancouver, British Columbia, many of the visitors to the ski resort of Whistler (just north of the city) will be getting zero emissions transportation. BC Transit has deployed 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses in Whistler as part of its ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The silent electric drive buses have a range of over 300 miles between fill-ups that take 8-10 minutes. The buses are nearly twice as efficient as existing diesel buses, consuming 28 liters of hydrogen per 100 kilometers driven compared to 52 L/100 km for the diesels. New Flyer built the bus chassis with Vancouver-based Ballard Power systems providing the fuel cell system. This should be an interesting test of fuel cell technology with the fuel cell buses operating in cold weather conditions and mountainous terrain. BC Transit expects the new buses to operate for 15 years. Check out the video after the jump . [Source: Ballard ] Continue reading Video: New Flyer\'s fuel cell buses moving people at Winter Olympics Video: New Flyer\'s fuel cell buses moving peopl..
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
There has been a lot of development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell forklifts over the past couple of years. I’ve talked about FCV forklifts in the U. S. food industry, including Coca-Cola and FCV forklifts for Walmart . Outside the U. S. I’ve talked about fuel cell forklifts in Scandinavia and Germany. This past summer I had talked about the H2 Mobility plan for Germany in which eight large companies had signed onto in order to rollout enough H2 fueling stations for the commercialization of hydrogen vehicles by 2015. One of the companies that had signed on to this agreement for Germany to become a hydrogen transportation corridor is Daimler which is producing 200 FCVs in the next couple of years with aims at commercialization by 2015. Another of these eight companies is Linde , which is not only a major supplier of hydrogen gas in Germany but is also now in the business of building H2 forklifts. The forklifts or “trucks” as they are being called are replacing two diesel forklifts at the Linde plant. The fuel cell forklifts are being used to haul compressed gas tanks between warehouses and trucking points. Now, granted, hydrogen fuel cell forklifts may not be as sexy a..
Feb 4, 2010 (5 days ago)
Proton Power Systems and Smith Electric Vehicles have teamed up to produce an electric car with fuel cell range extender. This terminology will most likely go over better with battery electric vehicle fans than the term hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle. Most likely the term electric car with fuel cell range extender was chosen because the electric car without the range extender has a range of about 100 miles. By adding the Proton Power PM200 fuel cell the car picks up another 86 miles in range. Had those numbers been swapped, however we’d most likely be calling this a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle. The first commercial EV with FC range extender will be rolled out in Germany in the last quarter of 2010. The first customers will be fleet operators and local authorities. It makes sense that the first vehicles would rollout in Germany which is part of the European Union Hydrogen Highway system. Germany, which has an area of 137,000 square miles has 30 hydrogen fueling stations in place with a commitment to the acceleration in building more H2 stations over the next 5 years. By comparison, California has an area of 164,000 square miles and has 27 hydrogen fueling stations operatio..
Feb 4, 2010 (5 days ago)
People are getting more and more excited about green automobiles, so it was kind of surprising to see such a neutral reaction to the Fuel Cell Car by Riversimple. While this project has a very interesting slant from other cars that we have seen in this niche, it was met with a very lukewarm [...] Posted in: Fuel Cells , Hydrogen Fuel , Transportation
Feb 3, 2010 (6 days ago)
An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and reversibility of the system.
Feb 3, 2010 (6 days ago)
This is a little futuristic and still in the concept phase but I’d like to talk about it since it ranks high on my “coolness” gauge. A British design company called Seymourpowell was commissioned by Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T) to come up with a futuristic design for hydrogen powered air travel. The Seymourpowell Aircruise is the result of this futuristic thinking. The idea behind the Seymourpowell Aircruise Concept is that it will be a floating luxury hotel that is over 800 feet tall and will float like a large balloon over cityscapes or dramatic landscapes like the watching of the migration of the wildebeests in Kenya. An ocean trip from New York to London would take 37 hours. The Seymourpowell Aircruise would accept up to 100 guests, and 10 luxury apartments would be up for grabs. The photos on this page do not do the Seymourpowell Aircruise concept justice so here’s a video on the vision. Now, I don’t want any hydrogen haters helping to harbor comparisons to the Hindenburg here. The Seymourpowell Aircruise will above all be safe. Hydrogen gas will provide the lift. The airship will also be powered by solar energy plus several hydrogen fuel cells which will provide no..
Feb 3, 2010 (7 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen What is the hydrogen economy all about? For once, we\'re not talking about what sort of infrastructure will be required or at what price point H2 vehicles make sense. Nope, this time the discussion a little less specific and goes into the figurative aspects of what the hydrogen economy is all about. According to a scientific and popular literature review conducted by Drs. Benjamin Sovacool and Brent Brossmann at the National University of Singapore, promoters of a hydrogen economy commonly use five \"distinct fantasy themes and types associated with the hydrogen economy, each with their own different dramatis personae, along with recurring symbolic cues and a collective rhetorical vision.\" What are these themes? Inevitability that depicts hydrogen as the inescapable and unavoidable result of socio-technical development Energy independence where advocates see hydrogen technologies as offering countries a robust, domestically insulated energy infrastructure immune from the vagaries of the global energy marketplace Patriotism that paints hydrogen as a way to achieve national leadership, competitiveness, strength, and vitality Unlimited progress that views hydrogen..
Feb 2, 2010 (7 days ago)
It’s Groundhog’s Day, again. And as a sign of the times, the famous Punxsutawney Phil stepped out of his burrow, saw his shadow and apparently text messaged all of this friends that there will be six more weeks of winter. Now, just as Phil text messaging all of his friends doesn’t seem to go together, neither does electricity and hydrogen. But, this is what researchers in Virginia and China are proposing. Scientists at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the Chinese Academy of Science in Shanghai and Peking University in Beijing are proposing the use of an outside electrical field to contain hydrogen molecules efficiently and reversibly at ambient temperatures. According to Puru Jena, Ph.D at VCU , “Using an external electric field as another variable in our search for such a material will bring a hydrogen economy closer to reality. This is a paradigm shift in the approach to store hydrogen. Thus far, the efforts have been on how to modify the composition of the storage material. Here we show that an applied electric field can do the same thing as doped metal ions.” Right now there has been much research on metal hydride storage. Hydrogen clings to the metal at low pressur..
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
ACAL Energy is attempting to do what few others have managed which is to eliminate the expensive platinum used on the cathode of its hydrogen fuel cell. Instead the ACAL FlowCath uses a durable liquid chemical cathode in its hydrogen FC. This reduces the platinum content by 80-percent overall in the fuel cell. Besides this one step making the fuel cell less expensive and just as durable as a platinum based FC, ACAL Energy is also taking other measures to make their device more ready for commercialization, “The technology also inherently addresses the balance of plant costs by eliminating the need for hydration, pressurization, separate cooling and other expensive mechanical sub-systems commonly found in conventional PEM fuel cells.” ACAL is intending for their fuel cell to first go online in the second half of 2010 supplying continuous electric power at a chemical manufacturing plant in the UK. When the field testing succeeds, ACAL sees its FlowCath fuel cell capable of replacing gasoline and diesel engines in both the stationary fuel cell market and in the transportation sectors. ACAL will exhibit their new fuel cell in early March at the FC EXPO in Tokyo, Japan. Besides speaking..
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have successfully delivered an historic level of laser energy -- more than 1 megajoule -- to a target in a few billionths of a second and demonstrated the target drive conditions required to achieve fusion ignition.
Jan 31, 2010 (9 days ago)
Researchers have developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel fuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria to produce biodiesel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids.
Jan 29, 2010 (11 days ago)
A Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) hydrogen train (hydrail) rolled into Southern California this week to meet Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The hydrail locomotive is powered by hydrogen fuel cell plus hybrid technology. Now, it’s a sign of the times when Governor Schwarzenegger tweeted about his experience on Twitter. The H2 locomotive is a switch locomotive that moves other trains short distances around the rail yard. The BNSF hydrogen train is seen as a clean alternative to those currently powered by diesel engines. In January 2008, I had talked about how BNSF was developing an H2 switch train in Kansas along with its partner Vehicle Projects LLC. In October 2006, I had also talked about how JR East was developing the world’s first hydrogen powered commuter train in Japan. The BNSF hydrogen hybrid train is a welcome alternative to areas known for their poor air quality. So, in the future you may not hear the rumble of a diesel engine and the belch of black smoke on the tracks, but rather the quiet hum of a hydrogen fuel cell and a little cleaner air surrounding it.
Jan 28, 2010 (12 days ago)
Two weeks ago Proton Energy Systems and SunHydro announced plans to build a public hydrogen fueling station in Wallingford, Connecticut. This week SunHydro announced the plans to build an East Coast Hydrogen Highway system. Presumably this would exclude other companies that build hydrogen fueling stations since 4 operational hydrogen fueling stations in New York, and 1 operational hydrogen fueling station in Washington DC is excluded from the plan they’ve mapped out . The SunHydro East Coast Hydrogen Highway system is supposed to start in Portland, Maine and end in Miami, Florida. The other cities along the route include Braintree, MA, Wallingford, CT, S. Hackensack, NJ, Claymont, DE, Richmond, VA, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Savannah, GA and Orlando, FL. The SunHydro fueling stations will be powered by solar energy and will create hydrogen by the electrolysis of water. This is much greener than some other H2 stations that reform natural gas to create hydrogen. According to Mapquest , the distance between Portland, ME and Miami, FL (not considering the locations of the H2 stations in-between) is 1610.72 miles. This would mean on average the 11 fueling stations would be 145 miles a..
Jan 28, 2010 (13 days ago)
In his first State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama has highlighted the key role of renewables in the economic development of the country.
Jan 27, 2010 (13 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Solar , USA Hydrogen vehicles hold out a future hope where our cars, trucks and motorcycles won\'t be emitting harmful toxins and carbon dioxide from their tailpipes (and yes, we know generating the hydrogen fuel will mean emissions from other sources). But before any of us can trade in our fossil fuel-burner for a new hydrogen car, we need someplace convenient to refuel them. There\'s already a small hydrogen infrastructure out in California, along with several smaller locations scattered across the United States, but a large-scale roll-out of hydrogen fueling stations has never really materialized. Connecticut-based SunHydro is setting out to change all that, though, with a new hydrogen highway that would stretch from Portland, Maine all the way to southern Florida. Further adding to the eco-friendly nature of the project, each of the $3 million (privately funded, for what it\'s worth) stations would be run from solar power - similar in principle to how Honda\'s new hydrogen stations function. Each station would reportedly be capable of refilling 10 to 15 hydrogen-powered vehicles per day, but those figures would surely grow if a demand were found. [Source: W..
Jan 27, 2010 (13 days ago)
Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Hydrogen , MPG , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Legislation and Policy , USA , Washington DC Auto Show Among the gleaming vehicles on the Washington Auto Show floor, there are some policy and discussion sessions happening as well. We thought a quick run through a presentation by Roland Hwang, the transportation program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), would be a good thing for our more detailed-oriented readers to delve into. Technically delivered as part of the EDTA/SAE Joint Opening Session, Hwang\'s presentation gets into the numbers (as collected and analyzed by the NRDC) and makes the case that setting strong long-term standards is actually good for auto industry. Take, for example, the chart above ( full size ), which shows what\'s possible in tank-to-wheel emissions in 25 years for a lot of gasoline alternatives. Compared to today\'s average standard gasoline engine, which requires 8.9 liters of gasoline to go 100 kilometers, a plug-in hybrid that can go 30 miles on electric power would require 2.2 l/100 km (equivalent). A fuel cell vehicle would need 2.3 liters (equivalent) and a pure electric would need 1.7 liters. Foll..
Jan 27, 2010 (13 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Solar , Honda Honda next-generation solar hydrogen station - Click above for high-res image gallery Honda remains firmly committed to the hydrogen fuel cell as the best long-term solution to zero emissions mobility. However, the automaker is also cognizant of the issues involved with trying to build out a network of hydrogen filling stations that would be needed to make fuel cell vehicles a practical alternative. Since 2001, Honda\'s Torrance, CA U.S. headquarters has been home to a solar-powered hydrogen filling station that produces, compresses and dispenses the lightweight gas. Honda has now deployed a new generation of the solar hydrogen station (SHS) that is intended for home use. The high differential pressure electrolyzer and dispenser is designed to do a slow overnight top off of the tank without compressing or storing the hydrogen. In about eight hours, it will add 0.5 kilogram of hydrogen to the car, enough for about 30-35 miles, which would cover most drivers\' daily commute. It would use grid power at night during off peak hours while returning power to the grid from the solar panels during the day. The premise is similar to that behind an extende..
Jan 27, 2010 (13 days ago)
Today Honda is beginning operation of its new Solar Hydrogen Station at its headquarters in Torrance, California. The new Honda Solar Hydrogen Station replaces the Honda Home Energy Station IV. Back in November 2007, I had talked about the Honda Home Energy Station IV (which was in collaboration with Plug Power Inc.) as a piece of promising technology that would put consumers in control of their own refueling by putting a hydrogen station right in their own garages. In fact, Honda isn’t the only company developing home hydrogen fueling stations as there are a few others such as ITM Power. Honda compares the new station to the old , “The previous solar hydrogen station system required both an electrolyzer and a separate compressor unit to create high pressure hydrogen. The compressor was the largest and most expensive component and reduced system efficiency. By creating a new high differential pressure electrolyzer, Honda engineers were able to eliminate the compressor entirely – a world\'s first for a home use system. This innovation also reduces the size of other key components to make the new station the world\'s most compact system, while improving system efficiency by more..
Jan 27, 2010 (13 days ago)
Researchers have developed an advanced \"closed-loop control\" approach for preventing diesel engines from emitting greater amounts of smog-causing nitrogen oxides when running on biodiesel fuels.
Jan 26, 2010 (15 days ago)
With many companies investing heavily in algae-based biofuels, researchers have found there are significant environmental hurdles to overcome before fuel production ramps up. They propose using wastewater as a solution to some of these challenges.
Jan 24, 2010 (16 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Green Daily Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car - Click above for high-res image gallery Riversimple \'s idea to turn open source ethics loose on the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle hasn\'t exactly set the world on fire since being unveiled last July . Still, the project to develop a H2 vehicle with a 6 kW fuel cell that would cost just 200 pounds Sterling a month ($322 U.S. at current exchange rates) is moving along. The Ecologist spoke with project lead (if you can call someone so fervently behind open source a lead) Hugo Spowers, who said: There is such a yawning gap between the environmental performance of cars and what is sustainable, that I don\'t believe a purely competitive world can ever get us there. [Open source] really does produce this constant and very rapid drive toward absolute excellence, which I think is needed in the current circumstances. I have precious little faith in regulation ever pushing us in that direction . The open source community behind the Riversimple project works together at the 40 Fires Foundation , which has been going for about a year now. 40 Fires intends to become a registered charity for people to donate to in order to \"provi..
Jan 20, 2010 (20 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Chevrolet , GM Helen Mirren in a fuel cell Equinox - Click above to watch video after the jump The last time we heard anything about actress Helen Mirren and a car, she was tackling the Top Gear test track in that show\'s reasonably priced car. Last week, she and her husband director Taylor Hackford were in front of the camera again, this time to talk about something not so reasonably priced. The couple have been participating in General Motors\' Project Driveway and field testing a fuel cell-powered Chevrolet Equinox . We\'re not sure how long Mirren and Hackford spent with the hydrogen crossover, but they do seem to be very impressed with it. Like most others that experience it, they found the hydrogen electric vehicle to be utterly benign in its behavior. It drives pretty much like any other vehicle, except that it\'s quieter. You can check out their impressions in the video after the jump . [Source: General Motors ] Continue reading Video: Helen Mirren tries out the Chevrolet fuel cell Equinox Video: Helen Mirren tries out the Chevrolet fuel cell Equinox originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of ..
Jan 18, 2010 (22 days ago)
Filed under: Diesel , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Hydrogen , GM , Suzuki , Volkswagen Suzuki SX4 fuel cell concept - Click above for high-res image gallery At last fall\'s Tokyo Motor Show , Suzuki showed off several concept vehicles powered by either hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. Apparently, Suzuki relied on former shareholder and senior partner General Motors for much of the underlying technology for those vehicles. Following GM\'s divestiture last year and Volkswagen\'s subsequent purchase of 19.9 percent of the auto and motorcycle maker , the board decided to take another look at its technology portfolio. Going forward, Suzuki has decided that it will be working with the engineers from Wolfsburg and not the ones in Detroit on advanced powertrains. VW is a leader in diesel technology and is rapidly making progress on various electrification efforts. Suzuki plans to take full advantage of its access and will likely incorporate some VW ideas into its future vehicles. A likely first move? Replacing the Peugeot diesels Suzuki uses in its European lineup today with VW equivalents. Gallery: Suzuki hybrid and fuel cell concepts from Tokyo 2009 [Source: Reuters ] After Volkswagen ho..
Jan 14, 2010 (27 days ago)
Last summer, clean energy advocates were confident that the U.S. Congress would pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill by the time the Copenhagen conference rolled around. Now, as energy issues slip further down the policy priority list in the wake of that failed meeting, advocates are left wondering if the U.S. will see any significant piece of clean energy legislation in 2010.
Jan 13, 2010 (27 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Toyota Toyota -like Honda , Hyundai and General Motors , among others - remains firmly convinced of the long-term viability of fuel cell vehicles. Toyota has publicly committed to introducing an affordable fuel cell vehicle for retail sale by no later than 2015. In preparation for a market launch, Toyota will begin deploying a fleet of over 100 of its latest fuel cell prototype, the FCHV-adv, in the United States. The Toyota fuel cell vehicles are based on the previous-generation Toyota Highlander and incorporate updated fuel cell stacks, power electronics and hydrogen storage tanks. Tests by the U.S. Department of Energy in late 2008 showed the Toyota FCHV-adv gets about 68 mpg equivalent and has a 431 mile range. The vehicles will be placed into university, corporate and government fleets over the next three years starting in California and New York, two of the locations that General Motors has used for Project Driveway. If and when additional hydrogen filling stations are opened in other regions, Toyota plans to add vehicles there. [Source: Toyota] Continue reading Toyota to deploy 100 fuel cell vehicles in U.S. demonstration program Toyota to deploy 100..
Jan 9, 2010 (31 days ago)
Filed under: Hydrogen , Honda The latest lessee of one of Honda \'s FCX Clarity fuel cell sedans is Scott Niedermayer. As captain of both the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL and the Canadian Olympic hockey team, Niedermayer is the first athlete to get one of the hydrogen-powered Hondas. The hockey star currently lives in Orange County near Los Angeles, making him eligible to get one of the fuel cell machines since he has access to fuel. American Honda\'s executive vice president for sales, John Mendel, handed the car over to Niedermayer earlier this week. As an athlete, Niedermayer lives an active lifestyle and loves the outdoors. He cites his desire to protect the environment as a reason to drive a zero emissions vehicle like the Clarity. Now, if only more than a handful of wealthy people in Southern California could get access to cars like the Clarity, we might get somewhere. [Source: Honda] Continue reading Canadian Olympic hockey team captain gets Honda FCX Clarity Canadian Olympic hockey team captain gets Honda FCX Clarity originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Com..