Hydrogen News

European Conference

The second European Hydrogen Energy Conference (EHEC) was held from 22. to 25. November. More than 500 participants came to Zaragoza, the capital of the region of Aragón. They found a conference organisation which had provided both the contents and the framework with enthusiasm and competence. The program included the whole arc from basic research to financial matters. An important item was the 7. research and development framework program of the European Commission which will start soon. High ranking speakers from Brussels discussed it, and it also came up in other places. And there were also reports about results of the projects in the current 6. framework program.

Just as in Grenoble 2003 the political support for the topic was apparent. The region of Aragón in particular is very committed. The success of the second EHEC is an important step to the establishment of this conference as the major European event of this kind. The exact site of EHEC 2007 is not yet decided, but is will certainly come. DWV will again support it by means of the European Hydrogen Association.

North Atlantic

The Northern Europeans are setting up a North Atlantic Hydrogen Association (NAHA). Iceland, Faeroe Island, and Greenland participate (the two latter territories belong to Denmark but enjoy a high degree of autonomy). The Norwegian Hydrogen Forum supports the project. The formal founding will be held in August 2006 in Greenland in connection with a conference. Information exchange is the main purpose of the transnational association in the making. Iceland is a global leader in the transition to hydrogen energy, and the Nordic neighbours would like to participate; they now look for appropriate own fields of activity and project ideas.

Hamburg

On 22. November the Hamburg Hydrogen Society and the airport of Hamburg agreed on a joint development project for the investigation of the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines. A FIAT-Doblò van converted to hydrogen fuel will be used in the daily short range operation on the airport ground. The hydrogen is stored under 20 MPa. The project has a duration of two years and will be accompanied scientifically. The focus of interest are the emissions and the general behaviour of the vehicle. Already on 31. August a cooperation agreement between Hamburg and Milan for the joint work on hydrogen technology was signed by Hamburg's senator for environment, Michael Freytag, his Italian counterpart, Prof. Giorgio Gozzi, and the chairman of the Hamburg Hydrogen Society, Nikolaus Schues.

New Orleans

The production of liquid hydrogen for the semiconductor industry (high purity gas) and of hydrogen gas for petrochemistry by Air Products in New Orleans is back to normal. Hurrikan „Katrina“ had inflicted considerable damage to the plant in late August, as we reported earlier (see No. 5/05 „Semiconductors“). With a lot of effort the production could be restarted at least partly very soon. After the water was gone and power came back in mid-October the rest of the damage was repaired. Hydrogen supply problems for the customers could be held on a low level.

General Motors in Korea

The Opel Zafira is the first hydrogen car which war permitted to circulate in the public in Korea. And this was done with high ranking passengers: the car was used as a shuttle for political and economic leaders attending the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held on 17. November in Busan. General Motors commented that a demonstration fleet could well be established in Korea if the political and technical environment would permit it.

(General Motors press release of 17. November 2005)

Bicycles

Masterflex AG from Gelsenkirchen (Germany) has received a first order for their fuel cell bicycle. A fleet will be delivered to the city of Herten (North Rhine-Westphalia). The fuel cell bicycles will be integrated into the tourism program of the county of Recklinghausen and of Ruhr-Touristik GmbH. Hydrogen supply and service are assured since the first fleets with an order of magnitude of ten will be delivered to cities and commercial customers.

(Press release of 25. November 2005)

India

India's first hydrogen filling station was formally opened on 9. October. It is located in Faridabad, just north of New Delhi. Both pure hydrogen gas and mixtures with natural gas are available. The mixture reduces the nitrous oxide emissions of natural gas vehicles.

On 28. November Shri Vilas Muttemwar, minister for non-conventional energy sources, called upon all stakeholders to join hands with the Government in the implementation of the National Hydrogen Energy Road Map. According to the plans more than one million of hydrogen vehicles could circulate on the roads of the subcontinent by 2020. The focus of the Road Map is on hydrogen production by means of steam methane reformation, production of hydrogen from coal gasification, nuclear energy, biomass, biological and renewable energy methods. The aspects discussed include storage, transport, delivery, applications, safety, standards and codes, and awareness.

(Press release of the ministry of 21. November 2005)

Lake Constance

Zebotec company and the boat rental company Fluck from Constance have successfully tested the first electro boat for rent running on a fuel cell on Lake Constance. The prototype delivers up to 800 W which is enough for two hours on the lake with two passengers on board. Next year another boat with a stronger fuel cell and a bigger tank will be put in service. One tank filling will then be enough for one or several days. For the time being the tanks are filled from pressure cylinders by the rental company. Later such boats will have a choice of strategically located hydrogen filling stations. Zebotec cooperates with the Swiss AccaGen in the electrolyser field and is developing such plans for the Lake Constance region.

(Zebotec press release of 8. December 2005)

Fuel Cells

Krefeld

A molten carbonate fuel cell plant for the supply of a living quarter has been presented to the public for the first time in the presence of Christa Thoben, North Rhine-Westphalia's state minister for economy. The project on the basis of a HotModule fuel cell was set up in Krefeld-Fischeln together with Fernwaermeversorgung Niederrhein GmbH and RWE Fuel Cells GmbH as partners and with support of Stadtwerke Krefeld AG (city utility). MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH made the fuel cell, and RWE Fuel Cells GmbH planned the whole system. The heat is delivered to homes and also to small shops. The electrical power is fed into the grid of Stadtwerke Krefeld AG to be used locally. The objective of the project is the proof that fuel cell technology is appropriate for the supply of living quarters.

Small stuff

Antig Technology from Taiwan will enter the field of affordable and efficient fuel cell technology and intends to introduce products earlier than other companies. According to the company the serial production could begin as early as 2007 or 2008. Antig claims to have developed a number of cheap solutions. 100 ml of a methanol / water mixture in a cartridge are enough for eight hours of notebook operation; the duration could be extended as soon as mass production begins. The fuel could come in a light one way-cartridge, similar to those for gas lighters. These cartridges could be distributed in local shops.

Vaillant

Vaillant's heating appliances do very well in the field tests. Recently the generation of a total of one million kWh of electrical power from all the devices was reported. At the same time more than 2.9 million kWh of heat were generated during more than 330.000 operating hours. The electrical power could supply almost 300 three-person-homes for a whole year. Jointly with partners from all over Europe the company tests fuel cell heating appliances in homes, hotels, a car vendor and other small commercial companies. The market maturity of fuel cell heating appliances is not expected by Vaillant to be before 2010.

(Vaillant press release of 1. December 2005)

Energy and Climate

Growth

In 2010 the industrial nations of the earth will emit almost 11 % more greenhouse gases than 1990, according to United Nations forecasts. This is apparent from the collection of emission data presented by the UNO climate secretariat in Bonn on 17. November. Six members of the European Union are among the countries with the strongest growth: Spain (+42 % until 2003), Portugal (+ 37 %), Greece and Ireland (both + 26 %), Finland (+ 22 %), and Austria (+ 17 %). All of them precede the USA (+ 13 %) which emit by far the greatest absolute amount of greenhouse gases. Among the 15 members of old EU Germany (-18 %) and UK (-13 %) score best. The European Union as a whole will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % until 2012 at the latest. With 1.4 % in 2003 there is still a good stretch of way to go.

Kyoto II

In Montreal (Canada) most industrial Nations of the world have agreed on further actions against global warming. The exception are the USA. Even without the USA the participants of the UN climate summit will now negotiate on the further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a condition for the continuation of the Kyoto process after the end of its first stage in 2012. The discussions on the involvement of the poorer countries will start in 2006. Agreement was also achieved about the continuation of the climate framework convention from Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Gulf Stream

There has been a lot of talking about it, but generally it was regarded as a rather remote possibility: that global warming could turn off the Gulf Stream, Europe's central heating. But maybe just this is happening now? The transport capacity of the giant heat pump has dropped by about 30 % over the last 50 years. This is the result of recent measurements of the flow both at the surface and in the deeper water. More sweet water in the northern seas from increased precipitation and glacier melting can weaken the circulation — slowly at first. But at a certain point the system could abruptly change to a new state in which there is little heat flow to the north or none at all. Average temperatures in Europe would then drop by about 4 °C. It would be at least as cold as during the „little ice age“ from 1300 to 1850 when the channels in Holland froze regularly during the winter (today this happens only occasionally and triggers a national skating enthusiasm); the frozen Lake Constance was a very convenient traffic route between Germany ans Switzerland at that time. The experts admit that there is considerable uncertainty in the figures. So it could be less than 30 %. But it could be more as well. But the message is clear: we are now basically changing our climate and that of those after us!

(H. L. Bryden et al., Nature 438 (2005) 655-7; see also D. Quadfasel, S. 565f)

Politics

Plans

What are plans of the new German federal government regarding hydrogen and fuel cells? Here a few quotations.

The Coalition Agreement mentions the field twice in part B I. Chapter 1 says under the heading 1.7 „Cluster formation and highly innovative light house projects“:

In order to enhance the international competitiveness of German technology there will be selected innovative beacon projects as for example...

• the further development of the fuel cell technology

The same part says in chapter 5 under heading 5.5 „Innovation offensive Energy for Germany“:

An innovation offensive „Energy for Germany“ will help us to remain a global leader in the field of modern energy technologies. To do this we need an energy research which fits the dimensions of the challenge. We will therefore:

• gradually increase the funds for energy research. Renewable energies and biomass … and a national hydrogen technology innovation program (including fuel cells) will profit from this;

In her policy statement the Federal Chancellor said this about „Research, Technology, and Development“:

We must use beacon projects to in which fields we are a global leader. Among the examples I would like to quote are … the further development of the fuel cell. (Emphasis added)

The new minister for economy, Michael Glos, repeated this statement in his own speech.

Summit

Federal Chancellor Merkel will call a national energy summit early 2006. All stakeholders should meet at one table in order to shape a sustainable energy policy, she said in her policy statement in parliament. The objective is to have an overall concept with a well-balanced energy mix.

What else we have found ...

Innovativ

The US patent office has granted a patent for a superconducting shield which, according to the claims of the inventor, changes the curvature of space-time in such a way as to shield gravitation. An expert of the American Physical Society has raised a protest. Antigraviation would lead to endless motion without energy supply, which is against the natural laws as we know them. At this time the inventor has not yet demonstrated his claims experimentally.

This is not the only case of this kind. For years an American has claimed to be able to release huge amounts of energy by means of „hydrinos“ - hydrogen atoms with electrons on an energy level below the ground state (main quantum numbers 1/2, 1/3 etc.). There are several patents to this effect. At this time they are under investigation because several scientists have stated that this can not be.

Remark: The job of the people in the patent offices appears to have become much more difficult since the times of their colleague Albert Einstein. We at DWV as well occasionally get more or less shrewd inventions presented which claim to solve the energy and all other problems of suffering mankind. And in many cases there is the hint to an existing patent. When we ask for experiments and the like this is usually the end of the story.