[JV153]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '[')b]Japan announces roadmap for hydrogen introduction

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Hydrogen/fuel Cell Strategy Council (chaired by Tokyo Institute of Technology Prof Takao Kashiwagi), which was set up by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), has announced the “Hydrogen/fuel Cell Strategy Roadmap.”

The roadmap describes three steps in the introduction of hydrogen-based technologies using, for example, fuel cells and sets a goal for each step.

Phase 1, which is expected to last until about 2025, is defined as a period in which the use of hydrogen will rapidly expand. The goal set by the roadmap for this phase is to increase the number of residential fuel cell units in Japan to 1.4 million in 2020 and 5.3 million in 2030 and the number of hydrogen stations for fuel cell vehicles to 100 in 2015.

Also, the council aims to commercialize a fuel cell vehicle in 2015, fuel cell bus in 2016 and commercial/industrial fuel cell system using SOFCs (solid oxide fuel cells) in 2017.

Phase 2, which is supposed to begin in the mid-2020s and end in about 2030, is defined as a period in which hydrogen-based power generation will be introduced on a full scale and large-scale hydrogen supply systems will be established.

The goal for this phase is to purchase hydrogen from foreign countries at a price of about ¥30/m3, expand the domestic hydrogen distribution network for commercial purposes, manufacture/transport/store hydrogen derived from unused energy in foreign countries on a full scale, fully utilize hydrogen for power generation business, etc.

Phase 3, which will begin from about 2040, is defined as a period for the establishment of CO2-free hydrogen supply system. The goal for this phase is to realize the full-scale production/transportation/storage of hydrogen that does not emit CO2 by collecting and storing CO2 (CCS: carbon dioxide capture and storage) and combining domestic and foreign renewable energies.

[hvacman]

The process for producing hydrogen from natural gas releases CO2 as a byproduct. (Natural gas is essentially all methane - CH4 - so you have to do something with the carbon atom left behind after stripping off the hydrogen). It looks like Japan's master fuel cell plan is to first import hydrogen, then by 2040 to produce their own using imported natural gas and to develop a way of capturing the CO2 and sequestering it. So in 26 years, maybe hydrogen will actually be greenhouse gas emission-free, though still not fossil-fuel free. FYI, the price they expect to pay in the next 15 years for imported hydrogen is 30 yen per cubic meter, or about $3.25/kilogram. Current US domestic bulk price is $4-$5/kilogram.

Hydrogen - I just don't get it.

[JV153]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hvacman', 'T')he process for producing hydrogen from natural gas releases CO2 as a byproduct. (Natural gas is essentially all methane - CH4 - so you have to do something with the carbon atom left behind after stripping off the hydrogen). It looks like Japan's master fuel cell plan is to first import hydrogen, then by 2040 to produce their own using imported natural gas and to develop a way of capturing the CO2 and sequestering it. So in 26 years, maybe hydrogen will actually be greenhouse gas emission-free, though still not fossil-fuel free. FYI, the price they expect to pay in the next 15 years for imported hydrogen is 30 yen per cubic meter, or about $3.25/kilogram. Current US domestic bulk price is $4-$5/kilogram.

Hydrogen - I just don't get it.

[Graeme]

Cali Can Broaden Hydrogen Fueling Network

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'R')esearchers at Sandia National Laboratories have published a study that found a number of existing gas stations in California can safely store and dispense hydrogen. This, the researchers suggest, a broader network of hydrogen fueling stations may be within reach.

The report examined 70 commercial gasoline stations throughout California and sought to determine which, if any, could integrate hydrogen fuel, based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) hydrogen technologies code published in 2011. The report found that 14 of the 70 gas stations considered in the study could readily accept hydrogen fuel and that 17 more possibly could accept hydrogen with property expansions. Under previous NFPA code requirements from 2005, none of the existing gasoline stations could readily accept hydrogen. The current code, known as NFPA 2, provides fundamental safeguards for the generation, installation, storage, piping, use and handling of hydrogen in compressed gas or cryogenic (low temperature) liquid form.

[hvacman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')roof that fuel cells are starting to catch on

[Graeme]

hvacman, Glad we agree on FC power. Once you see FCV on the road perhaps you'll change your mind about these. I think the tech is progressing well:

German Aerospace Center makes a breakthrough in hydrogen storage

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')torage tank could be ideal for fuel cell vehicles

The new storage tank is modular, consisting of tubes that are filled with storage materials capable of absorbing gaseous hydrogen. The sponge-like properties of these materials makes them able to reduce the volume of hydrogen and cut down on the need for hydrogen to be stored at high pressures. The tank is capable of storing hydrogen at 70 bar pressures, making it ideal for fuel cell vehicles that are expected to begin entering the global market next year.

[Graeme]

Hyundai FCEV manages 700km from single fill-up

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')yundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell has set a new record for distance covered by a hydrogen-powered car on a single tank, covering 700 kilometres (435 miles) and spanning three countries in an economy drive conducted by Norwegian eco-pioneers Marius Bornstein and Arnt G. Hartvig.

As the world’s first mass-production fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), the ix35 Fuel Cell has an official range of 594km (369 miles), but on the drive from the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to the Swedish city of Malmö, the hydrogen-powered SUV managed to far exceed that.

The ix35 Fuel Cell was in completely standard specification and the journey, which also took in Gothenburg and Copenhagen, took ten hours to complete at an average speed of 76km/h.

Bornstein said: “We had planned to finish in Copenhagen, but realised there was enough hydrogen left in the tank for a longer drive. When we arrived at the filling station in Malmö we still had a few kilometres of range remaining. To achieve this distance on just one tank of hydrogen shows the potential of this technology and the ability of the ix35 Fuel Cell. I believe this is a world record.”

[Graeme]

First boron ‘buckyball’ could be used to store hydrogen

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'J')ust in time for the World Cup final, researchers have succeeded in building the first “buckyballs” made entirely of boron atoms. Unlike true, carbon-based buckyballs, the boron molecules are not shaped exactly like footballs. But this novel form of boron might lead to new nanomaterials and could find uses in hydrogen storage.

Robert Curl, Harold Kroto and Richard Smalley found the first buckyball – or buckminsterfullerene – in 1985. The hollow cage, made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in pentagons and hexagons like a football, got its name from the American architect and engineer Richard Buckminster Fuller, who used the same shapes in designing his domes. The discovery opened the flood gates for creating more carbon structures with impressive qualities, such as carbon nanotubes and the single-atom thick graphene. Since then material scientists have also searched for buckyball-like structures made of other elements.

In 2007, Boris Yakobson, a material scientist at Rice University theorised that a cage made of 80 boron atoms should be stable. Another study published just last week predicts a stable structure with 36 boron atoms.

Publishing today in Nature Chemistry a team led by Lai-Sheng Wang, a chemist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has become the first to see such a beast – though it has a slightly different structure to the predictions. They called their 40-atom molecule borospherene. It is arranged in hexagons, heptagons and triangles.

“We predicted the possibility of B80 fullerene, and now, seven years after, it is remarkable to see experimental evidence,” says Yakobson. ”Especially as it is not what any of the theoretical calculations predicted.”

[Graeme]

First hydrogen fueling station production line opens

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he case for hydrogen as the solution for clean mobility grew today as German industrial gases maker Linde Group opened the first production line for fueling stations supplying the element.

Until now hydrogen fueling stations have been built on an order-by-order basis, with each costing more than $1 million. Linde’s facility in Vienna, however, will be able to manufacture 50 units a year that it hopes will supply the first production fuel cell cars from Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes due to arrive on the market in the coming months and years.

“The successful commercialisation of fuel cell cars hinges on a sufficiently widespread hydrogen infrastructure,” said Professor Aldo Belloni, member of the executive board of Linde AG.

“The development of small-series production capabilities is a key milestone on this journey. It gives us the flexibility we need to meet rising demand in different markets. Our standard agreement with Iwatani shows that we are on the right path along with our partners.”

[hvacman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '�')��The successful commercialisation of fuel cell cars hinges on a sufficiently widespread hydrogen infrastructure,” said Professor Aldo Belloni, member of the executive board of Linde AG.

[Graeme]

Despite Doubts, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Are Breaking Into the EV Market

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')uel cells have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to beating out lithium-ion batteries for domination of the emerging electric vehicle market. “A lot” is an understatement. When you ask auto industry followers about the potential for fuel cell electric vehicles, you are likely to be met with rolled eyes and a repetition of the same old joke: “They say fuel cells are the next big thing, and they’ve been saying that for 30 years.”

However, if you take a look at what’s been going on in at least one specialty niche of the EV market, you can catch a glimpse of the possibility for fuel cells to win out, at least for some applications. That potential is illustrated by Plug Power and Ace Hardware, which have paired up to bring entire fleets of fuel cell electric vehicles into shipping and handling operations.


Fast forward a few years, and Plug Power has grown a solid roster of customers for its GenDrive fuel cell technology.

The Ace Hardware order marks the first all-hydrogen fleet for Ace, consisting of class-2 and class-3 lift and reach trucks. This fleet was deployed at the company’s just-finished 450,000 square-foot warehouse in Texas three months ago, along with an on-site hydrogen fueling station.

The preliminary results have already given Ace enough evidence to go forward with another deployment of GenDrive fuel cell electric vehicles. This one is slated for an even bigger warehouse under construction in Ohio, clocking in at 534,000 square feet.

[hvacman]

re: fuel cell-powered fork lifts. Great find, Graeme. Indoor forklifts and similar high-powered indoor mobile machinery are, indeed, a good niche for hydrogen FC's. High-volume warehouse forklifts have traditionally used propane for their fuel, with the resulting indoor air quality issues. Electric forklifts are also common but struggle to maintain viability when they have to remain in constant use for 1,2, or even a full 3 shifts. Energy efficiency is not the issue, fuel cost is not a major issue. Productivity and Indoor Air Quality are.

[Graeme]

Notice that ACE is also developing FCV's. Toyota is too; the first to be released next year:

After hybrid success, Toyota gambles on hydrogen fuel cell

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'R')ocket science long dismissed as too impractical and expensive for everyday cars is getting a push into the mainstream by Toyota, the world's top-selling automaker.

Buoyed by its success with electric-gasoline hybrid vehicles, Toyota is betting that drivers will embrace hydrogen fuel cells, an even cleaner technology that runs on the energy created by an electrochemical reaction when oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen stored as fuel.

Unlike internal combustion engines which power most vehicles on roads today, a pure hydrogen fuel cell emits no exhaust, only some heat and a trickle of pure water. Fuel cells also boast greater efficiency than the internal combustion process, which expends about two-thirds of the energy in gasoline as heat.

Toyota's fuel cell car will go on sale before April next year. Despite advantages that are seemingly compelling, the technology has struggled to move beyond its prototypes after several decades of research and development by industry and backing from governments.

[Graeme]

Solar Hydrogen Trends Announce Results of ‘Oxygen to Hydrogen Transmutation’

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')olar Hydrogen Trends, Inc., developer of innovative breakthrough technology with the world’s first hydrogen reactor for production of unlimited hydrogen, conducts final series of control tests on technology

MENLO PARK, Calif., July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — American company, Menlo Park based technology firm Solar Hydrogen Trends, Inc. (www.SolarHydrogenTrends.com) today announced that it has conducted a final series of control tests on hydrogen reactor Symphony 7A.

A follow-up series of tests was required due to the fact that the two previous series of tests had shown such incredible production of hydrogen in reactor Symphony 7A, that even most reputable scientific firms were hard-pressed to accept and/or verify the test results.

New test results carried out by TRC Solutions are even more staggering: the previous performance results of 79,000 liters per hour increased to 127 cfm or 215,800 liters per hour and the content of hydrogen in the gas mixture increased from 93.1% to 97.5%. Oxygen content in the gas mixture on the exit of Symphony 7A was twice lowered to 1.34%, indicating that the process of transmutation of oxygen into hydrogen in the last test was more active.

With this performance the hydrogen reactor can convert 1 barrel of water into 200 kg of hydrogen, which is energetically equivalent to 3 barrels of oil.

However, the most impressive result of this experiment was that the external energy needed to make these 208,678 liters of pure hydrogen fell by 20%; it averaged at 414 watt hour = 4.6 volts x 90 amps.

To repeat: In these tests, 1 barrel of water = 3 barrels of oil.

At the moment this is an absolute record for energy costs with “cold fusion” Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR). It outpaces all research centers, laboratories and universities involved in the hydrogen problem of (LENR) for 20-30 years.

The ratio of spent and obtained energy in hydrogen reactor Symphony 7A in percentage is 134,477%. Today, hydrogen reactor Symphony 7A with the size of standard suitcase can produce enough hydrogen in one day equivalent to 6.5 barrels of oil, at the mere cost of $1.68 per hour to operate.

[Graeme]

A tree may have the answers to renewable energy

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'X')udong Wang, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at UW-Madison, recently collaborated with researcher, Dr. Zhiyong Cai, in the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison on research to use cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for water splitting, a process that converts solar energy to hydrogen fuel.

Wang's vision is to use cellulose like a sponge "tree" that soaks up water from a lake or ocean. At the top would be a photocatalyst that splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen.

And while researchers have explored water-splitting techniques for years, those techniques have relied on photocatalysts submerged in the water, which limits light penetration to the catalyst. "People made photocatalysts in the water and shone light into the water to generate hydrogen and oxygen," Wang says. "But the limitations included light penetration through the water to get to the catalyst. You cannot simply increase the amount of the catalyst since sun is refracted and diffracted. That limited the efficiency of those techniques."

[Graeme]

Honda hydrogen fuel cell car stylishly envisaged

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')onda, on the heels of Toyota and Hyundai, will launch a hydrogen fuel cell next year. Unlike the others, however, the new car’s final design is still under wraps.

The design of clean energy cars is often argued. Some believe that an innovative powertrain should be reflected by avant-garde design, like the Nissan LEAF or BMW i8. Others think a traditionally attractive aesthetic is important if you don’t want to scare of potential customers, which is an attitude Tesla has adopted for the Model S.

Hyundai’s Tucson Fuel Cell is simply a converted version of the regular, gasoline-powered model. It’s hardly exciting, but it’s a safe bet. Toyota has gone a little further, developing a new design language that, although still largely conventional, tells us that the car is different from other vehicles.

[Timo]

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/07/30/new-battery-boasts-7-times-energy-density/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=152d691256-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-152d691256-331990589

Great news for pure electrics. Not so good for FCEVs.

This week a research team at the University of Tokyo School of Engineering has announced a new lithium ion battery that packs seven times more energy density – at 2,570 watt-hours per kilogram – than current lithium ion batteries. The team, led by Professor Noritaka Mizuno, adds cobalt to the lithium oxide crystal structure of the positive electrode, which promotes the creation of oxides and peroxides during the charge/discharge cycle. In addition, it promises significantly faster recharge times as well.

Isn’t it ironic that the “Nobel battery” Toyota’s Kato referred to may have been invented by a team of Japanese scientists? For a more detailed technical explanation of the of the new battery, see the report first published in Nikkei Technology.

Of course, this breakthrough is still in the experimental stage. Energy dense lithium ion batteries will not be on the shelf at WalMart any time soon. But if the claims for the new battery prove valid, expect to see the struggle between EV’s and FCV tilt sharply in favor of electric vehicles. Now the range for the new Porsche Cayenne PHEV could be 112 miles instead of 16, and that shiny new Nissan LEAF could go over 500 miles on a full charge instead of just 73. And the Tesla Model S would be able to drive some 1,855 miles before needing to be plugged in.

[Graeme]

CALIFORNIA AGENCIES ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR HYDROGEN ELECTRIC VEHICLES

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')alifornia state agencies are collaborating on a range of initiatives to support the goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

Last week, the California Energy Commission carried out one of these initiatives, voting to use nearly $50 million to put in place 28 new, public hydrogen refueling stations and one mobile refueler by the end of 2015. The move was one of several actions designed to help achieve a key goal of the state’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) plan: to accelerate construction of hydrogen refueling infrastructure across the state.

“California is rolling out the carpet for Californians who choose these ultra-clean hydrogen powered electric cars and for the companies that make them,” said Air Resources BoardChairman Mary D. Nichols. “These private-public partnerships to build dozens of hydrogen fueling stations set the stage for hydrogen fuel cell electric cars to become commonplace on our streets and provide a new generation of long-range zero-emission vehicles for California consumers.”

“Making the transition to cleaner, lower polluting near-zero and zero-emission vehicles is a critical component to addressing California’s clean air and climate challenges. The transportation sector accounts for about 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Commissioner Janea A. Scott, the Energy Commission’s lead commissioner on transportation. “We are pleased to be part of this state collaboration and will continue to work diligently on standing up hydrogen fuel cells and other electric vehicle technologies.”

[Graeme]

Like It Or Not, $27.6 Million Worth Of Fuel Cell Stations Coming To California

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')irstElement Fuel has won a $27.6 million grant for a fueling network for fuel cell electric vehicles in California, and with the grant announcement still fresh off the press the company has already lined up the global firm Black & Veatch to build the stations by fall 2015.

Check out a global map of Black & Veatch projects and you’ll see that what Black & Veatch signs on to build, gets built. So, despite some clear misgivings about the current nature of fuel sourcing for fuel cell electric vehicles, it looks like those of you in California who are burning to wrap your hands around the steering wheel of a brand new fuel cell EV will get your chance to fuel up sooner rather than later.

[Graeme]

Toyota’s Carter: we’re on the cusp of the automotive hydrogen age

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n his talk at the 2014 J.P. Morgan Auto Conference in New York, Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales (USA) Senior Vice President, Automotive Operations said that the company in spending an average of more than $1 million an hour this year on R&D. Carter said that a prime example of the R&D focus is the hydrogen fuel cell sedan to be launched to the public in California next summer (earlier post) and, he suggested, thereafter to the East Coast.

Toyota’s basic stance on hydrogen is that fuel cell vehicles, in addition to offering high total energy (well-to-wheel) efficiency, are extremely versatile, with a long cruising range and a short fueling time. Carter noted that Toyota has reduced the cost of the fuel cell powertrain by 95% , and is confident it can reduce the cost further.

That leaves the issue of the hydrogen infrastructure, which, as Toyota has said often recently, needs to be developed.

In his talk, Carter acknowledged that US DOE estimates put the cost of hydrogen fuel initially higher than gasoline, but said that longer term the cost will come down and be more economical.

Based on those numbers, we estimate that to fill our fuel cell sedan to go 300 miles initially will cost about $50 and then go down to about $30. So our fuel cell vehicle is not only better for the environment, it may also be more economical to operate than conventional cars. In short, of all the advanced powertrain systems we have in our portfolio, we see hydrogen fuel cells as being THE no-compromise, primary-option vehicle for the next 100 years.

—Bob Carter

Working with the University of California, Toyota has modeled specific locations that will result in a 6-minute drive to a station for most owners. As a result, Toyota believes that just 68 stations will handle a population well in excess of 10,000 fuel cell vehicles.