Fuel cell developments

UK companies and government departments working on fuel cell

2012-01-18T19:47:00.001+05:30

Given below is the limited list of companies and UK government departments working on fuel cell:

UK companies:

Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy, SA
Air Products plc.
Daimler AG
Hyundai Motor Company
Intelligent Energy Limited
ITM Power plc.
Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells
Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited
Scottish and Southern Energy plc.
Tata Motors European Technical Centre plc.
The BOC Group Limited
Toyota Motor Corporation
Vauxhall Motors

UK Government participants:

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
The Department for Transport (DfT)

Fuel cell and hydrogen energy

2010-10-30T16:01:00.001+05:30

The fuel cells and hydrogen have an opportunity to change the way the world generates and consumes energy. The duo has a unique role in the clean energy architecture. No other technology offers the breadth of capabilities, from enhancing fossil fuels by increasing efficiency and lowering emissions, to converting and storing intermittently generated renewable energy as hydrogen for use in fuel cell vehicles or other applications, to distributed generation of clean, efficient, reliable power nearer to the point of consumption - and doing so with a smaller footprint and without noise. The duo also offers scalability to deliver power to a hand-held consumer electronic device as well as to a central power station and everything in between.

In the "information age," economic growth was dependent on a computing and communications infrastructure - manufacturing, deployment and use of these technologies created tremendous wealth. As we move into the "energy age," it is access to affordable and sustainable energy that will drive economic growth. Developing nations were able to avoid investing trillions of dollars in landline communications infrastructures to gain a competitive advantage using wireless technologies. Similarly, they will be able to leapfrog to distributed energy generation and bypass the trillions of dollars that would be required to build out the kind of electricity grid that exists in developed nations. They will also be able to take advantage of a broad range of available and affordable fuels to generate power while limiting the negative impact some of these fuels might have on the environment. Distributed generation simply gives people, businesses and other institutions more control over their power - its source and its availability.

The USA took the right step merging the US Fuel Cell Council and the National Hydrogen Association. The new organisation is the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association.

Ref: Fuel Cell Today, Fortnightly Newsletter, 29 October 2010

Using biogas to fuel a fuel cell

2010-08-27T16:44:00.002+05:30

Fuel flexibility is one of the greatest advantages of fuel cells, one that the industry fails to trumpet as much as it should. We need more demonstrations of this in the field, especially commercial installations. The Fuel Cell Energy power plant slated for installation at an egg farm in California,

USA

, is one such example.

Second, this project is a good example of the benefits. Thanks to the fuel cell power plant and an anaerobic digester, the ranch will close, or nearly close, three distinct loops:

Electricity: Normally, Olivera Egg Ranch would draw energy from the grid. Now, almost all the ranch’s electricity will be generated onsite using inputs (waste from a poultry operation) that are also generated onsite. No carbon miles, no long-distance transmission losses and no risk of environmental damage from a truck spilling waste in a road accident.

Waste: Currently, the egg farm uses a solid waste lagoon for waste disposal. With this project, the waste from the poultry operation will fuel the fuel cell generator which will provide the energy for the farm to keep running and thus allowing the birds to continue to generate waste.

Heat: Extra heat from the fuel cell will serve the anaerobic digester (which uses heat and microorganisms to turn solid waste into methane). This might not account for all the heat the digester requires, but will account for some. The methane from the digester will fuel the fuel cell power plant.

Olivera Egg Ranch can reasonably expect that it will reduce its energy bills, as it plans to generate most of its required electricity onsite and the system is scalable as the poultry operation grows. The system is supposed to be up and running by mid-2011.

Ref: Fuel Cell Today Fortnightly Newsletter - 26 August 2010

Cheap alternative for Platinum fuel cell catalyst

2010-02-21T13:14:00.003+05:30

Electrocatalysis is central to the further development of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers and PEM fuel cells, which can operate as compact units for powering homes or vehicles. A single device could both store energy by generating hydrogen during times of electrical surplus and release energy by oxidizing the hydrogen fuel at times of excess demand. Today, this goal is best achieved with expensive, noble metal catalyst Platinum. It is a relatively rare and expensive precious metal that has pushed up the price of fuel cells, limiting their wider application. Reversible catalysts based on abundant materials are essential for such devices to have a substantial impact on sustainable energy systems. Le Goff et. al. report (see Ref) a hydrogen electrode based on nickel, an abundant element, in which the catalyst is immobilized on a carbon nanotube support. The cathode material’s high surface area and high catalytic activity produces H₂ from aqueous sulfuric acid at very low voltages. The catalyst is also exceptionally stable. This catalyst also effects the reversible inter-conversion between hydrogen ions (H⁺) and hydrogen (H₂) under aqueous conditions. The nanotubes play a key role by providing the catalyst with electrons or removing them in the reverse reaction. The research provides an important initial step toward a practical, non-noble metal hydrogen electrode.

Ref: Alan Le Goff, Vincent Artero, Bruno Jousselme, Phong Dinh Tran, Nicolas Guillet, Romain Métayé, Aziz Fihri, Serge Palacin, Marc Fontecave, “From Hydrogenases to Noble Metal–Free Catalytic Nanomaterials for H₂ Production and Uptake”, Science 4 December 2009, Vol. 326. No. 5958, pp. 1384 - 1387

Ethanol for fuel cell

2010-01-26T15:45:00.009+05:30

There has been considerable interest in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC). Acta-nanotech , a European firm manufacturing hydrogen, alcohol, ethanol and methanol fuel cell batteries, is developing non-precious metal catalysts for a variety of fuels including ethanol. The U.S. Army held a workshop on DEFC a few years ago. However there are some formidable technical challenges in doing direct ethanol, mainly related to the existence of the carbon-carbon bond in the molecule. Even if direct ethanol is proven to be technically feasible, it would likely be limited to fuel cell systems with rather limited power, say 1 kW or less. It will not be possible to use ethanol in fuel cell systems required for or aviation. This market would not provide a significant increase in the total ethanol usage in the range of interest to a transport bioethanol producer, though it might provide advantages for small, portable fuel cells in view of the wider availability, lower toxicity and somewhat greater energy density of ethanol compared to methanol.

In contrast to the cell reaction of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), other carbon-containing molecules are produced in addition to CO₂.The catalyst has to break C-C bonds, but not C-O bonds and then oxidize the C fragments before they form coke. Therefore the catalysts that can best break C-C bonds are not likely going to be stable in the fuel cell.

In the steam reforming of ethanol, ethanol is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen and CO₂. The ethanol is needed to be fairly dilute for optimal performance. The energy per unit volume is too low to make on-board reforming work for fuel cell application.

If you disregard that and assume for a moment that hydrogen storage is economically feasible, the steam reforming of ethanol could work, although no perfect catalyst has been developed as yet. The biggest issue is the stability of the catalyst. Rhodium is the most stable of the ethanol steam reforming catalysts but it is highly expensive. Cobalt is an alternative but its stability is the subject of research.

M/s CellTech have developed the Liquid Tin Anode Fuel Cell (LTA) which is a type of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) capable of operating directly and efficiently on virtually any hydrocarbon fuel including diesel, JP-8 (Jet propellant 8 is a jet fuel) or ethanol. Power ranges from 50 Watts to megawatts are feasible. The company is developing a 500 Watt LTA stack which will operate on JP-8 for military portable power applications. The Liquid Tin Anode is not affected by sulfur in fuel. The catalyst is liquid and therefore there is no microstructure to be attacked as with nickel or precious metal anode catalysts. Sulfur is rejected as H₂S and/or SO₂ depending upon operating conditions.

Carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage

2010-01-10T15:45:00.003+05:30

Hydrogen is considered to be the most promising alternative energy carrier in the global energy balance of the future. The use of carbon-based fossil fuels have caused measurable and catastrophic alterations to the earth's climate. It is widely hoped that the use of carbon-free energy carriers would reverse or decelerate the “greenhouse” phenomenon. Hydrogen is one such carrier. Although hydrogen possesses significant advantages, it also exhibits major drawbacks in its utilization. The most important one being its storage characteristics, which limits its application.

There are four major technologies for hydrogen storage: (1) compressed gas, (2) cryogenic liquid, (3) in the form of metal hydrides and (4) adsorbed on high surface area materials. The first two alternatives are hampered with problems related to tank volume, compression requirements, safety and loss due to evaporation. On the other hand, metal hydrides posses the disadvantages of large weight, excessive cost of manufacture and high temperatures of decomposition.

Adsorption of hydrogen on the surface of porous materials of high surface area could be a viable alternative for hydrogen storage with the potential to meet the capacity goals set by US DOE (6.5 wt.%) as well as the advantages of low weight and ease of desorption. Among the materials examined in this respect, carbon nanotubes (CNT) possess a prominent position.

It has been proposed that hydrogen can be absorbed on carbon nanotubes by physisorption and/or chemisorption. Physisorption occurs when hydrogen maintains its molecular structure and “it is trapped” in the CNT with Van der Waals forces. In chemisorption, atoms of hydrogen create chemical bonds with the carbon of the nanotubes. Many theoretical studies of the mechanisms of hydrogen adsorption on CNT have appeared in the literature. However, the precise mechanism of hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes is not ascertained. Consequently, it is difficult to determine if hydrogen is adsorbed exclusively by physisorption or chemisorption also takes place.

Hydrogen can be stored on the inside area of CNT, shaping a cylindrical monolayer form or at the outer surface or between the nanotubes in the case of bundles of carbon nanotubes. Three different places of bonding have been proposed: above the carbon atom (top), in the middle of the C–C bonds (bridge) or in the centre of a hexagonal of carbons (hollow). Moreover, various configurations of hydrogen with respect to its interaction with the walls of the nanotubes are considered, namely perpendicular, longitudinal and transversal.

The discrepancies concerning hydrogen storage capacity of CNT are mainly attributed to: (a) The interaction potential models used to describe the gas-solid interaction, in the case of theoretical analysis. (b) Different experimental conditions employed, primarily temperature. (c) Different production methods of CNT and consequently different specific surface areas. For example, the CVD method seems to result in CNT of higher surface areas. (d) Different pre-treatment of CNT prior to adsorption (heating, vacuum). (e) Different configurations of CNT, such as tube diameters, tube lengths and inter tube spacing, which permit hydrogen either to move into the tube or to be confined in the interstitial pores. Also, if CNT are opened in the edge, they are able to adsorb hydrogen on both the inside and outside walls, whereas closed CNTs do not. (f) Different means of purification of CNT.

Read article by Ioannatos et. al.

Gerasimos E. Ioannatos and Xenophon E. Verykios, “H₂ storage on single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes”, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 35, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 622-628

Cutting fuel cell size, weight and cost

2009-11-21T22:24:00.001+05:30

The second-generation hydrogen fuel cell system in development at General Motors is half the size, 100 kg lighter and uses less than half the quantity of precious metal (Platinum) of the current generation Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell car. The fuel cell power-train – designed with volume production in mind – can be packaged under the hood in about the same space as a four-cylinder engine. It contains GM's fifth-generation PEM fuel cell stack and could be commercialized by 2015. The hardware mechanization has been dramatically simplified, which will help reduce cost, simplify manufacturing and improve durability. The Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell carries about 4.2 kg of compressed hydrogen onboard, enough for about 270 km before a 5–7 min refill is required. Regenerative braking extends the driving range.

GM has invested more than US $1.5 billion in fuel cell technology

Fuel cells for rural India

2009-11-02T14:18:00.004+05:30

The US-based companies 3M and Plug Power have entered into an exclusive commercial supply agreement, for 3M membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) to be used as a critical component in Plug Power's GenSys® PEM reformate stacks. The continuous-run GenSys prime power fuel cell systems are being deployed into rural India, and will replace diesel generators at remote telecoms sites.

The design of the reformate stack allows customers to realize the economic and environmental benefits of fuel cells, while avoiding the logistics involved in transporting pure hydrogen to their remote cell sites. GenSys reforms liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into a hydrogen-rich reformate, which is supplied to the fuel cell stack. The GenSys reformer design is also proprietary to Plug Power. With minor adjustments, Plug Power's system can process a variety of hydrocarbon-based fuel stocks, such as natural gas.

Wireless TT Info Services Ltd (WTTIL), the cell tower arm of Tata Teleservices Ltd, recently placed an order for 200 units to provide power at cell towers with no or extremely unreliable electric grid service. The initial 200 GenSys systems will be installed by the end of March, and the company expects to install approximately 1000 systems by the end of 2010. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) will provide LPG fuel for the initial 200 installations, under a recently signed five-year fuel supply agreement with Plug Power.

New DuPont Nafion XL-MEAs

2009-09-03T08:40:00.006+05:30

Some common questions on New DuPont membrane for the PEM fuel cell (PEMFC):

1. Why can't I buy the DuPont XL-membrane alone without catalyst or GDL?

The XL-membrane is only offered with a fully integrated catalyst layer (3 layer or 5 layer with GDL) because it was optimized by DuPont to deliver the best possible synergy between the electrode and the membrane.

2. Is DuPont going to stop selling other membranes like the NR211 and N115?

No, while DuPont plans to deliver the integrated MEA technology for all new electrode platforms like XL, they will continue to sell existing membranes and dispersions.

3. What is the End User Agreement?

The product encompasses DuPont confidential information, and the customer must agree not to chemically analyze, disassemble or reverse engineer the product, in addition any public release of information about the test results must first be reviewed and approved by DuPont.

4. What is the platinum loading on the membrane?

This information is not being made available. Further improvements in the product may in the future lower the total platinum loading content of the product without sacrificing performance.

5. What is the performance specification of the product?

The power density and lifetime will vary with each customer application, however, typical performance is over 650 mV at 1 Amp per square centimeter under atmospheric humidified air and hydrogen operation at 65°C with a 20 times longer life when compared with a comparable NR211 based MEA in demanding load and humidity cycling applications.

Stationary fuel cell power: estimated future prices

2009-08-06T07:23:00.003+05:30

Fuel cells presently require an order of magnitude cost reduction to become a commercial success in domestic energy markets. Previous analyses using learning curves have shown that competitive costs are feasible, but these have been unanimously based on theoretical estimates.

The empirical price data is presented by the authors (see reference) for polymer electrolyte fuel cell CHP systems installed in Japanese homes between 2004 and 2008. Experience curves are fitted to this data, taking account of the number of systems produced before and during this period. The average unsubsidised price of a 0.7–1.0 kW system is ¥3.33 M (€23,000) as of early 2009, and has fallen by 19.1–21.4% for every doubling in production.

These empirical experience curves predict that prices will fall below €10,000/kW once 60–90 thousand units are sold; but that tens of millions of units are required before they reach cost targets of around €1000/kW. Even with rapid deployment, attaining unsubsidised economic viability before 2025 will be challenging.

Counter view:
Notwithstanding the views of the authors, it should be noted that there are hundreds of fuel cell power systems working right now. They were purchased for a variety of reasons, some reasons were economic reasons. Therefore the statement that "fuel cells presently require an order of magnitude cost reduction to become a commercial success" is debatable. To obtain more details, visit the links below.

Ref: Estimating future prices for stationary fuel cells with empirically derived experience curves, I. Staffell, R.J. Green, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 34, Issue 14, July 2009, Pages 5617-5628

Fuel cell power systems working:

Sierra Nevada
Sheraton San Diego
Pepperidge Farm

Watch video:

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

Fuel Cell CHP

New DuPont MEA with extended life

2009-07-14T07:29:00.003+05:30

DuPont Fuel Cells has introduced DuPont™ Nafion XL Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA) based on a new extended-life reinforced membrane that combines the advantages of mechanical reinforcement with enhanced chemical stability, enabling improved membrane durability.

Applications

* Stationary—Remote location and backup power applications
* Transportation—Bus, automotive and light-duty vehicles

Features

* Performance equivalent to DuPont MEAs made with Nafion® NR211 membrane.

* Increase in tensile strength (1.5 times) and over 50 percent reduction in
hydration expansion compared to NR211 membrane.

* Reduction in fluoride emissions (40 times) compared to MEAs made with non-
reinforced, chemically stabilized membrane.

* Extended MEA Lifetime—Lasts 20 times longer in demanding load and humidity cycling applications of fuel cells

Future of fuel cell and hydrogen economy: US budget cut

2009-07-04T15:38:00.003+05:30

President Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget request for the Department of Energy (DOE) has cut $100 million from the Fuel Cell Technologies program (formerly Hydrogen Technology), reducing it by nearly 60% compared with the FY 2009 appropriation. The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) and US Fuel Cell Council were quick to criticize the program cuts, saying in a joint statement that the cuts threaten to disrupt commercialization of a family of technologies that are showing exceptional promise, and beginning to gain market traction.

The National Hydrogen Association's mission is to foster the development of hydrogen technologies and their utilization in industrial and commercial applications and promote the transition role of hydrogen in the energy field. Hydrogen's transitional role requires that it be part of a National Energy Strategy that utilizes the experience of private industry, academia, research organizations and government to address opportunities for environmentally compatible production and greater utilization of hydrogen as a fuel in the long-term energy mix of the U.S. and the world. The transition strategy must address the economics of hydrogen production, storage and transport; the need for environmentally acceptable production technologies; development of application technologies and markets; and the development of safety guidelines and information that will allow hydrogen to be used in a manner the public perceives as safe.

Future of fuel cell and hydrogen economy: manufacturing hydrogen

2009-05-16T16:24:00.003+05:30

The specific hydrogen market determines the value of hydrogen from different sources. Each hydrogen production technology has its own distinct characteristics. For example, steam reforming of natural gas produces only hydrogen. In contrast, nuclear and solar hydrogen production facilities produce hydrogen together with oxygen as a by-product or co-product. For a user who needs both oxygen and hydrogen, the value of hydrogen from nuclear and solar plants is higher than that from a fossil plant because “free” oxygen is produced as a by-product. Six factors that impact the relative economics of fossil, nuclear and solar hydrogen production to the customer are: oxygen by-product, avoidance of carbon dioxide emissions, hydrogen transport costs, storage costs, availability of low-cost heat and institutional factors. These factors imply that different hydrogen production technologies will be competitive in different markets and that the first markets for nuclear and solar hydrogen will be those markets in which they have a unique competitive advantage.

Fuel cells for transport vehicles: Ford experience

2009-05-15T14:39:00.002+05:30

Ford Motor Company's experience with Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) technology (see reference) began over ten years ago with the P2000 concept. The Development of this vehicle demonstrated technological feasibility and revealed a number of challenges to automotive fuel cell commercialization. By 2005, Ford launched the Focus FCV fleet in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, Fuel Cells Canada (now Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Canada)and the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP). This fleet was tested to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and was placed in service for general on-road usage. Following the Focus FCV fleet, Ford introduced the Fuel Cell Explorer (2005), the Hydrogen 999 (2007) and the HySeries Edge (2007). With each of these new vehicles, more forward looking technologies were implemented for on-road demonstration and testing. Till date the Company's fuel cell power trains have logged over 1 million miles, accumulated over 30,000 h of operation, propelled an FCV in excess of 207 mph, and achieved significant milestones for cold start, cost reduction, and thermodynamic efficiency. Other achievements include the implementation of new automotive requirements and test procedures, as well as service and architectural standards unique to hydrogen/fuel cell powered vehicles.

The experience showed that recent predictions of major market penetration in the 2010–2035 time period are optimistic. According to Ford, materials availability considerations alone will prevent this. The unwarranted hype in the popular press, industry and academia led to the perception that widespread automotive application of fuel cell technology is possible in short term. The magnitude of the technological, economic and other challenges make this (popular) outlook unlikely.

Ref: Greg Frenette and Daniel Forthoffer, "Economic & commercial viability of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from an automotive manufacturer perspective", International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 34, Issue 9, May 2009, Pages 3578-3588

Fuel cells for transport vehicles: think about alternate fuels

2009-05-14T14:35:00.001+05:30

New York Times report: Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, once hailed by the US President George W. Bush as a pollution-free solution for reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, will not be practical over the next 10 to 20 years, the US energy secretary said and the government will cut off funds for the vehicles’ development. Developing those cells and coming up with a way to transport the hydrogen is a big challenge. The Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the government preferred to focus on projects that would bear fruit more quickly.

Notwithstanding this report, I think time has come we start thinking about the alternate fuels for the fuel cells. The future of hydrogen is uncertain. The biomass based fuels such as methanol and ethanol have bright future.

Future of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Economy: Current Situation

2009-04-04T22:08:00.000+05:30

Increasing environmental problems, limited fossil fuel resources and the geopolitical dependence on crude oil are enormous challenges. According to energy experts from all over the world, fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies will play an important role in the future energy economy. This is particularly true for the transport sector which is marked today by a total dependency on oil.

Hydrogen needs to be produced, stored and distributed cost-effectively and with zero or near-zero CO2 emissions. Fuel cells, with their high electrical efficiencies and clean exhaust, have the potential to produce excellent solutions to the ecological and economic problems, provided that their development is pursued in a determined way. The R&D efforts continue all over the world.

Some of the main problems that need to be tacled are cost reduction for all components and systems, performance improvements, manufacturing technologies, infrastructure development, international agreements on codes, standards and regulations and many more.

Future of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Economy: Hydrogen any hope ?

2009-04-04T22:07:00.001+05:30

In the so called “hydrogen economy”, it is envisaged that hydrogen replaces oil and natural gas for most uses, including transportation and heating.

Hydrogen, like electricity, is not an energy resource but an energy carrier. It takes more energy to extract hydrogen from water than that produced after burning the hydrogen. The losses in storage, transmission and final mechanical or heating applications need to be accounted. The efficiency and safety of the entire chain of conversion, from the energy source (fossil, solar or other) to the final use also need to be addressed. This is in contrast to the renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, that are used for the direct creation of electricity, which could then be introduced into the existing grid without requiring a vast investment, like that required for a new hydrogen distribution system.

Despite EU's aggressive but less specific energy strategy, just two nations, Iceland and Brazil, have specific targets and timetables for hydrogen fuel cells or vehicle production. None of these plans, however, are very certain. Thus serious questions about the sustainability of a hydrogen economy can be raised.

Future of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Economy: Wither Fuel cell

2009-04-04T21:13:00.001+05:30

Fuel cells need hydrogen as fuel. Hydrogen is neither a source of energy, nor readily available fuel. Hydrogen is more like electricity i.e. an energy carrier.Unlike electricity where infrastructure is already in place, hydrogen infrastructure is practically nonexistent. It is this lack of hydrogen infrastructure that is considered one of the biggest obstacles to fuel cell commercialization.

When hydrogen is a fuel, the commercialization of fuel cells, particularly for transportation and stationary electricity-generation markets, must be accompanied by commercialization of hydrogen energy technologies, namely technologies for hydrogen production, storage and distribution. In other words, hydrogen must become a readily available commodity before fuel cells can be fully commercialized. The fuel cells may become the driving force for development of hydrogen energy technologies. Fuel cells have many unique properties, such as high energy efficiency, no emissions, no noise, modularity, which may make them attractive in many applications even with a limited hydrogen supply. This creates what is often referred to as a “chicken and egg problem”—does the development and commercialization of fuel cells come before development of hydrogen energy technologies or must hydrogen infrastructure be in place before fuel cells can be commercialized? The answer lies in finding the alternate fuel to hydrogen.

Efforts must be increased to promote biofuels such as methane, ethane, methanol, ethanol as fuel in fuel cells. A recent development needs attention.

The scientists at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) found that titanium oxide nanotubes, powered by sunlight, can turn carbon dioxide into methane, which can be harnessed as an energy source. The nanotubes could dramatically reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and reduce our need for fossil fuels.

The nanotubes are arranged vertically, almost like empty honeycomb. Over the top of the nanotubes sits a thin, reddish-brown layer of copper oxide. Both the copper and titanium oxide act as catalysts, speeding up reactions that take place naturally. When sunlight hits the copper oxide, carbon dioxide is converted into carbon monoxide. When sunlight hits the titanium oxide, water molecules split apart. The hydrogen freed from the water and the carbon freed from CO2 then recombine to create burnable methane and the spare oxygen atoms pair up to create breathable oxygen. The scientists have created thin membranes that cover either 3.8 or 15.5 square inches.

Adding more light and CO2 creates more methane. It is estimated that focusing the light collected from 1,100 square feet onto one of the membranes would generate more than 132 gallons of methane on a sunny day.

This is solar power by another name. Instead of storing electrons in batteries, the PSU scientists' idea would store energy chemically.

Bibliography:
(1) H.J. Neef,"International overview of hydrogen and fuel cell research", Energy, Volume 34, Issue 3, March 2009, Pages 327-333
(2) Reuel Shinnar, "The hydrogen economy, fuel cells, and electric cars", Technology in Society, Volume 25, Issue 4, November 2003, Pages 455-476
(3) Barry D. Solomon, Abhijit Banerjee,“A global survey of hydrogen energy research, development and policy”, Energy Policy, Vol. 34,2006, pages 781–792
(4) Frano Barbir, PEM Fuel Cells, Theory and Practice, 2005, Pages 399-426
(5) Nanotube Tech Transforms CO2 Into Fuel, Eric Bland, Discovery News, March 23, 2009

2008-12-30T13:44:00.002+05:30

Fuel cell progress and the path for India:

While number of good developments have been reported in fuel cell technology in the areas of materials, fabrication, modeling and so on, good progress has also been recorded in the field of commercial applications, in the year 2008. Some notable developments are as follows:

(a) The launch of Honda FCX Clarity, the world's first dedicated platform hydrogen vehicle. It's the zero-emission sedan of the future.

(b) Order for 30,000 Ceres Power CHP units by British Gas, 50,000 Ceramic Fuel Cells CHP units by Nuon and 30,000 Idatech UPS units by Acme in India. The significant aspect of the Acme deal is it has come about purely through fuel cells being seen as the most commercially competitive option of all the means of generating electricity for powering telecoms masts in India. The fuel cell units are fueled by natural gas.

(c) In addition, there is an immediate demand in India for reliable backup power for high-end and mission-critical applications such as luxury hotels, shopping malls and hospitals. The Indian companies are increasingly looking to buy, license from or create joint ventures with the other companies possessing know-how to manufacture fuel cells in India. Besides opening a new export market for India, this aspect has a potential to reduce the unit cost of production.

(d) A big growth area for the future has emerged, namely the possibility of using DMFC to power electric bikes for the postal delivery.

(e) The DMFC powered laptops and mobile phones are likely to come up in the near future. The recent patent literature reveals the attempts to improve durability and power density of DMFC and also to reduce the size and weight of these consumer products.

Source: FuelCellToday, 17 December 2008

Fuel for the fuel cells:

The National Hydrogen Energy Road Map prepared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, mentions as follows:

"The Green Initiative for Power Generation (GIP) envisages developing and demonstrating hydrogen powered IC engine/turbine and fuel cell based decentralized power generating systems ranging from small watt capacity to MW size systems through different phases of technology development and demonstration. This initiative would help the country in providing clean energy in a decentralized manner to rural and remote areas, besides power generation for the urban centres. It is envisaged in the Roadmap that decentralized hydrogen based power generation of about 1,000 MW aggregate capacity would be set up in the country by 2020".

The plan envisages use of hydrogen fuel both for the IC engine as well as the fuel cell.The generation of 1000 MW power by 2020 will require a huge quantity of hydrogen. An economically feasible commercial process for hydrogen generation will have to be put in place for that purpose. Besides that, infrastructure will have to be created for safe storage, extensive transportation and delivery of hydrogen. The creation of these facilities before 2020 appears to be quite difficult, going by the present stage of development hydrogen production processes and available infrastructure. Hence it will be worthwhile to lay greater emphasis on the biomass based fuel for the fuel cells and the IC engines, such as methanol, ethanol. We should use non-food biomass, such as switch grass, as raw material for the manufacture of ethanol. Manufacturing biodiesel on large scale should also be paid attention.