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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| The Hydrogen Future
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on June 11, 2008 For the Standard Today, June 12 issue According to a recent story from Agence France Presse (AFP), published in the June 04 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, some 3,000 households in Japan, including the official residence of the Prime Minister, are now equipped with hydrogen fuel cells � the size of a cupboard, according to AFP - to light, heat and energize the homes. Ever since I was invited to a demonstration and briefing on fuel cells in 1995, at the Hyatt Jamboree Hotel in Irvine, southern California � by the company that supplies NASA with fuel cells for its space ships - I have been the number one advocate of hydrogen fuel cells in this country. I wrote then, as I write now, that hydrogen is the fuel of the future. And the future is now. (See my article Hydrogen Economy, Dec. 26, 2004). In an operating fuel cell, oxygen from the air and hydrogen (from natural gas or from water) are combined in an acidic solution to produce electricity. There is no noise, virtually no pollution, and the exhaust is nothing more noxious than water vapor. If the hydrogen is extracted (by electrolysis) from water, as I have also been advocating, there is no pollution at all. In the Hyatt Jamboree Hotel, the fuel cell is less than half the size of a tennis court, and its exhaust of water vapor is condensed as hot water, which is used by the hotel�s laundry. In 1995, the price of oil was probably around $20 a barrel. The per kilowatt price of power generated by fuel cells then was about ten times that of power generated by coal or diesel fuel. But with the price of oil now at $134 a barrel and climbing, the price differential is becoming minimal, especially if one were to factor in the medical and hospitalization expenses incurred by millions of people from the pollution, plus the damage to the environment in the way of more extreme floods, droughts and desertification blamed on global warming . In 2002, the government of Iceland was the first in the world to declare an official policy to move away from a carbon to a hydrogen economy. Iceland is lucky because it has substantial geothermal resources that it uses to energize the homes and commercial and industrial enterprises of its 300,000 people. But it needs and is using hydrogen fuel cells to power its fleet of buses, lorries and automobiles, as well as its vital fishing industry. (See my article Learn from Iceland , Aug. 14, 2005) Since then, the governments of Norway , Sweden , New Zealand and Costa Rica have declared an official policy of achieving a �carbon-neutral� economy. By this, I surmise, these countries scrutinize their carbon-energy usages and balance those with non-carbon initiatives, until they reach a level of equilibrium between the two energy sources. And to achieve that, they have to increase the use of non-carbon energy alternatives such as hydro-electric, geothermal, wind, solar and hydrogen fuel cells. Again, it can be said that Norway , Sweden and New Zealand have vast hydro-electric resources - New Zealand also has substantial geothermal assets - so it is relatively easy for them to reduce dependency on carbon fuels. But Israel � which has no oil, and very meager hydro resources � announced about two weeks ago that it was building a network of hydrogen service stations around the country. This is obviously in preparation for the coming of automobiles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and the logical assumption is that few people will buy hydrogen cars if there are no hydrogen service stations where they can conveniently re-fuel their vehicles. As far as I know, three major automakers � Honda of Japan, and BMW and Daimler of Germany � have announced that they will start mass-producing hydrogen fuel-cell-powered cars in the next three years. Can the other automakers be far behind? (See my article High on Hydrogen, Jan. 23, 2007) (Whenever I wrote an article on hydrogen, a Filipino reader would always douse my enthusiasm, saying that hydrogen was only what he called a �storage medium� and can never be a primary source of energy. And I would always argue back that hydrogen was the most abundant element in the universe and was the mother of all energies. (It is the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms that is the source of the heat and light of the Sun and other stars. It is, in turn, the heat and radiation of the Sun that creates the solar and wind energies that we know. The Sun also evaporates sea water into the atmosphere which comes down as rain and turns the turbines of hydro-electric power plants. The oil and gas that we extract are residues of plant life that existed hundreds of million years ago, thanks to the photosynthesis provided by the Sun. What can be more primary than that? But he never accepted my argument. Nor I his.) By far the most ambitious hydrogen project that I am aware of is Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This city, intended for 75,000 residents, is taking shape in the desert, designed by a British architect, and the most notable thing about it is that it will be totally energized by hydrogen, despite the fact that it sits on a sea of oil and gas. All its residences and office towers will be energized by hydrogen fuel cells. All its industries will be powered by hydrogen fuel-cells. All its motor vehicles will run on hydrogen fuel cells. It will truly be the City of the Future, and the fact that it will be turning its back, almost, on its own abundant natural resource makes it doubly significant. (More about Masdar City in a future article.) I say �almost� because it will use its vast reserves of natural gas to supply the hydrogen that it will feed into its fuel cells. So there will still be some pollution, but it will be only a fraction of the pollution that is generated when burning carbonl fuels directly. (Natural gas is mainly methane, butane and propane, which are hydrocarbons rich in hydrogen. The methane molecule, for example, has one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen; propane, three atoms of carbon and eight atoms of hydrogen; butane, four atoms of carbon and 10 atoms of hydrogen.. To extract the hydrogen, it is necessary to tie down the carbon with oxygen, hence the inevitable by-product of carbon dioxide.) Countries with very little or no gas deposits can still use hydrogen fuel cells. The hydrogen can be extracted from water � rainwater, tap water, river water � by electrolysis, using either solar energy or wind energy to electrolyze the water, meaning to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, which is one the first experiments that we perform in high school Science class. I am in touch with two entrepreneurs in the US - one in New Jersey , the other in Washington state � who do precisely that. One uses wind energy, the other uses solar energy, to extract hydrogen from water through electrolysis. They then feed the hydrogen into their fuel cells, which energize their entire houses, including the air-conditioners during summer, as well as their motor vehicles. These are really the houses of the future, just as Masdar City will be the City of the Future. In the Hydrogen Future, there will be no big power plants anywhere, connected to millions of users by miles and miles of transmission lines. Instead, there will be thousands of stand-alone hydrogen fuel cells generating power for neighborhoods, communities, residential condos, office condos, industrial complexes, university campuses, government offices, military camps, shopping malls, hospitals, hotels, etc.. In 1995, fuel cells had a maximum capacity of 250 kw, stackable up to one mw. In the Hydrogen Future, there will be little or no use for TransCo. What about the Philippines ? In 1995, after I wrote my first articles on hydrogen fuel cells (in my column in the Philippine Star), I received an unsolicited letter from the Department of Energy informing me that the DoE was forming an eight-man group to visit manufacturers of fuel cells. But that was the last I heard of it. I do not know if that group ever took off or, if they did, what their recommendations were to President Ramos. I doubt if President Estrada or President Arroyo, or their bureaucrats, were/are even aware of fuel cells and what they mean for the future. In the recently concluded Energy Summit, not a word seems to have been spoken about hydrogen fuel cells. It is our continuing misfortune that the leaders whom we elect, and the bureaucrats whom they appoint, cannot see the future beyond the next elections. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. More articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. . To subscribe, send as blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �The Hydrogen Future� �In Search of Forever� �Honda�s New Emission-free Car� Hi Tony. I can only endorse everything you have said in your article. I have been preaching the hydrogen gospel since 2000, so you are a real old timer. I think the whole world needs a wake up call and a plan of action in what we can do in an oil-starved world. The answer is of course hydrogen [tHe friendly element] the most abundant element in the universe Keep up the good work. Mike Halpin, (by email), New Zealand , June 12, 2008 Founder HYDROGENHEADS www.hydrogenheads.org. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony , Given your advocacy for Hydrogen Economy, I suggest that you visit this site http://www.etalion.com/ - and get to talk to Engr Ronald Talion. He told me that he's into Hydrogen Technology. I await your feedback. Thanks. Ernie del Castillo, (by email), June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: Filipino officialdom, starting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her Cabinet, all members of the Congress, as well as local officials--provincial, city, municipal and barangay--will profit immensely from reading and internalizing your highly enlightening essay, "Hydrogen Future," which should be printed in the millions of copies (with your permission and that of your publisher, of course) and titled, "Hydrogen Future 101." Indeed hydrogen is the energy source beyond compare for the future of mankind. Even as these lines are written I am almost certain that several, nay many, countries are now well into adopting pollution-neutral hydrogen to replace fossil fuel. The exploding price of oil, now close to breaching $140 a barrel, must of necessity be provoking a response away from fossil fuel to hydrogen and the other alternative sources of energy which you mention in your essay. There is probably nothing the world's major oil companies can do--as it has succeeded doing in the past--to stop mankind from finally adopting hydrogen as its main source of energy. As a matter of fact, I would not be surprised at all if these same oil companies will finally come to the realization that there is no longer any future in fossil fuel and that, as a matter of survival, they will have to invest the hundreds of billions of dollars needed--and which they now possess--and take the lead in the transition to a hydrogen regime. Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers , NY , June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Like you, i am an avid advocate of hydrogen as the "fuel of the future." However, it is our maledict misfortune to have leaders who have no appreciation for it. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has president for the past 7.5 years and she has done Nothing -NADA! - on the development of fuel cells in the Philippines . In the interim, the National Government should have already pursued the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) for public transport. But what we have is only ONE filling station of Shell at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Bi�an, Laguna, for public utility buses. In complete contrast, Thailand is ahead of us by 15 years. Our ASEAN neighbor started its CNG program in 1993 and today has more than 60 CNG stations across Thai kingdom. Just like with hydrogen fuel cells, technology is already improving with the use of CNG, Before it is only the big buses that can use CNG due to its requirement for big pressurized fuel tanks of at least 100 liters capacity But today, CNG is now available in private vehicles. In the recent Bangkok International Motor Show held early this year (or late late year), Chevrolet already unveiled that its pick-ups with fuel tank capacity of only 60 liters already use a mix of 65% CNG and 35% diesel. This is just the start, Later, i can see the mix to increase to 80% CNG and 20% diesel. Why has the Department of Energy (DoE) not come up with any program on fuel cells and CNG. Well, the answer can be traced to leadership. In the entire 7.5 years of the Arroyo administration, there has been No Secretary of DoE with any technical background - from Lito Camacho, Vince Perez and Angelo Reyes. The first two, Camacho and Perez, are banking and finance people, while the incumbent is from the military. I cannot recall the name of the immediate predecessor of Reyes, but if memory serves, he is a lawyer! By the way, i was told that the president of NAPOCOR is also a lawyer. Susmarjosep!!! Best regards. Rick Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya: I think the reason why our government officials are not seriously looking into the use of hydrogen fuel cells is because there is no graft money or kickback in it. Jose Dado, (by email), June 13, 2008 US Military Academy , �55 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You wrote: In the recently concluded Energy Summit , not a word seems to have been spoken about hydrogen fuel cells. Mr. Abaya, you are being kind in using "can not see the future beyond the next elections". The issue about the need for alternative sources of fuel and energy for humankind was recognized as early as the early 1960's. The delay in actual development of alternative sources of fuel and energy on a global scale has been at the core of geopolitical and economic dominance by countries/governments whose economies are tied up with carbon-based fuel and energy. You are absolutely right, as early as high school science class, it is known that electrolysis is the simplest process to separate hydrogen from oxygen in ordinary water. However, there is no money and power from doing so, not yet up to this very day here in the Philippines . Predictably, when there will already be money and power that can be derived from focusing on hydrogen as the basic source of fuel and energy for the Philippines , the tradpols and their ilk will be among those jockeying for position to grab control. And we should never allow that to happen here in the Philippines . It should not be the Philippine Government that needs to take the lead with regard to the development of hydrogen fuel cells. Reason dictates that businessmen who are NOT in the carbon-based fuel and energy sector can only be the logical "true champions" for the actual development of alternative sources of energy. It borders on insanity to expect the petroleum industry not to maximize to the fullest its stranglehold and relinquish its control over the rest of the general population. JMC Nepomuceno, (by email), June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for a very important discussion on the merits and seemingly affordable hydrogen technology which hopefully will replace the destructive fossil-fuel that this planet keeps on burning to the detriment of our environment and ecology. The total switching from carbon based fuel to alternatives like solar, hydrogen cells has so long been overdue, writers and scientists have a grave responsibility in repeatedly hammering the noble idea of alternative sources of energy to our country's rather stupid, morose, and stagnant-headed leaders who have closed all avenues of progressive exploration when they saw the threat to their oil-generated revenues. Alex Argote, (by email), June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Great info... Keep the faith. The country will only rise from the ground up, trapos notwithstanding. Who will be the Obama of the Philippines ? Hernan Hormillosa, (by email), June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww There is something to look forward to pala in the future. However, for a third world country such as ours, it will be difficult to achieve such state because of many things such as: 1. capital requirement 2. Politicos milking money from oil companies here 3. present monopolies of utilities which will result in political debts to incumbents 4. unwillingness of the govt to tap science and inventive minds of pinoys I think that there should be a model group that will initialize this. Like what you mentioned of a city in somewhere in the middle east, if that will be a hit, it would create a stir among world economies and inggitan na yan. I just wish that a country from south east asia will be the pioneers in Asia for a hydrogen powered economy. Wow, that will be the day... Mike Delgado, (by email), June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, No man in his right mind will oppose the switch from oil to hydrogen - only the oil barons. Being a Chemistry degree holder, you have a complete grasp of the subject but not yet of the hearts of those who can only lose when the Hydrogen Future comes. TV ads from BP and Shell abound, touting their investments on green projects and alternative fuels but I doubt if they are serious about the great switch from mineral fuel to hydrogen fuel cells. Lionel Tierra, (by email), Sacramento , CA , June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww When you wrote your last 'hydrogen' article and your Filipino reader wrote saying that hydrogen was only what he called a �storage medium� and can never be a primary source of energy. I wrote to you supporting his statement. I now write again, because I am sure that there is a misunderstanding of the facts. Hydrogen is the source of energy in the sun where fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms produce heat. But a hydrogen fuel cell does not bring about atomic fusion. (this occurs in a hydrogen bomb explosion). I hope for the good of man's search for 'renewable' energy that soon a fusion type (as opposed to the present fission type) atomic power station will be developed. (I never said that there is fusion of hydrogen into helium in a fuel cell. My point was and is that the fusion of hydrogen into helium in the Sun is the source of most of the energies we know on Earth: wind, solar, hydro-electric, petroleum, dendro and hydrogen fuel cells. Ergo hydrogen is a primary energy source. (The world�s industrial giants � the US, Canada, the European Union, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea and India � have combined their research on nuclear fusion in a facility in Southern France. I personally think this is a foolish search. After spending billions of dollars, all the energy that they have and can produce/d lasts only fractions of one second. (Thermo-nuclear fusion reactions, as in a hydrogen bomb, require raising the temperature to millions of degrees Centigrade. Giant magnets are needed to keep the super-hot plasma from touching the reactor walls, which would vaporize everything and everyone if it happens. The risk of catastrophic accidents is much higher than in nuclear fission reactions. (And all for what? To generate electricity from deuterium, which has to be harvested from seawater [one part in 6,000], when fuel cells can do the same, using ordinary rain or tap water, without producing carbon dioxide or radioactivity, and requiring temperatures of only about 100 degrees Centigrade ACA) There may be virtues in using hydrogen fuel in road vehicles, but the amount of carbon dioxide actually produced will depend on the power source used (there is virtually no free hydrogen in the world ) to extract the hydrogen from water etc. in the first place. Please read this 'wikipedia' article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_fuel_cells#Hydrogen_economy It is wikipedia so is 'peer' written and may not have been 100% validated yet, but I think that it does give a fair general picture of what Filipino reader meant when he said that hydrogen was only a �storage medium�. John Adams, (by email), United Kingdom , June 13, 2008 (I have read the Wikipedia article on fuel cells, then and now. I don�t agree with its put-down of hydrogen as merely a �storage medium� for the reason stated above. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Very profound. I hope that someday, our country will no longer be hounded by its past but move into the future. Someday, that time will come. But not in our generation . Cesar Sarino, (by email), Ayala Alabang, June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Your article enlightens us . Thank you. Oil companies will of course lobby to work against development of substitutes. But on the other hand, those who believe in such alternatives such as what you champion for must increase in numbers and struggle all the more to get the proposal across, agreed upon, and legislated to favor accelerated development. There may have been similar moves on this direction but pitted against the increasing needs and the requirements to fight pollution and climate change these are, combined, too slow. And even if demand for fuel slows down due to its costs, there should never be a slow down or dampening of intensity and passion in pursuing such projects - as hydrogen fuel cells. Victor Manalac, (by email), June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Once more, you are very correct. And it is not only about shortsightedness, it is also because of the income out of fuel imports plus some kind of support from Oil Companies during campaign times. But now, when there is talking about reviving the mothballed nuclear plant, taking up to seven years and cost of 800 million Dollars (for sure increasing during the seven years), there would be time to think about more futuristic solutions. If Bataan was unsafe for a nuclear plant, then it is unsafe for a revived plant, too. Not to mention that the technology is already complete outdated. Plus, as Sen. Enrile correctly said, there is no culture of safety (or better of discipline) existing in Filipinos. Practically all alternative solutions are not dangerous, mistakes would only result in repair expenses, not in a possible deadly nuclear disaster. For nuclear, we have to wait until there is a stable, safe and affordable Fusion plant possible. Which probably could take 50 years. The Arabian hydrogen example shows, that it is possible and in addition, makes them independent from any future problems with their oil, contrary, what they do not need anymore they can sell it now and earn some additional billions. The irony is, that we continue to use oil at exorbitant prices (mainly through speculation, Future Contracts) and give the Arabs the money for to make their own societies oil- and pollution free In the Philippines, leaders think rather of an outdated nuclear plant than of alternative energy or at least another geothermal plant, faster and cheaper to finish than reviving Bataan. Iceland has been total energized by geothermal energy and its capital Reykjavik complete heated by geothermal heated water. There has not been pollution and from mountains one could see clear up to the horizon. Late 70ies, an oil based cement plant started and its lone smoke could be seen from hundred kilometers away. In our polluted, urbanized cities, you often cannot see clear even from only hundred meters away. Maybe Icelanders can think more clear because of their strict alcohol limits? Kurt Setschen, (by email), Switzerland , June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, If oil was a deck of cards, the entire world's governmental tax systems are built like a house of cards. Oil has always been the non-renewable root source of tax revenue. Anyone can make hydrogen, therefore government and industry won't be able to get a firm grip on the spin-off taxes or profits. There is every reason to expect a severe world-wide economic melt-down. Just get your family in a safe cold place where only the smart people will figure out. It will take decades for the system to re-boot to a hydrogen economy, as soon as the mushroom-clouds have completely dissipated. Cheers! Mitch Gingras, (by email), Ottawa , Canada , June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You wrote: �It is our continuing misfortune that the leaders whom we elect, and the bureaucrats whom they appoint, cannot see the future beyond the next elections.*** To this, I would add, "a bunch of dishonest, ultra-selfish nincompoops." Edmundo Ledesma, (by email), Cainta, Rizal, June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir Tony, With energy issues splattered across the headlines lately, it's good that columnists like you are giving importance to this timely, strategic issue. I do have some concerns, though, about going for a hydrogen-energized future. Because although hydrogen occurs in abundance in nature, we rarely find it in its pure form. For example, the water that we drink and which surrounds our islands is essentially hydrogen and oxygen combined in molecular form. Unfortunately, it is very energy intensive to separate the two through electrolysis and the amount of pure hydrogen and oxygen will not generate enough energy to replace half of the energy used to separate them from water. This is why hydrogen is produced nowadays from natural gas through a process known as reformation. But then, engineers like me ask, if you intend to use the hydrogen generated to produce electricity, why not use the natural gas directly for that purpose? Sure, fuel cells may use fuels such as hydrogen more efficiently but then fuel cells can also use other fuels like natural gas. Why go through all that trouble of isolating hydrogen when there are more efficient ways of using the energy used to do so? (Reformation still uses non-renewable, polluting and ever more expensive fossil fuels. If hydrogen is extracted from water by electrolysis, using wind or solar energy, only the equipment has a price tag. Rain water, sunlight and wind are all free and inexhaustible. And there is no pollution. ACA) There are other ways of efficiently using fossil fuels - from the high tech hybrid vehicles to simply walking, using public transport and car pooling. Rather than waste time, energy and money on new energy technologies, maybe we should go back to something more simple and practical like saving energy. (Hybrids, public transport and car pooling still use non-renewable, polluting, ever more expensive fossil fuels. As for walking, when was the last time you walked from Los Banos to Manila ? ACA) Unfortunately most of our countrymen don't get it - oil is a limited resource and will eventually get depleted. It just so happens that it is at this time that we are feeling the effects of this depletion. Around half a century ago, Dr. Hubbert predicted that peak production of oil will occur at around this time. So doesn't it make you wonder that despite record high prices of gas and diesel, there are no plans of reactivating the Caltex refinery and that there are rumors that the Shell refinery will be shut down as well? Despite the fact that oil companies are poised to make record profits from making more oil and gas available, they aren't doing so. Why? Because they can't - they don't have enough oil. If there isn't enough oil, we should do our best to conserve it... ...rather than give false hopes that there are good alternatives. Ari Luis Halos, (by email), Pleasant Village , College, Laguna, June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Tony Abaya, Warm greetings from Aceh , Indonesia . Thank you for this article (and the previous other articles that you circulated). This is informative and should give opportunities for people and 'leaders' of our government in the right frame of mind for the future of country and the people they are supposed to serve to think through and act for the common good. I like your last words on this article (hydrogen future) and also feel the same thing that most if not all of our political leaders and appointed bureaucrats "cannot see the future beyond the next election". In fact there are some now positioning themselves for the 2010 election. More power to you and god bless! Rudy Coronel, (by email), Aceh , Indonesia , June 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww HI Tony, This is a very important article, and very timely. And well explained. I am a chemical engineer, and I agree with your discussion. Speculators in the energy market are predicting that crude oil price will continue to increase, even up to $250/barrel. This hydrogen fuel cell may really be the solution. Businesses and government should consider producing hydrogen fuel cells and related infrastructures in massive scale. Governments should make policies that will encourage, and give incentives to businesses that will invest in this technology. I live in New Zealand , and this topic is hardly discussed here. I will forward your article to people that I know will do something to make the hydrogen future a reality. This will also reduce pollution and help lessen countries' dependence on petroleum fuel. Ody Lumanglas, (by email), Auckland , New Zealand , June 14, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I read with interest your column on hydrogen cell, however, this technology perhaps, about ten years away from commercial use. The big problem is to make the "screen" where the "atomic diameter" of hydrogen/ oxygen can pass through, in like manner how the separations, of differnt nuclides (atomic diameters) to pass thru, to a deifferent mesh size filters ( in series) to a pre- determine size to catch up the wanted product, in which case the Plurtonuim is the most desired. ( for atom bomb). The diameter of plutonuim atom is mny many times bigger than the hydogen atom, the battleneck is the screen which is the difficult tasks. Benjamin Pablo, (by email), June 14, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww .Dear Mr. Abaya, It is for the best interest of the Filipino people that you disseminate and give advise to the government through media pertaining to fuel cells and what good it can do for us. You said that based on the fuel price of US$20 per barrel in 1995, the per kilowatt price of power generated by fuel cells then was about ten times that of power generated by coal or diesel fuel. But since price of oil is now at US$139 per barrel and based on the forecast (written in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), it will increase to US$250 by 2009 (Gazprom) and US$300 in 2013 (Matthew Simmons), thus making more than an offset based on the constant 1995 prices. And this excludes what you said the �medical and hospitalization expenses incurred by millions of people from the pollution, plus the damage to the environment in the way of more extreme floods, droughts and desertification blamed on global warming.� However, the Philippines is not as rich as those countries ( U.S., Sweden, and Japan , among others) that have initiated producing and using fuel cells to generate power for mobile and stationary structures. My question is: Will the U.S. and Japan and the E.U. through their controlled banks (IMF, World Bank, etc) provide financial and technical assistance if we will produce our own fuel cells given the fact that Filipino inventors can easily fabricate said products? If not, then we will be just helping in the global efforts to protect the earth from global warming and continuing importation not the fuel oil but the fuel cells. Please clarify. Thank you. Ed Enderez,, (by email), Quezon City , June 15, 2008 (There is nothing to prevent Filipino inventors from inventing their own variations of the fuel cell. But we may not have the industrial infrastructure to mass produce them when these models are perfected, if ever. There would also be nothing to prevent domestic fabricators from fabricating imported models under license. The determining factor will always be the price to the consumer. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Soon after reading your "Hydrogen Future," I read about Nobel laureate Alan Heeger who just gave an intriguing talk at Hong Kong 's University of Science & Technology. He was advocating the use of solar cells to be attached to the exteriors of the city's skyscrapers to save and collect energy. Having done research on semiconductors since 1992, Professor Heeger and his colleagues at the University of California ( Santa Barbara ) discovered and developed conductive polymer which was used to create the plastic cells for generating energy from sunlight. He said the cells are flexible, lighter and five times cheaper than the rigid silicon cell. For non-scientific minds like mine, could you explain how these differ from the hydrogen fuel cells which you are advocating, and whether or not they would be more practical? Isabel Escoda, (by email), Hong Kong , June 15, 2008 (Photovoltaic solar panels generate electricity from the mere contact with sunlight. Prof. Heeger�s panels may be five times cheaper than panels made from silicon crystals or from gallium arsenide, and they can certainly be attached to the sides of skyscrapers. But they will energize only the lighting fixtures, electric fans, small appliances and office machines. They cannot energize the air-conditioners or the elevators, as they cannot generate enough energy for heavy duty applications from the surface area available. (Fuel cells generate electricity by combining hydrogen [from water or from natural gas] and oxygen [from the air] in an acidic solution. If the fuel cell has a generating capacity of one mw or more, it can energize even the air-conditioners and the elevators of a medium-rise building. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The Philippines has to seek alternative energy sources. The country imports coal and crude oil for its electric energy source. The country has yet to harness the power of the wind, sun, and water where they are in abundance. When the cost to build these plants is huge, the tempatation for bribery and corruption will always be there. If Bataan Nuclear Plant was a vision to Marco and a convenient reason to be seduced by the hugeness of the bribe offer,. Predictably Gloria and Mike and (the chosen ones from) Congress will turn never say no to an offer to expedite the building hydrogen plans, windmills, solar panels, hydroelectric plants through borrowed money. I believe that would be the public's perception. Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , June 15, 2008 (Correction: There are existing wind and solar energy farms in the Ilocos and in Mindanao as well as in several island communities, and this country is the second largest user of geothermal energy in the world, second only to New Zealand. We are also extracting natural gas from Malampaya in Palawan , which fuels a power plant in Batangas, which will have a max capacity of 3,000 mw. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Honda rolled out its hydrogen-powered fuel-cell car last Monday. How near do you think is the Hydrogen Future? Oscar Lagman, (by email), June 18, 2008 (Since 1995, there have been several hundred cars, buses and lorries running on hydrogen fuel cells in the US, Canada, Japan and Europe. But these have been experimental prototypes. Even the Honda FCX Clarity which was introduced last week is still a prototype; only 200 were fabricated. Only when it is mass-produced can we say that the Hydrogen Future has truly arrived. Honda � and BMW and Daimler � say that they will start mass producing fuel cell cars in three years. (The fact that there are now 3,000 residential houses in Japan energized by fuel cells means that stand-alone FC generators are in a more advanced stage of development than FC cars, and the reason is probably that they are not hemmed in by space limitations as they are in FC cars. The main disincentive is still the cost, but there will probably be breakthroughs in technology in the next two years to reduce costs, perhaps to be motivated by the race to equip Masdar City in the UAE. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I am afraid we are one of those nations who love to talk about anything under the sun, including ourselves. And do very little about what we talk about, such as, changing what is not good in ourselves. We will most likely then end up being one of those nations who will be caught with our breeches in its most unnatural place. More power to your campaign for hydrogen fuel and hopefully somebody does something towards making it viable in the country. Art Lagundi, (by email), June 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww NOTE: Because of space limitations, this post may be truncated in acabaya.blogspot.com. It appears or will appear complete in www.tapatt.org wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Mariano Patalinjug) http://www.economist.com/subscriptions/offer.cfm?campaign=168-XLMT IN SEARCH OF FOREVER Jun 12th 2008, The Economist Author not indicated As a source of power for cars, fuel cells have been a disappointment. For laptops and mobile phones, they are just about to take off METHANOL is nasty stuff. Careless distillation in many a backwoods still has caused it to blind the imbibers of "alternative" alcoholic drinks. Yet it has its uses, and one of them may be to restore fuel cells to their oft-vaunted role as the power packs of the future--but with a twist. The main role that has been discussed for fuel cells over the past few decades is as replacements for the internal-combustion engine. Their actual use may turn out to be to provide power for portable electronic devices. A fuel cell is a device that combines hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity. The traditional approach has been to use the gas itself in the cell--and that is the approach taken by the world's carmakers in their so-far not very successful attempts to make a commercial fuel-cell-driven car. Since gaseous hydrogen is hard to store and handle, an alternative that some people have considered is to lock the hydrogen up in methanol, a liquid whose molecules are made of a carbon atom, an oxygen atom and four hydrogen atoms. Methanol will react with water in the form of steam to make hydrogen and carbon dioxide--a process known as steam reformation. Put a steam reformer in a car along with the fuel cell and you can fill the tank with methanol instead of hydrogen. That idea has not gone very far, either. But it has provoked another thought. What if it were possible to decompose the methanol without steam, and within the fuel cell itself? And that has, indeed, turned out to be possible. The resulting cells are nowhere near powerful enough to run cars, but they are plenty powerful enough to stand in for small batteries. What is more, they last far longer than batteries and when they do need recharging, it is the work of a moment. PROTON POWER In a direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) the methanol is oxidised at the anode in the presence of liquid water. The reaction, which requires a catalyst, turns the methanol and water into protons and electrons (in other words, dissociated hydrogen atoms) and carbon dioxide. While the electrons pass along an external circuit as an electric current, the protons diffuse through a membrane to the cathode, where they recombine with the incoming electrons to form hydrogen atoms that react instantly with oxygen to make water. With pleasing symmetry the water is then channelled back to mix with the incoming methanol. Even though DMFCs produce carbon dioxide, the amount is small enough for the cells to count as a much greener technology than batteries. Some companies also think the new cells could be safer than batteries, which can burst into flame if short-circuited. The efficiency of a DMFC is determined by its membrane. One of the most commonly used sorts is made of Nafion, a polymer developed by DuPont from a variation of Teflon. Nafion, however, can be expensive and it allows some methanol to seep through, which wastes fuel. Researchers are therefore trying to come up with more efficient membranes--and one group, led by Paula Hammond of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), appears to have done so. Dr Hammond and her colleagues used a newish thin-film fabrication technique known as "layer-by-layer". This repeatedly dips a material into a solution, to build it up one layer at a time, while the properties of the liquid are gradually changed. That enables the structure of the resulting film to be fine tuned. When Dr Hammond coated a Nafion membrane in this way it became less permeable to methanol but kept its ability to transport protons. The effect, which the group reported in a recent issue of ADVANCED MATERIALS, was to boost the cell's electrical output by more than 50%. The next stage, which the team has now embarked on, is to build complete membranes rather than mere coatings. The researchers think these may be able to work as proton-exchange membranes in their own right. SQUEEZE ME, PLEASE ME Toshiba, a large Japanese electronics firm, reckons that DMFCs can be used to produce mobile devices that have no need for batteries at all. In its latest investment plan, it says it will begin making such cells within a year for mobile phones and laptops. Sharp, one of its rivals, recently said that it had developed new microfabrication techniques to build DMFCs with the highest power densities yet achieved. Sharp reckons this will enable it to produce cells that are the same size as the lithium-ion batteries used in mobile devices, but which can run those devices for much longer. Some in the industry talk of mobile phones capable of operating continuously for several weeks before their fuel cells need topping up. The most likely way that topping up will be done is with a cartridge of methanol that is inserted into the device and replaced when it is running low. As portable devices become more sophisticated, with added functions and large colour screens, they are draining batteries faster. MTI Micro, an American company, has put its version of a DMFC into satellite-navigation devices, which are often used for long periods. The company says it can run even a power-hungry model for up to 60 hours before the gadget needs refuelling. Longer life is a big appeal; some people would like to run their laptops continuously on a 12-hour flight. Hence, new rules are being drawn up for aircraft. America 's Department of Transportation is planning a rule change from October 1st to allow passengers and crew to bring fuel-cell-powered electronic devices and one or two fuel cartridges on board in their carry-on baggage. To qualify, the devices will have to meet certain safety standards. It is proposed that each passenger would be limited to about 200ml of fuel. Successful work like that at MIT will help to make DMFCs cheaper and more efficient, which will, in turn, make them even more attractive as power sources for portable devices. Already, some companies are predicting that sales of refuelling cartridges could run into the billions within a few years of them coming into the market. Forget, then, the familiar cry: "Has anyone got a charger I can borrow?" It will be replaced by: "Can you spare me a squirt of methanol?"--and that won't mean in your hooch. ***** NOTE: The Economist has always pooh-poohed fuel cells as the energy source of the future. Perhaps because of the advertising clout of BP and Shell. ACA. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Bobby Manasan) Honda�s New Emission-free Car By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA Associated Press Writer Posted Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:31am PDT TAKANEZAWA, Japan - Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to Southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring. The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says. Japan 's third biggest automaker expects to lease out a 'few dozen' units this year and about 200 units within three years. In California , a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage. Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon. 'It's so smooth,' said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show '24' and was flown over by Honda for the ceremony. 'It's like a future machine, but it's not.' The FCX Clarity is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, introduced in 2005. A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, which is the unit that powers the car's motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda said. The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker. The 3,600-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour. John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said at a morning ceremony it was 'an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars.' The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California , Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its website but could only consider those living near stations in Torrance , Santa Monica and Irvine . Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for a statewide network of hydrogen stations, but progress has been slow. The state has also recently relaxed a mandate for the number of zero-emission cars it aims to have on roads. By 2014, automakers must now sell 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a reduction of 70 percent. Spallino, who currently drives Honda's older FCX and was also flown in for the ceremony, said he will use the Clarity to drive to and from work and for destinations within the Los Angeles area. The small number of hydrogen fuel stations is the 'single limiting factor' for fuel cell vehicles, he said. 'It's more comfortable, and it handles well,' said Spallino of Redondo Beach. 'It's got everything. You're not sacrificing anything except range.' The world's major automakers have been making heavy investments in fuel cells and other alternative fuel vehicles amid climbing oil prices and concerns about climate change. Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota 's popular Prius. Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales. Honda also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact. Toyota has announced that it would launch a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries by 2010 and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle later in Japan later this year. U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. plans to introduce a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in 2010. It also introduced a test-fleet of hydrogen fuel cell Equinox SUVs. Honda has no plans for a plug-in electric vehicle. President Takeo Fukui said he does not believe current battery technology is good enough to develop a feasible car. The company has not revealed how much each car costs to make, and it is unclear when, or if, the car will be available for mass-market sales. Takeo has set a target for 2018, but meeting that goal will depend on whether Honda can significantly lower development and assembly costs as well as market reaction to fuel cells." http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080616/ap_on_bi_ge/japan_honda.html OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO All reactions to [email protected]. To subscribe, send blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |