Unlike normal lithium batteries that need to be recharged often, as in every day for many users, hydrogen batteries can go weeks without being recharged. This got me to thinking of what the near future may look like for early adopters of hydrogen technology.

An early adopter would certainly have an Android or iPhone powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The early adopter may also have a home hydrogen fueling station in their garage and drive to work in a hydrogen fuel cell car.

The early adopter may also go to a workplace that is hydrogen fuel cell friendly such as one that uses fuel cell forklifts, buses, trucks or even prototype cars. The early adopter may work in a building powered by hydrogen fuel cells or at least this may be the backup power.

Not only will the early adopter’s cell phone be powered by fuel cell but their cell phone tower will be as well. Also, their web host, any data centers they use and many buildings they frequent may also be powered by stationary hydrogen fuel cell.

Finally, the early adopter will come home to a house powered by a stationary hydrogen fuel cell. They may have a solar panel / hydrogen fuel cell combination at work or another source of energy such as wind turbine, geothermal energy or micro hydro.

Steve Jobs, (may he rest in peace), was such a futurist that he knew what people wanted before we knew we wanted it. One of his last acts on Earth was to push for the new Apple products to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

If in some fantasy world Steve Jobs would come back to life 10 years from now, I think he would only be slightly surprised at how many wheels are turning on the power of hydrogen fuel cells.

Chu Fuel Cell

The U. S. Department of Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize Winner, has on many occasions insinuated that he is a hydrogen hater, by trying to zero out the Federal budget for hydrogen cars. He calls them “impractical” while battery electric cars have gotten his blessing.

As early as May 2011, there were 12 U. S. Senators petitioning Secretary Chu not to zero out the budget for hydrogen cars saying that America for the moment leads in this technology and in manufacturing jobs in this sector. The budget was of course cut, but not zeroed out thanks to the outcry from both Republican and Democratic U. S. Senators.

So, now ½ a year later when holiday cheer and parties are flowing and celebrations are at hand, what does the Energy Secretary do? Well, of course Dr. Chu decides to light his Christmas tree using a fuel cell. Now, there is nothing wrong with this. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger did this before for several years when he was in charge of such things.

Also in the United Kingdom, the star atop Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree is also powered by hydrogen fuel cell. The message in and of itself to use green energy to power holiday lights is a sound one. What is not sound, however, is to cut the budget for an emerging technology, then show it off at Christmas time as if you’re a true believer.

I suppose this hypocrisy could have been worse, though. I suppose Dr. Chu could be driving around to his holiday parties in a hydrogen car and then giving out toy RC hydrogen cars to children as gifts this holiday season.

On second thought, though, perhaps I should give Dr. Chu the benefit of the doubt. After all this is the holiday season and the time for second chances. Perhaps Secretary Chu has turned from a hydrogen Grinch into a hydrogen believer due to the magic of Christmas. All you have to do is close your eyes and believe. Believe …

Unless you have access to Dr. Who’s TARDIS or H. G. Wells’ Time Machine, you’ll have to depend on old texts to envision William Murdoch’s 1784 steam locomotive debut in Britain or Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb, the first locomotive to run in America.

But if you can afford an air ticket to Asturias, the colorful northern Spanish principality on the Bay of Biscayne, you’ll be able to buy a ticket and ride on the world’s first hydrail train and experience rail history up-close and personal. If I can scrape up the cost of the trip, that’s an experience I wouldn’t miss.

A Taiwan science museum was the first to ride people regularly on fuel cell rail equipment. Japan built and tested two different hydrail trains late in the last decade, though neither was placed in revenue service. That’s a shame; they would have come in handy when the tragic tsunami interrupted grid power and brownouts occasionally stopped trains far inland.

Last November China “successfully launched” a “new energy fuel cell light-rail train” but the English language People’s Daily Online release makes no mention of plans for putting hydrail into revenue service.

But the Spanish meter-gauge train built by FEVE, the national narrow-gauge rail operator that I wrote about on October 10, 2011, will be selling fares to the general public and I hope to be waiting at the head of the ticket window line on Day One.

The last I heard, Day One had not yet been announced. But, given the wide coverage (in Spanish) on the Internet and the RTV España television coverage online, I’ll bet there are enough hydrogen economy disciples in the world to keep FEVE’s Series 3400 tranvía de hidrogeno booked-up with tourists for weeks before the queues get short enough for locals to try out their own historic innovation.

The TV URL is http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/panorama-regional/panorama-regional-23-09-11/1205440/

The hydrolley segment is about seven minutes into the program, with a short teaser at the beginning.

My prediction: the hydrogen train in Spain will usher in a whole new trend in tourism as we hydrailfans begin flocking to such openings wherever they occur around the world.

ITM Power was given the top spot in the EEF North East Region Climate Change Opportunity Award for their work with fuel cells outside of vehicles. According to the Sheffield Telegraph, “The Sheffield-based business specializes in clean fuel hydrogen generation and energy storage and won the award after developing a transportable hydrogen refueling unit called HFuel which can be used as a zero carbon fuel for modified internal combustion engines and fuel cell vehicles.”

I had talked about ITM Power in April 2011 making their first commercial sale of their HFUEL unit that will be used to refuel several hydrogen cars at the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom. This recent award demonstrates that ITM Power is well on their way too selling more HFUEL units commercially along with 3 other hydrogen fuel cell based products as well.

Now, Sierra Lobo has received its award for its work on fuel cells inside of vehicles. According to Sierra Lobo, “The Cryo-Force Power-Cell has been selected by an independent judging panel and editors of R&D Magazine as a recipient of a 2011 R&D 100 Award. This prestigious award recognizes the 100 most technologically significant products introduced in the past year. This is the second time Sierra Lobo has won an R&D 100 Award.

“The Cryo-Force Power-Cell System is a completely integrated, closed-loop liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell system. It is designed to power Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), and provide a green energy source for transportation and stationary power systems.”

Both of these companies need to be recognized for the groundbreaking work they’ve done and for pushing forward the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells for the transportation industry, both inside and outside the vehicle. If I had sound effects on this blog, I would say “Cue the applause now.”

University of Maryland SOFC

Generally when I speak of fuel cell vehicles on this hydrogen car website, blog and message board I’m talking about PEM fuel cells than run using compressed hydrogen gas. But there are a variety of fuel cells on the market and in the research labs, most of which have nothing to do with the transportation industry.

For instance, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have long been used in the stationary power industry to create electricity and have not been used in vehicles because of their high operating temperatures. These operating temperatures can go as high as 1,500 degrees F.

Present day PEM fuel cells that are used in most prototype and low production lease cars today use hydrogen gas compressed between 3,600 psi and 10,000 psi. PEM fuel cells in cars run at an operating temperature of around 180 degrees F.

The researchers at the University of Maryland think they have developed a new kind of SOFC that one day soon could be used in the transportation industry. And this SOFC has many advantages over present day PEM fuel cells.

The researchers have developed a SOFC that runs at 1,200 degrees F and believe that they can reduce the starting temperature to around 660 degrees F which would be acceptable to use in vehicles such as cars, trucks and buses.

The biggest advantage of these SOFC fuel cells is that they can run on a variety of fuel, not just hydrogen. Sure, hydrogen is the fuel of choice since zero emissions are involved. But, until an adequate hydrogen refueling infrastructure is put in place SOFC fuel cells can also run on gasoline, diesel, biofuels and natural gas, all with low emissions.

In fact, vehicles running with solid oxide fuel cells would be the ultimate flex fuel vehicles since they can run on such a wide variety of fuels. Consumers wouldn’t have “range anxiety” like they do in electric cars or in hydrogen cars that lack infrastructure.

In fact, consumers will have more choices of where to fuel up, what the prices are at any given point in time and at any geographical location. There are probably cell phone apps for this being developed right now.

The point is that SOFCs in vehicles could be the transitional technology we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels while an adequate hydrogen refueling infrastructure is being built. Consumer acceptance of fuel cells in cars would not be as big of a hurdle if that fuel cell was able to accept a wide variety of fuels that are already at most pumps nationwide. And as we’ve already seen with natural gas powered vehicles or electric cars, consumer acceptance is one of the top factors involved in the success or failure of any new technology.

B12 Fuel Cell

While some countries like South Africa are ramping up R&D and production of fuel cells because this country sits upon 80-percent of the world’s supply of platinum, the most expensive part of most fuel cells, many scientists are experimenting with alternatives to this costly metal.

One of the benefits of switching to hydrogen fuel cells is independence from foreign fossil fuels. But, then who wants to be dependent upon foreign platinum? The answer to this riddle may lay in the use of B12 vitamin supplements.

Scientists in Taipei City, Taiwan at the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Science are experimenting with doping carbon with vitamin B12 in order to produce a cheap, yet powerful fuel cell free from noble metals.

According to RSC.org, “In order to generate electricity, most modern fuel cell devices require an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode of the cell, whilst simultaneously, another chemical (often hydrogen) is oxidized at the anode. This redox reaction for power generation has been limited by the slow ORR process, which in nature requires complex enzymes to proceed at any meaningful rate …

“However, Chen and co-workers have dispensed with the need for platinum altogether, by using cheap carbon that has vitamin B12 dispersed throughout, to form the cathode of their polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The performance of this cathode doesn’t quite match that of platinum based cathodes, but at a fraction of the cost, this cathode could open up real opportunities for the practical application of these fuel cells.”

So while your Wheaties, Corn Flakes and power drinks are supplemented with vitamin B12 to promote healthy brain and nervous system functioning is it any wonder that this “wonder drug” would beef up the power of a fuel cell as well? So, a few years from now when you’re zipping down the highway in your fuel cell vehicle, sipping an energy drink you can thank the scientists and engineers who have helped to make this healthy connection a reality.

By the year 2020, this same industry is expected to add over 660,000 new jobs with worldwide revenues of over $38 billion.

According to PATH, “Among other findings, the report concluded that both developed and developing countries are actively transitioning to using fuel cells and hydrogen. Developed countries have implemented hydrogen and fuel cell technology mostly as a way to diminish their reliance on fossil fuel imports for transportation, stationary and portable power. Developing countries, on the other hand, are turning to hydrogen and fuel cells as a source of clean, quiet and reliable power, which in turn can grow GDP and allow for economic growth.”

Since parts of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry are still considered emerging technologies it’s important that standards and practices be put in place to aid this commercial growth. ASTM is an international organization that is doing just this.

According to Jacquelyn Birdsall who chairs ASTM’s subcommittee D03.14, “Since 2008, D03.14, with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy, has approved nine ASTM methods to support the commercialization of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. These standards were identified by the industry as essential to commercialization and will be part of international and national hydrogen quality codes and standards.”

So even though the world economy has been in an economic downturn for the past 3 years, hydrogen and fuel cell technology has continued to expand. If you happen to be looking for a job in this growing industry, here is one resource and here is a second resource for starting or continuing your career.

And of course, here is one more resource indeed.

UTD Researchers

There’s been a lot of research in materials sciences in finding cheaper alternatives in which to store hydrogen or use as catalysts for hydrogen reactions. Most of this breakthrough technology perpetually seems to be 10 to 20 years away before commercialization.

This is why when I heard about what the researchers at the University of Texas, Dallas are doing in regard to titanium-doped aluminum I got a bit excited since this seems to me to be more of a near-term solution rather than a longer term pie-in-the-sky idea.

The UTD researchers noticed that light-weight aluminum hydrides can be made to release its hydrogen bond by slightly increasing the temperature which is an advantage over current metal hydride systems that require more energy in order to release their bonds.

According to UTD graduate student Irinder Singh Chopra, “We investigated a certain class of materials called complex metal hydrides (aluminum-based hydrides) in the hope of finding cheaper and more effective means of activating hydrogen.

“Our research into an aluminum-based catalyst turned out to be much more useful than just designing good storage materials. It has also provided very encouraging results into the possible use of this system as a very cheap and effective alternative to the materials currently used for fuel cells.”

So, let’s think about this statement for a moment. If it is true that titanium-doped aluminum holds the key for both hydrogen storage and as a catalyst in fuel cells, this will bring the price of storage tanks and FC’s way down without giving up any effectiveness. In fact, in the case of storage, hydrogen tanks will be more effective at releasing H2 at lower temperatures. And this, my friend, is a very Big Deal.

Pictured above are UTD researchers Irinder Chopra (left) and Jean-Francois Veyan.

Usually I talk about hydrogen cars and vehicles in this blog and occasionally I talk about fuel cells for small electronic devices. And the invention of the hydrogen fuel cell for small electronic devices has already happened. They are in use now. But what Apple could do is spread small fuel cells everywhere in the world.

Let me explain. Apple computers has recently filed a couple of patents with the U. S. Patent and Trademark office for the development of small hydrogen fuel cells to power electronic devices. According to Apple Insider, “The first application, entitled ‘Parallel Fuel Stack Architecture,’ describes how Apple could arrange a set of fuel cells into a fuel stack. In the second filing, named ‘Reduced-Weight Fuel Cell Plate,’ Apple describes how it could use lightweight electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant material to build a fuel cell.”

Fuel cells are already in the marketplace helping to charge Apple products. There is a product called the Casemate Fuel Cell Battery Backup which says it can extend the life of an iPhone battery by up to 100 hours. This device costs between $20 – $30.

But even though fuel cells are in the marketplace they have not gained market acceptance nearly as much as traditional batteries have. What Apple could do with the power of their innovation, marketing and reputation is bring hydrogen fuel cells for small electronic devices to a whole new level of consumer acceptance.

And, once the consumer accepts a fuel cell as a viable replacement for a battery for small devices it will be less of a leap for consumers to accept fuel cells in larger devices such as vehicles, home refueling stations, and home heating and cooling units.

So, even though Steven Jobs is no longer with us, his saga and influence continues. And in this way, he is still with us.

Perhaps the single greatest impediment to the advent of the hydrogen economy has been the media-led insistence that hydrogen fuel cell technology is an automotive design experiment that has not yet been made to work. The ubiquity issue—the controlling obstacle unique to the car application—is never examined. Mention hydrogen and people inevitably assume that you’re talking about cars.

Steam technology was applied to railroads in the 1830s but wasn’t commercialized in automobiles until nearly 1900—seventy years after rail. Similarly, diesel was introduced to railroading about 1925 but—excepting the few Cummins cars produced in 1934 and the early Mercedes diesels in Germany in the mid-1930s—diesel cars, supported at the pump island, did not appear for another fifty years or so after diesel rail.

Why, then, do newsrooms insist that hydrogen cars should either emerge on the scene out of nothing, like some quantum commercial prodigy, or else be written-off as a failed experiment?

If steam took 70 years to evolve from the rail to the road and diesel took 50 years, why is the non-technical press so bent upon “putting the car before the iron horse” in the case of hydrogen?

This question, I concede, is somewhat rhetorical. In the 1830’s (with apologies to Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot) there was not yet a horseless paradigm to pique public interest in personal steam vehicles. By the mid-1920s, the reverse was true; cars were well past the innovation stage and barreling through the integration stage. That is, the state-of-the-art was advancing fast, having standardized on the energy density advantages of gasoline, with its ready domestic availability. Expensive, heavy-engined diesel cars were a “why bother” technology until the 1970s Arab Oil Embargo made diesel’s superior fuel range a design factor that could no longer be ignored. The minute diesel dispensing pumps became relevant, they popped up like mushrooms. Hydrogen will do the same.

But all that would happen very much sooner if hydrogen, like steam and diesel, were first made familiar to the public as a rail technology. Easier-to-implement hydrail would hasten the advent of hydrogen cars if its imminent emergence were not buried by the general press. Hydrail is a natural for compact, closed rail systems like streetcar lines, industrial plant yards and, especially, in maritime switching yards, where it complements hydrogen ferries and work boats. Hydrogen needs this kind of showcase to advance.

South African journalist Rowan Watt-Pringle has just broken ranks and disclosed present-day hydrail in all its progress and promise. Let’s hope the path he’s just refreshed is kept open for a while!