FEDERALLY FUNDED FUEL CELL FUTURE - Hydrogen fuel cell funding amendment passed in Washington D.C.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, which includes an amendment to restore $45 million in hydrogen fuel cell research funding, New York Democrats Eric Massa and Steve Israel announced.

Because of the amendment, funding for the Department of Energy’s hydrogen fuel cell budget for 2010 totals $153 million. The initially proposed DOE budget included just $68 million for hydrogen fuel cell research, a substantial decline from this year’s levels.

“I want to thank Congressman Israel for joining me in our effort to make a meaningful investment in zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology. My district has a 21st century, state of the art fuel cell research and development center where General Motors has built and is literally driving the cars of tomorrow. By making an investment in this technology today, we are paving the road toward the clean energy economy of the future,” said Massa.

“Hydrogen fuel cell development is driving our auto industry into the future. New York is already home to important hydrogen fuel cell research and development centers. We can’t let Japan and Germany leap frog the United States in the implementation of this promising technology. That’s why I restored federal funding for hydrogen fuel cell research,” said Israe

ARTICLE CONTINUES AT THE ELMIRA STAR GAZETTE

HYDROGEN CAR DESTINY - Entrepreneur Dreams of ’Hydrogen-Hybrid’ Car Network

By Steven Cole Smith / The Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — Malcolm Bricklin, a legendary automotive entrepreneur, says he has spent the last year spending time and money developing "something everybody said was a scam."

His plan could revolutionize the auto industry, keep open at least two factories and offer a product that rejected Chrysler and General Motors dealers could sell, the former Orlando resident says.

In a nutshell, Bricklin is proposing his company, Visionary Vehicles, buy up to 300,000 new vehicles a year from GM and Chrysler, upgrade the interiors "from standard to luxury," and install "hydrogen hybrid" engine technology he says could double fuel mileage.

"I know I have a product that I can put on cars that will make them get 100 percent better mileage," he said in a recent interview.

In a three-page proposal, his company would market these vehicles as Visionary Vehicles/Chrysler or Visionary Vehicles/GM.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AT THE BOSTON HERALD

WANT TO DRIVE A HYDROGEN CAR?-First hydrogen highway opened in Norway

Mazda Hydrogen RX-8 - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Now that Mazda has shipped the first Hydrogen RX8 REs to Norway, our thoughts naturally turn towards the driving experience. Since the biggest question surrounding hydrogen-powered vehicles right now is where to find an appropriate hydrogen pump, it strikes us as a good idea that Norway has opened up its first hydrogen highway.

This hydrogen highway is part of Norway's HyNor project and stretches for 580 kilometers from Oslo on the eastern coast to Stavanger on the western North Sea coast. So far, the route consists of 12 hydrogen pumps, which is apparently sufficient to allow the Mazdas to be refueled along the way.

This is reportedly the first integrated network of hydrogen pumps in the world, and it's a creation of Norway's StatoilHydro, the company that installed the underlying structure as well. Future plans call for the highway to extend into the rest of Scandinavia, as shown in the map to the right. Afterward, the alliance intends to extend into Germany.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AT AUTOBLOGGREEN

US powers up fuel cell funding

Fork-lift trucks and stationary generators are big winners as more than $40m in stimulus funding is ploughed into fuel cell pilot projects

The division of President Obama's $100bn clean tech stimulus package continued last week with the announcement that $41.9m has been earmarked for investment across 13 different fuel cell projects.

An additional $72.4m of private sector funding will also be invested in the projects, which primarily focus on areas where fuel cells have already enjoyed some success, such as in providing back-up power for buildings, battery packs for consumer electronics devices, and fuel for fork-lift trucks.

Combined, the 13 pilot projects will result in nearly 1,000 fuel cells being deployed for emergency back-up power and material-handling vehicles, while a number of larger fuel cells will also be used to provide combined heat and power to residential and commercial buildings.

The projects will also cover a range of different fuel cell technologies, including polymer electrolyte, solid oxide and direct-methanol fuel cells.

Energy secretary Steven Chu said that the funding would help accelerate the commercialisation of fuel cells in markets where they have already proven to be technically feasible.

"The investments we're making today will help us build a robust fuel cell manufacturing industry in the US," he added. "Developing and deploying the next generation of fuel cells will not only create jobs – it will help our businesses become more energy efficient and productive."

ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE AT BUSINESSGREEN.COM

UCLA plans a Hydrogen refueling station

photo: Gene Lee via flickr

The oft-touted hydrogen economy may still be a bit over the horizon, but a new $2.1 million grant given to UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Vasilios Manousiouthakis will give the university and the general public a glimpse of things possibly to come:

140 Kilograms of Hydrogen Per Day
The grant ($1.7 million of which came from the California Air Resources Board and the balance from Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee) will go toward the construction of a hydrogen fueling station with a daily capacity of 140 kilograms of hydrogen.

The station will be run by UCLA Engineering's Hydrogen Energy Research Consortium and will be open to the general public.

ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE AT TREEHUGGER.COM

The 5-minutes Rechargeable Hydrogen Tank Invented

Robin Gremaud, a researcher from Netherlands, found out through experimentation that an alloy of the metals magnesium, titanium and nickel is absorbing hydrogen very well. What’s most interesting about his discovery is that the three metals form a very light alloy, about 40% lighter than a Lithium Ion battery pack at the same size (for example, a Prius battery weights 317 kg, while this hydrogen tank would only weight 200 kg).

It’s a known fact that hydrogen is considered the gas of the future. It can be burned normally in combustion engines, or it can be used in a hydrogen fuel cell to create electricity, which can be used in whatever purposes (mostly in electric vehicles, where mobility is the key). It’s also known that hydrogen is very explosive, and making safe storage for it is as demanding for its scientists as it is for the battery makers to make lighter and more powerful units.

article continues at Green Optimist

More Efficient Palladium Fuel Cell Catalysts

March 28th, 2009

This age is known as electronic age. It seems impossible to run life without electronic goods. They are part and parcel of our personal and professional life. We use many small devices in our everyday life. And each small device needs power. Now devices are becoming smaller with each passing day hence scientists are finding out ways to power them. Scientists are putting their effort on a material known as palladium. This may turn out to be a hopeful substance in near future to power fuel cells. Another advantage that palladium has over other metals is, it is cheaper and more abundant. Vismadeb Mazumder who is a graduate student and assisting chemistry professor Shouheng Sun in writing the paper, explains the benefits, “This approach is very novel. It works. It’s two times as active, meaning you need half the energy to catalyze. And it’s four times as stable.”

article continues here at AlternativeEnergyNews

Hydrogen-Powered Gadget Charger Debuts At Consumer Electronics Show 2009

We’ve seen solar-powered cell phone chargers before, but this is the first pocket-size device I can remember powered exclusively by hydrogen. It’s called the Mini-Pak and comes to us from Horizon. According to the release, the charger combines the company’s mass-produced consumer fuel cells with compact solid-state hydrogen cartridge systems. It can be used to charge everything from cell phones to MP3 players and contains no heavy metals (mercury, lead or cadium). Up to 1,000 charge cycles can be expected from the unit.

In terms of refills, the press pack indicates that you can purchase 2 packs or 6 packs. Even more interesting, the company is planning a home refueling station for 2010. Of course, pricing is currently unavailable — so we’ll be left guessing until we catch up with the future. Still, great to see such products emerging.

article conintues here at EcoTality.com

NEW ENERGY METHOD OR DEATH STAR? Solar Flare Surprise: Pure Hydrogen Shot at Earth

This powerful solar flare was spotted on Dec. 5, 2006, erupting from the sun's eastern limb (left side). Credit: NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 16 December 2008
08:08 am ET

A surprising solar flare sent a stream of pure hydrogen at Earth.

"We've detected a stream of perfectly intact hydrogen atoms shooting out of an X-class solar flare," said researcher Richard Mewaldt of Caltech. "If we can understand how these atoms were produced, we'll be that much closer to understanding solar flares."

Solar flares occur when the sun's twisted magnetic fields suddenly release their stored energy. The energy jolts are classified into three categories, with X-class solar flares being major events that can trigger radio blackouts around the world and long-lasting radiation storms in the upper atmosphere. (M-class are medium-sized flares and C-class are small flares with few consequences on Earth.)

The event occurred on Dec. 5, 2006, when a large sunspot rounded the sun's eastern limb and with little warning it exploded. On the "Richter scale" of flares, which ranks X1 as a big event, the blast registered X9, making it one of the strongest flares over the past 30 years.

article continues at SPACE.COM

Honda Fuel Cell Car Video...on the road in LA

Earlier today, we showed you Top Gear's first test of the Tesla Roadster. In that clip, it was alluded to that there would be something later in the same episode that would render the Roadster completely irrelevant. Here it is: the Honda FCX Clarity, which is also electric but gets its charge from hydrogen. James May travels all the way from the UK to LA, California, to put the Clarity through its paces, and he happens to meet another familiar face while there.

James and Jay (Leno, that is) take some time to reflect on the Honda's impact on their favorite hobby, that of driving classic cars on the weekends, and conclude that the FCX Clarity and hydrogen cars in general will someday be the saviors of the automotive world - just as the internal combustion engine was the savior of the horse (huh?). Sure, there may be a few issues to address before that can happen, not the least of which are hydrogen capture, transportation and storage... but that's all going to be worked out in - you guessed it - the future, right? Watch the full video after the break.
Video:


from AUTO BLOG GREEN and Top Gear

BlackLight Power claims novel energy source

December 11, 2008 2:45 PM PST

Posted by Martin LaMonica

BlackLight Power, a company that claims to draw energy from a disputed form of hydrogen, said on Thursday that it has licensed its technology to a customer.

New Jersey-based BlackLight Power said a subsidiary of a small New Mexico utility, Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative, has licensed its technology and the rights to buy its heat-generating equipment.

The company's claims have caused controversy because they challenge long-held notions in physics. It's an example of how the surge in interest in energy technology has revived older technologies, like solar thermal, and inspired scientists to develop disruptive technologies.

It's not easy for an outsider to assess the merits of the company's technology, but it appears BlackLight Power is being taken seriously by some people.

BlackLight Power has raised $60 million in funding and the company is in discussions with utilities to use its equipment, according to CEO and founder Randell Mills said. It employs 25 people, about half of which are PhDs. Its process has been peer-reviewed, Mills said, and the company has created a prototype 5 kilowatt machine.

Mills said that the he has found a way to alter the state of stable hydrogen atoms in a new form, called hydrinos, and tap into the energy released during that change.

The company has developed a reactor that uses a solid fuel--a form of nickel called Raney nickel--that starts a chemical reaction that brings a hydrogen's electron closer its nucleus, releasing energy, he explained.

ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE

Toyota FCHV (Highlander Hybrid) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle range of 516 miles shows that the hydrogen storage problem has been solved

I got an e-mail earlier this week from a reader named Mel asking about a hydrogen storage technology invented by an Israeli company (C.En which stands for Clean Energy) that would allow hydrogen cars to have a driving range of over 300 miles.

Here is an article that discusses the technology which involves storing the hydrogen in a solid material.

In the past, there was a concern that 5000 pounds per square inch (psi) or 10,000 psi high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks would not satisfy the demands of customers. The issues were safety, not taking up too much trunk and passenger space, and getting a 300-mile driving range.

the rest is here

ITM POWER - The ‘Hydrogen Fridge’: A Home-Based Hydrogen Refueling Station

Hydrogen home concept drawing by ITM Power.

James Heathcote is the CEO of ITM Power, a
developer of solid polymeric fuel cell and electrolyser
technologies which is listed on the AIM market
of the London Stock Exchange. He is one of the
UK’s foremost thinkers on energy security and the
hydrogen economy. James discusses his vision of the
hydrogen home – and the hydrogen economy – with
Cleantech magazine editor Anne McIvor.

Q - How is ITM Power working towards
the goal of the hydrogen home?
A - A hydrogen home is a technical
possibility today – and in fact one
has already been built in the US – but
it’s expensive. There are three critical
pieces of technology: the solar panels,
electrolyser and fuel cells. These are all
expensive technologies, but there are
tremendous advances taking place in
the US and Germany to reduce the cost
of solar panels. ITM is working on the
electrolyser and fuel cells. The most
expensive components in an electrolyser
or fuel cell have been the membranes.
ITM has developed a new membrane
technology that is 1% of the cost of
conventional membrane materials and
has higher ionic conductivity. This means
that ITM has been able to develop much
lower-cost fuel cell and electrolyser stack
technology which has achieved long term
durability testing.

more here