Opel presents fuel cell vehicle
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-03-20: Opel, the German subsidiary of General Motors, presented a fuel cell powered Sintra at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The van is methanol fueled, which is transformed into hydrogen in a reformer, and then fed to the fuel cell. Opel, however explicitely considers using gasoline as fuel for fuel cell vehicles in the future. Gasoline would be reformed onboard the vehicle to hydrogen. No information has been disclosed as to the manufacturer of the fuel cell or the reformer.
At the same time, Opel announced that GM (see also Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-01-12) has consolidated all fuel cell activities in globally-active work groups. A focal point of the research and development is Opel in Germany where the Global Alternative Propulsion Center (GAPC) has now been established. It is linked to the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
The fuel cell Sintra is four seated; it has a 50 kW electric motor, reaches a maximum speed of 150 km/h (95 mph) and accelerates to 100 km/h within 20 seconds. It has a methanol tank of 40 liters and a water tank (for the reformer) of 20 l. The total dead weight is 1,800 kg.
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Ballard: new contracts for stationary, portable and mobile applications
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-03-20: Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver, Canada has secured new contracts for stationary, portable and mobile applications in February and March:
- A US$1.625 million order from Cinergy, Cincinatti, Ohio for a 250 kW class natural gas fired fuel cell power plant;
- A Can$ 2.5 million order from Honda R&D Co., Ltd. of Japan for one kW low pressure portable fuel cell systems;
- A US$ 3.6 million contract from General Motors to supply fuel cells, related equipment and support services. GM will use the Ballard fuel cells in their research and development program for development of fuel cell powered electric vehicles.
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Photocatalytic water splitting using visible light
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-03-19: Japanese and Spanish Researchers have independently made major advancements in the fundamental research of photocatalytic water splitting. Semiconductors in aqueous solution separate electric charges (just as in solar cells), which directly split water instead of taking the detour via electricity and electrolysers. In addition to the rather low efficiencies, a fundamental problem had not been solved so far: the semiconductors or semiconductor combinations using visible light were not stable, while the stable semiconductors used ultraviolet light only. It seems that the researchers have made a breakthrough in this area: The japanese research group from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and from Nikon Corp. have prepared Cu2O in powdered form. This solves the stability problem as has been shown in a 1900 hours test. The Spanish researchers of Valencia University have developed a "new molybdenum compound" that they say splits water at ambient temperatures. Details will be published when patents are granted.
Both processes are still in a stage of fundamental research. In spite of this breakthrough, a further fundamental problem still remains: Hydrogen and oxygen are produced at the same time and form an explosive mixture.
The results of the Japanese research group are published in Chemical Communications, vol 70, p.287. A more detailed non-scientific presentation can be found in the New Scientist.
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Germany: Introduction of alternative fuels
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-03: On the CDU Innovations Meeting in Bonn, Germany, on January 21st, German Federal Minister for Transport, Matthias Wissmann, announced that the German government in collaboration with several companies of the automotive and mineral oil industries developed a strategy for the introduction of a nation wide alternative fuel supply and prepared ist implementation. The choice of alternative fuels is yet to be made. A memorandum of understanding has been signed in order to prepare the vision of a sustainable transportation system protecting the environment and natural ressources in a concerted action of politics and industry. Security of supply is a major criterion to be fulfilled. According to Wissmann, the objective is to develop a realistic and successful market introduction for the alternative drive concepts developed during recent years in order to use their potential to reduce CO2 and trace gas emissions. In this connection he mentioned the three-liter-car (80 mpg), the natural gas internal combustion engine, electric cars, hybrid drives, the hydrogen internal combustion engine and the fuel cell. Wissmann’s strategic goal is to make Germany the first country to have real zero emission vehicles on the market in the second half of the next decade.
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German experts: Hydrogen car not before 2023
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-03-02: German Federal Research Minister Jürgen Rüttgers presented the new Delphi report in Bonn in Mid-February. Since 1993, a „study on the global development of science and technology" is being conducted irregularly interviewing more than 2,000 experts on the major innovative trends of the next 20 years. Some of the prophecies:
2007: Cars consuming 30% less fuel are available on a global scale. 90% of parts and materials can be recycled or reused.
2012: Advancements in vehicle technology allow the reduction of emissions to a level reducing ozone peak values to 30% of their 1990 levels.
2016: The first two-liter-car (120 mpg) in series production.
2023: Cars with hydrogen internal combustion engine will be abundant.
Dear Reader: What do you think of these predictions? Please send us your opinion (webmaster@HyWeb.de). We will collect your comments and will report on them in a future edition.
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Germany: Political stop for solar thermal power plants
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-03-02: In December, German Federal Research Minister Jürgen Rüttgers canceled the Spanish-German collaboration on the „Plataforma Solar de Almería" in southern Spain. This is the official end of German Government funding for research in solar thermal power plants. This way, the research ministry saves 2.5 million DM (US$ 1.4 million), less than one percent of its renewables budget. The ministry argues that research has brought electricity costs from solar thermal power plants down to 20 to 30 German Pfennigs per kilowatt hour (US› 11 to 17 per kWh) and that it was now the task and duty of industry to finish the development of solar thermal power plants. The reasoning is similar to that for ending the Saudi Arabian-German hydrogen project HYSOLAR in 1995 as put down in the hydrogen strategy paper of the German Ministry for Education, Research and Technology. In both cases, promising research in the area of renewable energies has been ended arguing that the technologies were mature and that only the market introduction was still missing.
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US-DoE: Three teams develop REG-H2 utility system
Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-24: According to the February issue of the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter, the US-Department of Energy has selected three industry teams for negotiations of a contract with the department's Hydrogem Program for the development and validation of an integrated renewable (REG) hydrogen utility system. The projects are 50% cost shared. The three teams are:
- Desert Research Insitute (DRI), Electrolyser Corporation, International Fuel Cells; DCH Technologies, Sherman Oaks and maybe others as subcontractors;
- Energy Partners, Treadwell, Trace Engineering, Florida Solar Energy Center, Gee & Jenson Engineering, Perry Foundation;
- Proton Energy Systems, Arizona Public Service, SAIC.
The basic goal of this two-phase program, expected to last 5-10 years, is to validate the viability of such off-grid distributed applications and to lead to the commercialization of such systems.
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Resource depletion: the end of cheap oil coming soon Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-23: In a double sense, the end of cheap oil is expected to come soon: "The end of cheap oil" is the titel of an article by Colin C. Campbell and Jean H. Laherrère in the March issue of Scientific American to be published soon. A press release dated February 18th gives a preview of the findings:
The two experts, respected geologists and oil industry consultants now associated with Petroconsultants in Geneva, explain why the flow of conventional oil – the cheap, easily recovered crude that currently supplies about 95 percent of the world demand for oil – will peak and then drop off permanently before 2010. Unless demand for oil falls or substitutes are found, the industrial world's dependence on Middle Eastern oil will again increase dramatically. That could lead to price shocks similar to those seen in the 1970s, the authors warn.
Among their findings:
- Countries of the former Soviet Union often report wildly optimistic estimates of "proved'' reserves that are only ten percent likely to be met. Subsequent official accounts of world reserves often fail to correct such inconsistencies.
- Revisions in oilfield estimates are commonly treated as though they were newly discovered fields, rather than as mere corrections. If revisions are properly backdated to the year in which the oil field was actually discovered, the true trend becomes visible.
- Oil companies have drained more oil than they discovered during each of the past 20 years.
- About 80 percent of the oil produced today flows from fields that were found before 1973, the great majority of which are declining.
The February 15th edition of Energie & Management, a German two weekly magazine, reports on similar results by Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH based on findings by Petroconsultants (Hydrogen-Gazette, 97-07-01).
The World Bank is currently working on "Fuel for Thought – A new environmental strategy for the energy sector", a draft version of which has been published on February 5th. In this strategy paper, the World Bank does not share the views described above: "Despite the fears of two decades ago, oil is proving to be far more abundant than anyone had thought and its convenience as a transport fuel is likely to guarantee it a place in future consumption."
The draft strategy paper was elaborated in several discussion stages, the latest being a virtual consultation in the Internet in an open forum over a six-week period in mid-1997. Comments from more than 50 organizations and individuals were received and posted for common access. The point of resource constraints was raised here also, but was obviously not shared by the World Bank.
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Bavaria confirms its engagement in hydrogen Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-23: The Bavarian State Ministry for Economics, Transport and Technology confirms its engagement in hydrogen installing a hydrogen adventure boot on the Opening of the New Munich Fairground during the last 10 days. "Hydrogen: With new energy into the future" was the motto of a press conference of the Bavarian Minister for Economics Dr. Otto Wiesheu, of the chairman of the board of directors of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG Dr. Klaus Schubert and of the coordinator of the Bavarian hydrogen initiative Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner on the hydrogen boot on February 18th. The representatives had come to the fairground in the MAN hydrogen bus (Hydrogen-Gazette, 97-03-24).
Five days earlier, a press conference by the social democrat opposition in the Bavarian parliament took place where the speakers for energy politics and for environment, Wolfgang Garzke and Hans Kolo, called for more support for hydrogen by the Bavarian government and especially for a more ecological orientation. They especially demanded a taxation of aviation fuels, the introduction of progressive quota for renewable electricity, the introduction of zero emission vehicles following the Californian example, more support for lead projects with internation and national importance as e.g. the development of the hydrogen air craft as well as the exemplary use of hydrogen fuel cells by public authorities.
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New fuel cell information system in the Internet Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-13: The International Centre for Energy and Environmental Technology Leipzig GmbH (Germany) has established a new fuel cell information system to be found under http://www.ds-leipzig.de/fuelcell.html. It gives an overview over fuel cell types and sites of stationary fuel cell plants and projects. In addition, hints on events and interesting links are given; an online fuel cell simulation is in planning.
The information system is a joint project of ICEU, CESEN S.p.A., CLC ANSALDO (both Genua, Italy) und EA Technology Ltd. (Capenhurst, United Kingdom). It is funded by the European Commission under the Thermie program.
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New information system for renewable energy in the Internet Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-13: The International Solar Energy Society (ISES), headquartered in Freiburg, Germany, has established a new, world-wide information system for renewable energy WIRE to be found under http://wire.ises.org. WIRE is designed as a global, comprehensive and up-to-date information system. This claim will have to be met by the successive filling of the Internet structures established. The global nature of WIRE is incorporated in its structure of world-wide decentralized collection and evaluation of information as well as in its global availability through the Internet.
Hydrogen shall also be treated in WIRE.
The project is funded by the German Ministry for Education, Research and Technology.
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Clinton: Climate Change is overriding environmental challenge; announces US$ 6 billion plan Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-04: In his State of the Union Address (available also as Internet video) on January 27th, US President Bill Clinton addressed global climate change proposing a US$ 6 billion plan in tax cuts and research and development.
"Our overriding environmental challenge tonight is the worldwide problem of climate change, global warming, the gathering crisis that requires worldwide action. The vast majority of scientists have concluded unequivocally that if we don't reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, at some point in the next century we'll disrupt our climate and put our children and grandchildren at risk. This past December, America led the world to reach a historic agreement committing our nation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through market forces, new technologies, energy efficiency. We have it in our power to act right here, right now. I propose $6 billion in tax cuts and research and development to encourage innovation, renewable energy, fuel-efficient cars, energy-efficient homes," Clinton said in his speech before the Congress.
And: "Every time we have acted to heal our environment, pessimists have told us it would hurt the economy. Well, today our economy is the strongest in a generation, and our environment is the cleanest in a generation. We have always found a way to clean the environment and grow the economy at the same time. And when it comes to global warming, we'll do it again."
According to a detailed H&FCL article on the subject, there will be tax credits for at least twice as energy-efficient cars and new homes as present average, fuel cell systems for buildings, gas heat pumps and other efficient building technologies, residential solar systems as part of the administrations Million Solar Roofs initiative, electricity production from wind and biomass (as an extension of the present tax credit expiring in 1999) and others.
In November '97, the energy research and development panel of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) sent its final Report to the President on Federal Energy Research and Development for the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century analyzing, among other things, the hydrogen program (chapter 6 page 34ff of the Internet version of the report) of the US Department of Energy: "In the twenty-first century hydrogen might become an energy carrier of importance comparable to electricity. This is a very important mid- to long-term research area." Accordingly, the report calls for a doubling of hydrogen funding by 2003. It recommends better articulated near-, medium- and long-term goals. It recommends phasing out research on hydrogen internal combustion engines while R&D involving enabling technologies and infrastructure-building activities relating to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are regarded appropriate. According to the report, highest priority with regard to hydrogen production should be given to fossil production paths including CO2 sequestration. See also the detailed article in the December '97 H&FCL.
P.S. Concerning the Internet, Clinton said that since his last State of the Union Address in 1997, Congress, across party lines, and the American people have been "working to connect every class room in the country to the Information Superhighway". He asked Congress to step up support for building the next generation Internet operating at speeds up to a thousand times faster than today.
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"Fuel Cells are the future." Hydrogen-Gazette, 98-02-04: These were the opening words of Dr. Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian State Minister for Economics, Transport and Technology, on the occasion of the inauguration of a PAFC fuel cell cogeneration unit in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, the first stationary fuel cell in Bavaria.
"Hydrogen is the energy carrier of the future," he went on.
In his speech, the minister highlighted the ecological advantages of hydrogen and discussed in detail the market and export opportunities of key technologies in this sector, especially the fuel cell, hinting at the competitors from countries like the USA, Canada and Japan. He announced a three-dimensional, multi media, interactive hydrogen adventure world on the Fair Opening of the New Munich Fairground on February 12th. Furthermore, he announced the "Hydrogen Day" in the Bavarian Ministry for Economics, Transport and Technology in early summer.
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Micro-Fuel Cell for cellular phones & other portable electronics HyWeb, 98-01-27: Energy Related Devices Inc., a one-man company financially backed by Manhattan Scientifics, Inc. with a US$ 1 million research development funding, has developed the working principle of a miniaturized fuel cell powered by methanol as a substitute for conventional batteries in cellular phones, lap-top computers etc. According to a Manhattan Scientifics press release of January 21, the Micro-Fuel Cells provide 40 to 50 times more energy than conventional batteries. Robert Hockaday, founder of Energy Related Devices and former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, plans to have a working prototype of the Micro-Fuel Cell by year-end and to begin commercial production in ’99.
Already on September 24, 1997, a Reuters news story reported, that Sanyo Electric Co Ltd plans to produce and sell a hydrogen-powered fuel cell in Japan beginning in April 1998. The fuel cell could be used for computers and mobile telecommunications equipment and as back-up source of electric power in times of natural disasters and emergencies. The price of the fuel cell will be ten times higher than that of conventional generator sets, a company official said.
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Siemens buys SOFC technology of Westinghouse HyWeb, 98-01-27: As already announced in November 1997, Siemens AG Power Generation (KWU) plans to buy the "Power Generation Business Unit" of Westinghouse Electric. The US-anti-trust commission is expected to decide upon the takeover end of March, beginning of April, as the taz, a German daily newspaper, reports on January 21. Siemens is said to expect an approval. The merger would then take place in summer.
The takeover comprises the whole non-nuclear power plant sector, i.e. also the SOFC technology (solid oxide fuel cell) Westinghouse planned to commercialize in the Megawatt range during the next few years. It remains to be seen, whether both the Westinghouse (with a tubular design) and the Siemens SOFC technologies (with a planar design) will be further developed.
In the non-nuclear power plant sector, Westinghouse holds around 17 percent of the world market while Siemens holds 11%, equal to the swedisch-swiss ABB. By far the market leader is the US giant General Electric.
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EPA issues locomotive exhaust rules; new effort to revive interest in large fuel cells for locomotives HyWeb, 98-01-20: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the USA has issued final rules on railroad locomotive emissions beginning January 1, 2000, according to the EPA Enviro-Newsbrief of December 23, 1997.
The Environmental News Network (ENN) reports in its January 15, 1998 issue that these emission rules will add US$ 250,000 to the price of locomotives, which corresponds to US$ 80 million annually or about 0.2 % of the total freight revenue for railroads in 1995 according to EPA, but will reduce pollution from a source previously free from regulation. "The new standards will achieve approximately a two-third reduction in NOx emissions, which is equal to removing over thirty million passenger cars from the road," says EPA. The rule will lead to the reduction of NOx emissions by 600,000 tons and particulate matter emissions by 10,000 tons each year, once the standards are completely phased in, sometime in the next century.
"Electric locomotives [...] are not included in this rule making," says EPA.
According to a short note in the January 1998 edition of the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter, the Breakthrough Institute in Washington, DC has received a grant of roughly US$ 100,000 to support an effort to revive interest in large (4,000 to 5,000 horse power) fuel cells for locomotives. This initiative takes up a previous initiative of the years 1993 to 1995, when the Jet Propulsion Laboratory did some work in this area for the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the US Department of Energy.
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KonWerl 2010 "Energy Park / Renewable Energies" with hydrogen and fuel cell HyWeb, 98-01-20: A mixed residential and industrial area with a decentralized electricity and supply system including renewable energies and a fuel cell is in actual planning on a former military ground in the 31,000 inhabitant town of Werl in Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany. The energy park "KonWerl 2010" has been chosen as a demonstration project of Expo 2000 in Hannover in 2000. Objectives of the project are the demonstration of a decentralized energy supply including renewable energies, the optimized energy management including production and consumption as well as the test of this concept under every day conditions.
The investment will be an estimated 84.5 million DM (approximately US$ 50 million); the Land of Northrhine-Westfalia has already confirmed financial support.
In the final stage, electricity demand will be between 7 and 10 MW while the heat demand will be around 8 MW. The concept includes:
- a biomass power plant burning waste or fresh wood and/or straw, supplying base and midload electricity,
- a landfill gas power plant supplying base- and mid-load electricity,
- a grid connection for load management purposes,
- a battery storage for buffering load peaks caused by switching on large machines,
- wind turbines of 2 MW in the first phase,
- photovoltaics of 12 kWp producing, among other things, hydrogen via electrolysis for the fuel cell,
- a hydrogen operated PEM fuel cell of 34 kW electrical and 30 kW at 80°C thermal power. The connection of photovoltaics, electrolyzer and fuel cell is a follow-up activity of the PHOEBUS project at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany.
KonWerl 2010 project partners are: GWS Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftsförderung und Stadtentwicklung mbH, Werl (a local economic development organization); TWS Institut für Technologie- und Wissenstransfer an der Hochschulabteilung Soest (a university organization); VEW Energie AG (the regional utility); Stadtwerke Werl GmbH (the local utility); Siemens AG (the electro giant).
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General Motors announces „production ready" fuel cell vehicle by 2004 HyWeb, 98-01-12: General Motors (GM) unveiled a family of alternative drive vehicles based on its EV1 electric vehicle at the Detroit auto show on January 4th, 1998. The highlight is a fuel cell engine for a fuel cell vehicle, a production ready version of which is announced for the year 2004. The fuel cell hybrid engine presented runs on methanol converted to hydrogen on-board the vehicle and achieves near zero emissions with 300 mile (480 km) range and at 80 mpg (3 l/100 km) gasoline equivalent. Other concepts presented include an electric vehicle with an advanced nickel-metal-hydride battery, a series hybrid with a gas turbine charging the batteries, a parallel hybrid powered by an electric motor and a turbo diesel engine as well as a compressed natural gas vehicle.
Decisions for actual production have so far only been taken for the advanced battery electric vehicle which will be available by the third quarter of 1998, while the existing EV1 is already on the market. „Our plan is to have alternative technologies ready and then assess the business case," GM Vice Chairman Harry Pearce explains the company strategy on a news conference on January 4th according to a Reuters news story. He goes on that GM is „deadly serious" about selling alternative propulsion systems, but says the company must work to reduce the costs so buyers can afford such vehicles and don’t have to sacrifice performance or utility.
Ken Baker, Vice President, Global Research and Development Operations, acknowledges that GM needs to partner with the petroleum industry to make their family of advanced-technology vehicles even more viable. „Amoco has already agreed to work with us," he said in a company press release dated January 4th.
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Shell head: Gasoline price of 5 DM per liter (US$ 11 per gallon) possibly acceptable HyWeb, 98-01-12: A gasoline price of 5 DM per liter (US$ 11 per gallon), called for by the German Green Party, could under certain circumstances be acceptable for the public, says Rainer Laufs, head of Deutsche Shell AG, Hamburg, Germany, according to a December 31st story in Süddeutsche Zeitung, a major German daily newspaper. Low income taxes compared to the presently high income taxes and contributions to the German pension system make a big difference in the gasoline price discussion. It would be wrong to begin an ecological tax reform by burdening mobility.
In October 1997, Shell established a fifth core business, Shell Internation Renewables, investing US$ 500 million over the next five years in renewable energies (HyWeb, 97-10-22). In November, Shell announced the erection of the largest German photovoltaics plant in Gelsenkirchen, Germany together with Pilkington Solar International, Cologne. Manufacturing of 25 MW per annum of solar cells is scheduled to start in 1999. „In the year 2000, the era of the sun will start," Shell Solar president Gosse Boshoorn confidently told Shells’s inhouse magazine in November. In a Reuters news story of December 31st, he calls for government support in the market introduction of photovoltaics to solve the chicken and egg dilemma „small market means high cost – high cost means small market". „We are saying to governments, create volume, not for Shell Solar, but for the solar market." As one possible measure Boxhoorn proposes to set the production of 10% of the energy needs of new housing as a legal minimum.
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Mobil plants 500,000 trees to reduce greenhouse gases HyWeb, 98-01-12: Mobil Corp., a major company of the petroleum industry, has decided to donate US$ 500,000 in support of tree planting projects because they have a major impact on reducing greenhouse gases, according to a company press release of January 7th. American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization, will use the money to plant 500,000 trees in four areas in the US within the framework of its Global ReLeaf 2000 tree planting campaign.
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