The last time I had talked about the Town of Hempstead (part of Long Island, NY) was back in February, 2009. At that point they were installing their first hydrogen fueling station and fueling up a GM Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle which was part of the automaker’s Project Driveway program.
But, now the Town of Hempstead has decided they want more. The town has wanted a cleaner and greener way to produce the hydrogen gas for fueling its cars and buses. So, they have gone ahead and installed a 100 kw wind turbine that will electrolyze water and create the needed hydrogen.
According to the Town of Hempstead, “The wind turbine, which is located the township’s Conservation and Waterways Department in Point Lookout, stands 121 feet tall. The ‘windmill’ is capable of generating up to 180 megawatts of power per year. Powered by winds off the Atlantic coast, the turbine will provide an almost continuous source of energy that will facilitate a water-to-hydrogen process.
“The resulting hydrogen fuel is dispensed from Long Island’s only hydrogen fueling station, located adjacent to the turbine. Ultimately, the hydrogen fuel is utilized to power Toyota fuel-cell vehicles operated by the town, as well as a hydrogen/natural gas bus. The town is negotiating with another major fuel-cell vehicle manufacturer to secure additional cars.”
Now, one would think that a wind turbine this size could do more than power a couple of hydrogen cars and a bus. And this is true. The excess energy is being put back into the local grid to help power homes and businesses cleanly and greenly. The Town of Hempstead is ahead of the curve in regard to clean energy, lowering their carbon footprint and advocating for hydrogen cars as a clean source of future transportation.
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