There are couple of breakthroughs this week in the direct solar to hydrogen production arena that are worth mentioning. One method involves a 100 Kw pilot plant in Germany and the other method also has German roots and involves a new carbon nitride catalyst for splitting water.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center have successfully scaled up a 10 Kw solar-hydrogen pilot plant into a 100 kilowatt plant. The solar thermal reactor splits water using heat without needing to create electricity first.

This pilot plant is part of the European HYDROSOL II project. In the months to come the direct solar to hydrogen pilot plant will be stepped up to find which materials work optimally as solar absorbers. Since this 100 Kw plant was created in modular style it can be easily scaled up to a megawatt station if need be.

The other breakthrough I had previously mentioned involves finding a new non-platinum or rare metal catalyst to use when splitting hydrogen from water. Chemist Xinchen Wang, of the Max-Planck Institute in Germany and Fouzhou University in China has discovered that an inexpensive carbon nitride catalyst works efficiency in creating hydrogen.

This carbon nitride material has been polymerized to a form similar to graphite. The reaction is assisted by both visible and ultraviolet light giving it a wider range than many other catalysts.

Now, if we could just get these two sets of German researchers together and combine forces, we could all see another ray of hope when it comes to the commercialization of direct solar to hydrogen production in the very near future.

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A week ago I talked about how the U. S. Army decided to install hydrogen fueling stations to cleanly refuel their test fleet of hydrogen cars. The fueling stations are solar powered and use water so zero emissions are generated from well to wheel, as they say (in the oil industry).

Now, the U. S. Air Force is also getting in on the act as Kent State University and Battelle are collaborating on developing fuel cells for the U. S. military vehicles. This new generation of advanced fuel cells involves an 18-month, $200,000 contract to commercialize the technology in its final phases.

The new gen fuel cells will be used in general military vehicles along with troop transporters and tanks. By using hydrogen fuel cells, vehicles are more stealth as they emit much less noise and lower heat profiles.

Using fuel cells also makes vehicles lighter and thus faster than using traditional internal combustion engines. Fuel cell vehicles also have a much longer range than those operating on batteries and only require that a supply of hydrogen be on hand for refueling.

With the U. S. military buying into hydrogen as viable transportation technology, other governmental agencies can’t be far behind. Yes, President Elect Barack Obama has come out with his short-term preference for plug-in hybrids and all electric cars saying that half of all government vehicles will be these by the year 2012.

But, the President Elect has also stated that hydrogen will be part of his $150 billion alternative energy research and development budget. With a little education from the military and other sources, perhaps the President Elect will also realize that moving to a hydrogen transportation system will create millions of new jobs in building the infrastructure alone.

Add to this the building of clean, green hydrogen cars, that people want to buy and the positive economic impact will be hard to overlook. The contract with the U. S. Air Force is a good start. And, since the finish line hasn’t been determined yet, there is still time to make a case for hydrogen as the clean, green fuel of the future.

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General Motors has upped the ante in Germany by rolling out its GM / Opel Hydrogen4 fuel cell vehicles for real world testing in addition to its Project Driveway program. Nine Berlin-based businesses will be the first to operate the vehicles including ADAC, Allianz, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Linde, Schindler, Axel Springer, Total and Veolia.

According to Wolfgang Tiefensee, Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport, “Our future lies in electric vehicles driven by batteries and fuel cell. This technology will allow us to reduce global CO2 emissions in the long term and also help decrease our dependence on oil.

“Thanks to research and innovation, marketable products are now being developed. I am happy to share and personally support this vision. In Germany, we have reached a very high level of competence in the hydrogen and fuel cell technology. And we have to strengthen this advantage. My administration spent 500 million euro supporting the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. The industry is committing to the same effort. This program proves to be a huge success.”

The GM Hydrogen4 uses General Motors’ fourth generation fuel cell that accelerates four seconds faster from 0 to 60 mph than the last generation Hydrogen3 (12 seconds as opposed to 16 seconds).

The GM / Opel Hydrogen4 also uses a 440-cell fuel cell stack (the Hydrogen3 uses a 200 cell stack) and the Hydrogen4 has upped its range to around 200 miles from 170 miles of the Hydrogen 3. The Hydrogen 4 also has a 73 Kw electric motor and top speed of around 100 mph.

Germany is a good choice for the rollout of GM Hydrogen4 since it alone has 26 hydrogen refueling stations from which drivers can choose. California, by comparison has only a couple more at 28 stations. In addition, the European Union Hydrogen Highway system is more developed in neighboring countries than any network found in the U. S.

It’s good to see that in a time of immense struggles for General Motors, they are still pushing ahead with their hydrogen car program. No matter what eventually happens with GM, the world will have benefitted from their innovation and testing of fuel cell vehicles in real world settings.

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When I was at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week I asked the Honda reps when the FCX Clarity was once again going to be heavily promoted since there has been somewhat of a publicity vacuum since they announced back in July that actress Jamie Lee Curtis was leasing one. The answer was “soon, very soon”.

This week, I got my wish as Honda has made two new announcements regarding their latest hydrogen fuel cell car. The first event to be announced was the FCX Clarity Experience Opening for children.

This event allowed kids to learn about, ride in a touch the fuel cell vehicle. They were also encouraged to let their imaginations run wild about the type of hydrogen vehicle they would most likely have for their first cars.

Honda also announced that it will begin leasing the FCX Clarity in Japan. The first customer is the Ministry of the Environment and Honda says it will only currently lease this FCV to government agencies and a few corporate customers as well.

It’s good to see Honda getting back in the saddle and heavily promoting it FCX Clarity vehicle. GM and BMW shouldn’t be the only big players to be grabbing the hydrogen car headlines. Now, if Honda could just emulate what General Motors has done as far as getting their car into the hands of lots of “regular” people, this will keep people talking at the dinner table about this important subject.

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A couple of months ago I talked about jetpacks and how the clean, green hydrogen peroxide that fuels them has yet to be harnessed to its full potential. Yesterday, rocket man Eric Scott pulled off a fine feat of harnessing some of the potential of hydrogen peroxide as he set a world record for distance and height by sailing over the Royal Gorge in Colorado.

In fact, Scott not only sailed the 1,000 ft abyss but powered his way 1,500 feet forward with fuel to spare. The stuntman with over 800 jetpack flights to his credit flew for 21 seconds with 30 seconds worth of hydrogen peroxide onboard his 135-pound jetpack.

Scott works for Jet P. I. doing stunts and promotions and has never had a failure of his jetpack while in flight. Jetpacks have been used before in a James Bond movie and a Super Bowl, but this adventure over the Colorado gorge offered some unique challenges.

According to Scott, so that he wouldn’t freefall into the Arkansas River below, while he was in flight he was in a state of constant corrections and over-corrections as the winds were not as calm as they seemed to be.

Eric Scott was flying without a parachute as he believed the hydrogen peroxide powered jetpack to be sound and didn’t want to deal with the drag on his vehicle. Carbon fiber makes the jetpack relatively light and Scott is able to achieve speeds up to 70 mph.

Here is a Youtube video of the event. Though hydrogen peroxide has the reputation for being “rocket fuel” we need to think outside the box a bit and reconsider how this clean compound made up of only hydrogen and oxygen (H2O2) can be adapted for use in the automobile industry as well.

This may take some development by the automotive engineers of the world, but if successful, we’ll all be able to breathe a bit easier.

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Distributed Energy Systems, which owns both Northern and Proton Energy Systems has been awarded a $1.8 million U. S. Army contract to put up one or more hydrogen fueling stations. If the hydrogen station being developed for the military is similar to the one already developed and in use by Proton in Las Vegas (pictured) or Burlington, Vermont it will use clean, renewable energy to produce the H2.

One of the criticisms of producing hydrogen from water is that it can take a considerable amount of electricity from the grid to do so. The hydrogen fueling station in Las Vegas is produced using solar power and the station in Vermont uses a combination of wind power and grid power (when the wind isn’t blowing as robustly as needed).

As of last year, six Ford Escape hydrogen hybrids were being developed by Quantum Technologies for the U. S. Army. General Motors also sent its first Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell to the Army for testing as part of GM’s Project Driveway program.

The Army sees the need to reduce petroleum consumption as a national security issue. By reducing dependence on oil from hostile foreign nations, the U. S. can make foreign policy decisions based upon strength rather a need for outside energy.

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Hydrogen on demand technology is a controversial subject that I’ve talked about many times over the past as an emerging market of the future. When I went to the Los Angeles Auto Show yesterday during Press Days I was intent on getting my hands on the Honda FC Sport concept, the VW Passat Lingyu FCV and the Kia Borrego FCEV that I had researched and talked about on previous days. I learned a smidgeon more about these vehicles and will update my pages in the days to come.

But, the biggest surprise to me at the auto show was not that a major car show would host the world’s first hydrogen on demand (HOD) booth (I knew this beforehand), but that this booth would be huge. Derek Zupancic, CEO for HydroLectricPower LLC had space for four vehicles in the Kentia Hall Automotive Aftermarket section of the L. A. Convention Center.

A Toyota Sequoia, Toyota TRD truck, Camry Hybrid and GMC truck were all equipped with a hydrogen on demand unit approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for reducing tailpipe emissions. According to Zupancic, the hydrogen fuel injection system also increases gas mileage significantly (up to 50-percent), though specific percentages are not guaranteed due to driving conditions, make and model of vehicle and driver behavior.

The first time I met Derek Zupancic was over this past summer at the tail end of the 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour when he was being hassled by the organizers about letting his “partially hydrogen powered” vehicle into the procession of totally hydrogen powered vehicles. At that time he told me he was not a fan of HHO gas.

You see his hydrogen generator does electrolyze water and use KOH as a catalyst like many HHO generators, but unlike those generators the HydroLectricPower HOD separates the hydrogen and oxygen right from the get-go and then pumps each of these gases separately into the vehicle’s intake system (not combined like HHO).

According to Zupancic, the oxygen provides a bit of a power boost over hydrogen alone being injected plus the oxygen does not create NOX emissions as it does not bond with the nitrogen from the ambient outside air. Zupancic thinks he has built a better mousetrap than some of the builders of HHO generators. But, it will be up for the public to decide this one.

One of the reasons I wanted to talk about this story is because you won’t find the mainstream automotive media covering it. Sure there were a few passively interested journalists wandering around the HOD booth not knowing what questions to ask. But, on a whole this section of the L. A. Auto Show won’t get much coverage. And, there needs to be at least some coverage on this important automotive first.

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Before I leave for the Los Angeles International Auto Show this morning, I wanted to talk about a hydrogen fuel cell car that is already causing quite a stir. First reports have it that the Honda FC Sport Concept has been unveiled.

Before you and I get too excited, the Honda FC Sport concept car is being billed as a “design study,” which basically means the carmaker slapped a hot new body and interior configuration upon a Honda FCX Clarity to wow people at the show. The Honda FC Sport has the same V flow hydrogen fuel cell configuration as the FCX Clarity.

Unlike the Clarity, however, the Honda FC Sport is a three-seater with the driver in the middle and each passenger slightly offset to the rear. Behind the passenger seats are the fuel cell and just in front of the rear axel is the electric motor.

Seen from the rear windows are the hydrogen tanks that fuel this supercar design. Honda’s design center in Pasadena, California is responsible for coming up with this cutting edge concept.

But, one has to wonder, with the Big 3 U. S. automakers teetering on going down in flames are the other automakers going to be offering us more of the same? Slapping a hot new body on a fuel cell car may give many a “wow” factor at the car show. But, the odds are 90 to 1 the Honda FC Sport as is will never see the light of the showroom floor.

In a couple of hours I will be at the auto show checking it over for myself, firsthand. My wish for Honda is that instead of slapping a fancy new body over a Clarity, that they actually promote the Clarity as is and put it in the hands of celebrities and consumers as quickly and enthusiastically as possible. All has been way too quiet since their big summer celebrity rollout.

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Now, I’ve talked about hydrogen trains or hydrail a number of times over the past. But, one area that I haven’t mentioned yet are hydrogen trolleys or hydrolley as they are calling it.

Streetcars in general have made a resurgence over the years and not just in San Francisco, but in many other large and medium metropolitan cities across the U. S. as well. Trolleys are thought by the populace to be more upscale than other forms of public transportation and enjoy a higher percentage of riders.

But, hydrogen streetcars won’t need overhead electrification like regular trolleys do. And, so they will be much less expensive than spending the $2 million or so per mile for overhead electrification.

Overhead electrification creates problems with interference such as cranes that need to move about freely and shock hazards to maintenance personnel. The downside of fuel cell streetcars is that they will require occasional refueling like hydrogen buses.

There is a good PowerPoint presentation on this page that shows the benefits of hydrolley. In addition, it talks about proposed hydrolley applications in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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There was a press release put out today that basically reiterates the unveiling of a small fleet of hydrogen cars by the University of Birmingham in the UK. In late September, the University accepted delivery of 5 fuel cell Microcabs for real world testing.

In April I had talked about the first hydrogen refueling station being opened at the University of Birmingham by H2 fuel supplier Air Products. This was to be the first of a dozen stations opened in the United Kingdom by 2010.

Today’s press release brings some new information to the forefront, “The Birmingham hydrogen re-fuelling station is part of a cluster being set up across the region by the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum. Known as the Midlands Hydrogen Ring, the stations will be at the heart of hydrogen fuelling infrastructure planned throughout the region, enabling real life hydrogen vehicle trials. A second station is already operational at Loughborough University and the roll-out of further sites includes vehicle testing centers, an airport, a visitor attraction and eventually the open road.”

And this ring of hydrogen operations in the Midlands area doesn’t stop here. A month ago I talked about a hydrogen home that was being set up by the University of Birmingham and Black Country Housing Group.

As hydrogen refueling rings and homes continue to be set up in the Midlands area of the UK, this small scale hydrogen economy may just be a model for other cities, counties and regions to follow in the not too distant future.

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