FuelCellsWorks

ZEM Evolution is a new Italian bus manufacturer, developing at this moment a range of electric and hybrid buses, including a hydrogen fuel cell version. The  company formed last year in Brescia and headed by engineer mechanical Pierpaolo Fusari, founder of EPT (Eco Power Technology), a manufacturer of hybrid buses. Recently, ZEM Evolution unveiled designs for two buses (from 8 to 10 meters in length) and two chassis for garbage trucks.

“Plans are to start production in 2011,” announced Fusari, who adds that the ZEM Evolution vehicles will have no equal in Europe with regard to materials used.  for new vehicles, “we would like to emphasize. “A lightweight aluminium frame forms the basis of an integrally constructed body.”

With regard to the driveline technology ZEM is in partnership with a number of suppliers to fit the lightweight all-aluminium bus with various hybrid driveline options. Another interesting implementation is the use of super capacitors on the ZEM product range ensuring that all hybrid versions, which will either be powered by a microturbine or fuel cells, used to charge the super capacitors and batteries with energy. Also fitted is a brake energy recuperation system enabling the buses to drive up to 300 km between charges.

The fuel cell on the Beaver 40 provided power for 120 hours.

IHC Merwede has announced that alternative fuels have been used in the dredging process for the first time.

The company recently ran a pilot test in which energy derived from hydrogen was the sole source used to power the electrical equipment on board a dredger.

The sustainable energy test took place at the Haringvliet estuary in The Netherlands with one of the latest generation of standard cutter suction dredgers, the IHC Beaver 40.

The hydrogen energy was supplied by the Purity fuel cell generator that has been developed by Bredenoord.

Connecting a fuel cell to a dredger had not been tested previously and it needed to operate under the difficult conditions that are typical of the dredging process – vibrations, dust, water, frost and wave motion.

The fuel cell successfully powered the dredger for approximately 120 hours.

IHC Merwede’s Manager, Projects & Development Marcel Boor said: ”The pilot test
demonstrates that alternative energy sources can be applied to power dredgers.”

The electrical equipment on the current line-up of ships is powered by diesel generators, which results in the emission of harmful substances. The use of fuel cells is emission free, as the hydrogen is converted into heat, electricity and clean water.

“One of IHC Merwede’s main aims is to construct sustainable vessels. The new IHC Beaver 40 for example has been fitted with LED lighting and the use of high-grade materials means that these ships require less maintenance,” said IHC Merwede in a statement.

“Worldwide dredging projects need to meet increasingly stringent environmental demands,” said Dingeman van Woerden, Head of Product Development at IHC Merwede. “Our customers ask us to come up with solutions on a wide range of dredging tasks and this successful test is another step closer to sustainable dredging.”

Paul Schurink, Bredenoord’s Business Development Manager, said he shares IHC Merwede’s enthusiasm for the project.

“It was important to find out how the Purity would perform on a surface that was moving and vibrating. The fact that the fuel cell aggregate held up well under these circumstances means this hydrogen solution is suitable for a broad range of applications,” he said.

Mr Schurink said the positive outcome of the test showed that the fuel cell developed by Bredenoord could also be used in the offshore sector.

“The Engineer” magazine recognises Intelligent Energy-led project

Loughborough, UK–Intelligent Energy, the global clean power systems company, is proud to announce that the Fuel Cell Hybrid Black Cab has won The Engineer’s prestigious Technology and Innovation Energy Award. The Hybrid taxi programme is led by Intelligent Energy and includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt as programme partners and is part funded by the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board.

The Engineer, the widely respected engineering technology publication launched in 1856, presented its fourth Technology & Innovation Awards at the Royal Society, London, in the same week that the Society celebrated its 350th anniversary. The awards ceremony, hosted by renowned comedian, actor and writer Robert Llewellyn, recognises excellence in collaborative engineering projects.

The taxi project will introduce a small fleet of zero emission, fuel cell hybrid black cabs onto London’s roads by 2012, with the taxis currently undergoing road testing. This full performance, fuel cell and battery powered hybrid has been specifically designed to meet the demands of a London taxi by providing a 250 mile driving range and a refuelling time of only a few minutes, without any loss of passenger or luggage space.

“We’ve transformed a London icon into a state-of-the art, low carbon, zero emission vehicle,” said Dr. Ashley Kells, Programme Manager for the Fuel Cell Taxi. “Our fuel cell system is light weight, easy to manufacture and, once volume produced, cost competitive with conventional engines. We can integrate this automotive fuel cell power system into a wide range of commercial and consumer vehicles, whether in London or elsewhere around the globe.”

In addition to support from the UK Government through the Technology Strategy Board, the programme is also supported by announcements made earlier this year by the Greater London Authority (GLA) who committed to rolling out a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in London by 2012.

Intelligent Energy CEO, Dr. Henri Winand commented that, “This award is further proof that fuel cell systems are recognised as a near term, low carbon replacement for the internal combustion engine, particularly for vehicles that drive longer distances. These attributes are not only essential for taxis, but also for medium and large family sized cars which account for approximately 75% of CO2 car emissions in Europe alone. In recent months, New York, Mexico City and Hong Kong have all accelerated their search for credible zero emission alternatives to their taxi fleets. It is clear that London is leading this charge, and as the showcase city, the potential for global exports could have a real benefit to the UK economy.”

Dr. Ashley Kells, Programme Manager for the Fuel Cell taxi at Intelligent Energy (centre) is presented with the Technology and Innovation Energy Award by renowned comedian, actor and writer, Robert Llewellyn (right) and Chris Horne, Head of Energy Infrastructure and End Use at E.on (left).

Zero-polluting buses emit nothing but water to improve air quality. UK’s first zero-emission bus route set to be created. UK’s largest hydrogen refuelling site opens in east London.

Zero-polluting hydrogen buses that emit only water were unveiled today in London, providing a boost to the Mayor’s plans to improve the Capital’s air quality.

The first of a planned fleet of eight will start operating on 18 December using the latest hydrogen fuel cell technology, emitting nothing but water vapour.

The buses will form the only hydrogen bus fleet in the UK and the largest currently in Europe.

These state-of-the-art vehicles were specifically designed for Transport for London (TfL) using pioneering technology developed by ISE, Wrightbus and Ballard.

All eight buses are expected to be phased into operation next year creating the UK’s first zero-emission bus route.

The RV1 route passes through some of London’s most polluted areas, so its conversion to hydrogen power will help to improve London’s air quality.

The buses are joining one of the cleanest, lowest polluting bus fleets in Europe which also includes 100 hybrid buses.

This is set to expand to 300 and, from 2012, will be joined by the Mayor’s New Bus for London, which will be 40 per cent less polluting than a traditional diesel bus.

The buses will run from a specially designed maintenance facility housed in First’s Lea Interchange bus depot at Stratford in east London.

Improving air quality

This will include the UK’s largest permanent hydrogen refuelling station to be maintained by Air Products.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: ‘These buses are a marvel of hydrogen technology, emitting only water rather than belching out harmful pollutants.

‘They will run through the most polluted part of the city, through two air pollution hotspots, helping to improve London’s air quality.

‘This is just another way that our city is harnessing pioneering low emission public transport to improve quality of life, whether the New Bus for London, electric vehicles or my public bike hire scheme.’

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for policing and Chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership, said: ‘The arrival of a flagship fleet of hydrogen powered buses places London at the forefront of this revolutionary fuel cell technology.

‘We are thinking big and have ambitious plans to promote the use of hydrogen on the ground, propelling vehicles and powering buildings.

‘With these buses, people can now see, touch and feel this technology for themselves and help play an exciting part of London’s energy future.’

David Brown, Managing Director for Surface Transport at TfL, said: ‘London faces many environmental challenges but we believe alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, will bring genuine long term benefits in tackling CO2 [carbon dioxide]emissions.

‘The arrival of these hydrogen, hybrid fuel cell buses marks an exciting new chapter for London Buses as we embrace new technologies to further build on the excellent work we are doing to improve air quality for Londoners.’

New technology for London

London has always been at the forefront in using and developing new technology, initially pioneering hydrogen buses in the UK when it took part in the Cleaner Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) trial from December 2003 to January 2007.

TfL operated three trial hydrogen buses on the route RV1, using findings from these trials and that of European partners to seek out these suppliers who have developed these next generation hydrogen fuel cell buses to operate in central London.

This next generation technology will be phased into service on route RV1 from Saturday 18 December while driver training takes place, with all the buses fully entering service in 2011.

The buses are jointly funded by TfL, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the European Union via the Clean Hydrogen in Cities (CHIC) project.

The London Hydrogen Partnership (LHP) launched an action plan earlier this year setting out ambitions to create a ‘Hydrogen network’ by 2012, to help accelerate the wider use of this zero-polluting, zero-carbon energy.

The LHP is working with London boroughs and private landowners on plans to deliver six refuelling sites to run hydrogen-powered vehicles in the Capital over the next two years.

It also aims to encourage a minimum of 150 hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road in London by 2012 including 15 hydrogen-powered taxis.

Nanometrix, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of monolayer based deposition systems used in the production of hydrogen fuel cells; semiconductors and nanotechnology devices, today announced that it had moved its research laboratories to the J Armand-Bombardier Pavilion on the campus of E‰cole Polytechnique / University of Montreal, in Montreal. All research & development efforts will be directed out of this new location.

“Moving our R&D laboratories to the J Armand-Bombardier Pavilion will enhance our technical capability that will allow us to speed development of monolayer based products”, said Patrick O’Connor, Nanometrix’s CEO. In addition, the combination of outstanding technical resources, high-quality labor pool and investment incentives present in the Province of Quebec makes it an ideal location.”

The J Armand-Bombardier Pavilion inaugurated in May 2004 is the leading location for R&D in nanoscience and nanotechnology in Quebec. The pavilion is dedicated to fundamental and applied research and to training graduate and post-graduate students. It represents total investments of .5 million by the Université de Montréal, École Polytechnique, the government of Quebec, the government of Canada, private donors including the J.-Armand-Bombardier Foundation and a number of other sources. It will house researchers and students who will study new issues arising from an increasingly complex world.

Scientific equipment  has already been installed in the J.-Armand-Bombardier Pavilion. Funding for the nanotechnology laboratories was provided by two major grants earmarked for projects directly related to this field of research.

““The Bombardier center allows us access not only to state of the art equipment & facilities but also to collaborations with some of the best nanotechnology researchers in North America”” stated Dr. Gilles Picard Ph.D. Nanometrix’’s Vice President R&D

About Nanometrix

Nanometrix founded by Dr. Gilles Picard & Juan Schneider provides process and equipment solutions to leading edge suppliers of advanced semiconductor and nanotechnology devices. Incorporating unique, patented monolayer based deposition technologies, Nanometrix’s system solutions are backed by a team with over 75 years of combined experience in monolayers & thin films. Some examples of devices enabled by Nanometrix monolayer technology are hydrogen fuel cells with reduced platinum usage.

Learned today from the Harbin Institute of Technology, Professor Sun Kening by the school and its research team to complete the “intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell integrated research and development” project in fuel cell research breakthrough. Science and Technology Department of Heilongjiang Province, has organized the results of identification, the Panel finds that the project independently developed the “cast a total of sintering technology” to achieve our country in the solid oxide fuel cell batteries a large area substrate prepared core technology breakthroughs single battery power and power density, etc. technology has reached the international advanced level.

Solid oxide fuel cell electrochemical reaction by the chemical energy of fuel directly into electrical energy electrochemical devices, known as fourth-generation fuel cells. Compared with traditional heat engines, solid oxide fuel cells with energy conversion efficiency, fuel, wide applicability, environmental pollution, solid state, modular, low cost, energy saving and other advantages, power efficiency up to 60%, and the combined heat and power efficiency of up to 80% after. Solid oxide fuel cell technology to optimize the energy structure and reducing environmental pollution and promote the development of related high-tech industries, etc. have a positive impact.

According to Professor Sun Kening, at present, restricting the development of fuel cells is the major bottleneck in cost and service life. In response, they designed and developed the composite electrode structure and the gradient electrodes were successfully prepared high-performance composite cathode, increasing the length of three-phase interface, which greatly reduce the performance loss caused by mutations in the interface; construct new solid carbon deposition resistance oxide fuel cell anode materials; development of the “cast a total of sintering technology” has the process simple, low cost, low power consumption and ease of mass production and so on; by “casting method a total of sintering,” assembled the size of 100mm × 100mm of single cells, while the previous generation above 1000 ℃ ambient temperature can be reduced to 750 ℃, to avoid attenuation of the electrode lead to faster sintering, electrode and electrolyte interface reaction, the thermal expansion characteristics of the battery components do not match the corrosion of metal connecting material Frequently Asked Questions. The corresponding results were published in international journals “electrochemical communication”, “Electrochemical Technology”, “Power” and other magazines, and authorized the national patent 5

The company closed a Dayton office, but says it is working on getting military orders.

By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS — When the government forks over taxpayer money to a private company that promises to grow and create jobs, it’s a gamble.

Take for example the case of California-based UltraCell Corp.

State officials recruited the fuel cell technology start-up to Ohio in 2006, luring the company with Third Frontier money and other economic development grants.

UltraCell is working on promising technology that the military wants: portable units to recharge batteries for soldiers using electronics in the field.

But cash flow problems, a sluggish economy, and a lack of immediate orders, led UltraCell to pack up and leave Dayton in August.

By late summer, the state Department of Development and city of Dayton sent letters demanding UltraCell repay $3.2 million.

UltraCell says it doesn’t have the cash but it’s poised to line up military orders for the latest version of their portable fuel cell unit.

That leaves government officials in a predicament: be patient and hope UltraCell returns to Ohio or go to great lengths to try to recoup the money.

“Every situation is a little different. It’s more important for us to have the job creation than the investment,” said Shelley Dickstein, Dayton assistant city manager. “The cash back – that’s all well and good. But it’s really about the jobs and economic engine.”

Mark Barbash, Ohio Department of Development chief economic development officer, said it’s too early to tell whether the state should go hard after the money or take a wait-and-see approach.

The default rate on development department loans is roughly 1.9 percent and the default rate on Third Frontier programs is less than one-tenth of one percent, state officials said.

“Obviously, we want to ensure that Ohio taxpayer monies have the highest potential to get a return. Each case will be different,” said John Griffin, director of the state Department of Development technology and innovation division.

UltraCell recently auctioned off office equipment and other items from its Dayton site since the landlord wanted the building emptied, UltraCell Chief Executive Keith Scott said.

Meanwhile, the state development department is in the final stages of awarding an unbid contract to Arsenal Venture Partners, which has financial ties to UltraCell.

Arsenal and EnerTech are being hired to manage $40 million in state and federal stimulus money in a newly created Energy Gateway Fund. The fund is designed to invest in advanced energy projects, such as wind turbines or a solar farm, that are likely to create jobs within three to five years, Barbash said.

Arsenal and EnerTech will match dollar for dollar the money that the state is committing to the fund. They’ll be compensated from investment returns and fees.

Arsenal manages On Point Technologies, a venture capital fund established by the U.S. Army, which invested in UltraCell.

On its website, Arsenal lists UltraCell as one of its success stories.

Barbash dismissed concerns that the state is willingly working with a company that owns a firm that burned the state. He likened it to the state and a bank both loaning money to a company that later goes out of business and then saying the state shouldn’t use that bank any more.

Jason Rottenberg, a general partner at Arsenal, said Arsenal is a minority investor in UltraCell and had no say in the decision to leave Dayton.

VANCOUVER– Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) announced that it has secured an order for three FCvelocity^® fuel cell modules to power zero-emission hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses in London, U.K., where the city’s publicly stated goal is to reduce CO2 emissions 60% from the 1990 level, by 2025.

Transport for London (TfL), the local transit authority, is supporting this climate improvement goal through promotion of sustainable travel, operating vehicles more efficiently as well as using improved vehicle and fuel types.

“There are more than seventy thousand buses operating in Europe today and this announcement is a sign of the growing trend toward clean energy technology,” said Michael Goldstein, Ballard’s Chief Commercial Officer. “We are pleased to further extend our long-term relationship with Transport for London and enable the reduction of CO2 emissions in that city.”

For the London deployment, Ballard is providing modules to a consortium that includes transit bus supplier Wrightbus, bus operator First Group, as well as Transport for London. Three additional zero-emission buses will join five existing buses, also powered by Ballard’s FCvelocity^® fuel cell modules and scheduled for deployment in revenue service in TfL’s fleet by the end of 2010.

All eight buses will be deployed by the end of 2011, enabling TfL to operate its central Covent Garden-Tower Gateway route entirely by means of hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses. These buses will be served by a new central hydrogen refueling station, with fuel provided by Air Products.

Project funding is being provided as part of the European Union’s Cleaner Hydrogen in Cities (CHIC) project.

Researchers at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource have developed a new, more powerful way to probe the behavior of a key component in hydrogen fuel cells. The group shone SSRL’s high-energy X-rays on a single-atom layer of platinum to illuminate how the metal helps the generation of electrical power inside a fuel cell. SSRL Research Associate Daniel Friebel led the work, together with Anders Nilsson of both SSRL and the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, a joint SLAC-Stanford institute. The new experimental approach appeared online recently in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, a publication of the Royal Chemical Society.

“People have tried to use synchrotron radiation and X-ray spectroscopic techniques over many years—decades—to measure what’s happening to the platinum,” Nilsson said. But insufficient resolution and sensitivity made those measurements hard to interpret. “And so nobody had been able to understand exactly what they see. I think what this particular study has done is improve the understanding of what we see.”

Fuel cells show potential for generating electricity in a clean, renewable fashion. Like batteries, fuel cells provide energy using a chemical process divided into two” half-reactions” that take place at separate positive and negative electrodes. Unlike batteries, a fuel cell can run continuously so long as the negative electrode—or cathode—is supplied with oxygen and the positive electrode—or anode—is supplied with a fuel. One promising type of fuel cell is the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, which uses hydrogen as fuel and creates water as its only by-product.

However, one major obstacle stands in the way of widespread use of fuel cells: cost. Large quantities of platinum are needed to speed up the conversion of oxygen to water on the cathode side. What’s more, over time a process Nilsson terms “the second biggest issue” for fuel cells takes place; the platinum catalyst degrades, requiring even more of the precious metal to keep a fuel cell working. Researchers do not fully understand how this degradation happens, and observing the microscopic details of the various processes taking place at the cathode has proven to be difficult, Friebel said.

“Monitoring only the surface of a fuel-cell catalyst under realistic conditions is a challenge,” Friebel said. “We needed a probe that could penetrate a relatively dense liquid environment that surrounded the catalyst, so that’s why we use hard X-rays.” At the same time, Friebel’s group wanted to examine an Ångström-thin slice at the catalyst surface where the fuel-cell reaction takes place. Here, the same penetrating ability that let the X-rays cut through the liquid surrounding their sample worked against them. “Their ability to pierce through the liquid let them also enter the bulk of the catalyst,” Friebel said.

Previous experiments generally looked at platinum nanoparticles—tiny bits of pure platinum with dimensions measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. However, even a particle that small still has the majority of its atoms sitting on the inside, and their response to the X-rays diluted the data from surface catalytic activity.

To get around this problem, the researchers coated a single crystal of rhodium with one layer of platinum atoms, in essence creating a platinum catalyst that was “all surface.” The unique sample design allowed Friebel and Stanford graduate student Daniel Miller to observe how the catalyst surface interacted with the type of acid–water environment typical of fuel cells.

“A major part of the study was conducted using a relatively new type of spectroscopy” called high-energy resolution fluorescence detection, said SLAC senior scientist Uwe Bergmann, a collaborator on the project, who had built the spectrometer located at SSRL’s Beamline 6-2 where Friebel’s group ran their experiment. The instrument enabled the researchers to identify how oxygen is bound to the platinum surface under different conditions. These oxygen-platinum interactions ranged from merely placing oxygen atoms onto an intact metallic surface to forming a surface oxide, which was very difficult to remove. According to Miller, this surface oxide could play an important role in degrading the performance of fuel cells.

“[Platinum oxide] could be involved in many things,” Miller said. “It could be one reason why the reaction on the oxygen side of the fuel cell is inefficient, but it could also be involved in the degradation of the catalyst.”

These findings were made possible because the group was able to put together “three key ingredients,” Nilsson explained: “a well-defined model catalyst, a high-resolution spectrometer that is unique in the United States, and theoretical calculations using a sophisticated structure model that reflects the quality of the sample in the experiment.”

In previous studies, Nilsson and his group have proposed methods to reduce the cost of fuel cells by reducing the amount of platinum needed. The new findings could nicely complement their previous efforts toward both improving the efficiency and extending the lifetime of the platinum catalyst.

Electro Power Systems SpA is officially launching in India ElectroSelf, the world’s first entirely self-recharging fuel cell system for backup power at India Telecom, New Delhi.

A preview of ElectroSelf was presented in February 2010 at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona and, after being successfully trialed in Europe, Americas and Asia, it is now ready to pave the way to fuel cell adoption overall India.

The trials, including those made in India, proved that ElectroSelf generates significant savings for operators and tower companies while overcoming the problems related to legacy solutions (i.e. fuel logistics, frequent on-site checks and heavy maintenance).

ElectroSelf was designed to deliver dependable backup power for mobile networks in any location whether off-grid (thanks to its perfect integration with renewable sources), in locations with unreliable power, or in extreme climates. The self-contained and self-recharging fuel-cell system consumes only water, produces zero greenhouse gas emissions and can be installed to backup renewable or mains power. It releases mobile operators from much of the inconvenience of providing backup power through gensets and batteries. It drives operating expenses down, minimizes maintenance, eliminates diesel refueling or battery replacement costs, and provides comprehensive remote power monitoring and control.

ElectroSelf gives operators an opportunity to make a significant step towards greener networks and operations. It is a completely clean technology with minimal CO2 emissions in manufacture and zero CO2 or NOX emissions in operation. Unlike battery solutions it has no hidden toxic waste disposal cost. It is particularly useful for off-grid installations because it enables the storage of renewable energy, which is never supplied constantly. For example, the fuel cell could store solar energy during the day and then support the station during hours of darkness.

Adriano Marconetto, founder and CEO, Electro Power Systems SpA says: “ElectroSelf represents a huge opportunity for India telecom operators and tower companies. It is the only fuel cell solution which generates 100% of its own hydrogen, so is the first to promise the freedom and flexibility that operators need.”

ElectroSelf has advanced control and power electronics that enable fully remote management and control over TCP IP or mobile connections. For operators looking to release the potential of rural communities, it also provides the potential for selling excess power back into the grid or for providing community power, creating a further potential revenue stream for operators to pursue more rapid payback at the edges of their network.

ElectroSelf is a closed system which is completely self-recharging. During power outages it generates power by combining Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2), producing only water as a by-product. The power system engages automatically whenever external power fails. Whenever power is available it generates its own hydrogen fuel by electrolysis of the demineralized waste water from the power generation phase. It does this automatically whenever there is external power available, keeping the H2 tank full.

Fuel cells may power the cars of the future, but it’s not enough to just make them work — they have to be affordable. Cornell researchers have developed a novel way to synthesize a fuel cell electrocatalytic material without breaking the bank.

The research, published online Nov. 24 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes a simple method for making nanoparticles that drive the electrocatalytic reactions inside room-temperature fuel cells.

An illustration of the synthesis procedure of the core-shell nanoparticles and subsequent deposition of platinum.

Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy. They consist of an anode, which oxidizes the fuel (such as hydrogen), and a cathode, which reduces oxygen to water. A polymer membrane separates the electrodes. Fuel cell-powered cars in production today use pure platinum to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode side. While platinum is the most efficient catalyst available today for the oxygen reduction reaction, its activity is limited, and it is rare and expensive.

The Cornell researchers’ nanoparticles offer an alternative to pure platinum at a fraction of the cost. They are made of a palladium and cobalt core and coated with a one-atom-thick layer of platinum. Palladium, though not as good a catalyst, has similar properties as platinum (it is in the same group on the Periodic Table of Elements; it has the same crystal structure; and it is similar in atomic size), but it costs one-third less and is 50 times more abundant on Earth.

Researchers led by Héctor D. Abruña, the E.M. Chamot Profesor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, made the nanoparticles on a carbon substrate and made the palladium-cobalt core self-assemble — cutting down on manufacturing costs. First author Deli Wang, a postdoctoral associate in Abruña’s lab, designed the experiments and synthesized the nanoparticles.

Atomic resolution images of the palladium-cobalt nanoparticle, before platinum deposition.

David Muller, professor of applied and engineering physics and co-director of the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, led the efforts geared at imaging the particles down to atomic resolution to demonstrate their chemical composition and distribution, and to prove the efficacy of the catalytic conversions.

“The crystal structure of the substrate, composition and spatial distribution of the nanoparticles play important roles in determining how well the platinum performs,” said Huolin Xin, a graduate student in Muller’s lab.

The work was supported by the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, a Department of Energy-supported Energy Frontiers Research Center. Researchers also used equipment at the Cornell Center for Materials Research.

ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that Amey has signed an agreement to participate in the Hydrogen On Site Trials (HOST) of ITM Power’s transportable high pressure refueling unit (HFuel). The HFuel unit was built with support from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and was launched at the Company’s AGM on 15th September 2010.

Amey is one of today’s leading public services providers, managing the vital infrastructure and business services that practically everyone, everywhere relies on. The company delivers services in the highways, roads, schools, waste, rail, fleet solutions, workspace, street lighting, commercial, housing and aviation sectors

Amey employs around 11,000 people across 200 UK locations and operates a fleet of approximately 4500 vehicles

Commenting for ITM Power, CEO Graham Cooley said: “We have seen strong interest from the Public Services and Utility sector for HOST, and this is reinforced by the inclusion of Amey into the HOST programme. We look forward to what will undoubtedly be substantial feedback from this sector of the economy for our energy storage and clean fuel technology, for decarbonising fleet operations and enhancing air quality in our public places and urban centres”

For Amey, Group HSEA Director Keith Sexton said: “Decarbonising our transport fleet, responsible for 80% of our carbon emissions, is a priority for Amey and one of our key performance indicators. We welcome this opportunity to join ITM Power’s HOST trials in 2011 in order to explore the benefits of a technology that could dramatically improve our carbon footprint”

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — When the Phantom Eye takes to the skies, Air Products’ (NYSE: APD) hydrogen fueling capabilities will be put to another unique and advanced technological use. Air Products is providing the hydrogen and fueling infrastructure for The Boeing Company’s (NYSE: BA) Phantom Eye, a newly unveiled hydrogen-powered and unmanned airborne system demonstrator that is able to stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days.

Phantom Eye will soon begin a series of ground and taxi tests at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The aircraft is in preparation for its first flight in 2011, a debut flight expected to last between four and eight hours.

“Working with Boeing on this effort has been a privilege. It is always exciting and interesting to be associated with a cutting edge project and the Phantom Eye certainly fits that category,” said Bob Kelly, business development manager–Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products. “Our approach to working on this project was to focus on our core competencies and values of safety first, and being mindful of the specific customer needs. Our engineering and design reviews were always very much aligned with that focus.”

Air Products and Boeing engineers worked closely to provide a cost effective and innovative fueling system capable of delivering liquid hydrogen to the vehicle. The hydrogen propulsion system has been described by Boeing as a key to Phantom Eye’s success, offering efficiency and great fuel economy, with water as its only byproduct, essentially making the plane a “green aircraft.” Further information on Air Products’ hydrogen fueling technology is at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

ITM Power ( AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that RAC has signed an agreement to participate in the Hydrogen On Site Trials (“ HOST”) of ITM Power’s transportable high pressure refuelling unit (“HFuel”).  The HFuel unit was built with support from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and launched at the Company’s AGM on 15th September 2010.

RAC has around seven million customers and is one of the UK’s leading motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists including roadside assistance, insurance, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services and up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information.  The RAC Roadside recovery and patrol fleet numbers some 1,700 vehicles.

Commenting for ITM Power, CEO Graham Cooley said: “Our agreement with RAC for them to join our HOST trial is a tremendous opportunity for us to demonstrate the benefits of HFuel and so demystify the proposition for fuelling today’s modified vehicles with green hydrogen, in what could be a significant early adoption market.”

Adrian McCarthy, Head of Technical Services, RAC, added: “As an organisation we are committed to reducing our operational emissions through our carbon management programme. We are therefore pleased to join ITM Power’s hydrogen trials next year to enable RAC to appraise both the proposition for a zero carbon fuel and zero carbon emissions for patrol vehicles.  Importantly the trial will also provide our Roadside recovery and patrols with an invaluable insight into dealing with hydrogen fuelled vehicles at the roadside.”

Fuel Cell developer Cellkraft has announced the results from a two day marine expedition using one of its 1kW PEM fuel cells running off reformed methanol. The journey with the fuel cell powered boat was made to test the reliability of the Cellkraft fuel cells. The journey ranged from Stockholm to Öregrund in the north of the Stockholm archipelago.

The fuel cell system was based on the Cellkraft S-1000 fuel cell and the Genesis 20L-D reformer. The test was financed by the Swedish Defence Material Administration. The journey had a total length of 87 nautical miles (161 km).

The test is thought to be the first fuel cell powered boat trip in Sweden. The energy consumption was equivalent to 0,06 litres of diesel per nautical mile.

A video from the journey is available at: http://www.cellkraft.se/fuelcells/media.html

HONOLULU – Ten companies, agencies and universities have joined an initiative between The Gas Company (TGC), and General Motors to make hydrogen-powered vehicles and a fueling infrastructure a reality in Hawaii by 2015.

The plan, called the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative (H2I), aims to integrate hydrogen as an essential building block for Hawaii’s sustainable energy ecosystem. The effort to reduce the state’s 90 percent dependence on imported oil is expected to make hydrogen available to all of Oahu’s 1 million residents by 2015. The goal is for 20 to 25 hydrogen stations to be installed in strategic locations around the island.

“Hydrogen, used as a fuel, will reduce our dependence on petroleum starting today,” said Jeff Kissel, TGC president and CEO. 

The plan builds on a May 2010 memorandum of understanding between TGC, one of Hawaii’s major utilities, and GM. TGC today produces enough hydrogen to power up to 10,000 fuel cell vehicles and has the capacity to produce much more hydrogen. GM is a leader in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and fielded the world’s largest fuel cell demonstration fleet – more than 100 vehicles – beginning in 2007.

The hydrogen initiative partners are evaluating methods to distribute hydrogen through existing natural gas pipelines, addressing the long-standing problem of how to cost effectively produce and distribute hydrogen.

“In Hawaii, we want to address the proverbial chicken or egg dilemma,” said Charles Freese, executive director of GM Fuel Cell Activities. “There has always been a looming issue over how to ensure that the vehicles and the necessary hydrogen refueling infrastructure are delivered to market at the same time. Our efforts in Hawaii will help us meet that challenge.

“Once the key hydrogen infrastructure elements are proven in Hawaii, other states can adopt similar approaches,” Freese said. “Germany, Japan and Korea are all building hydrogen infrastructures within this same timeframe. The work in Hawaii can provide a template for other regions.”

In addition to GM and TGC, the hydrogen initiative partners include the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT); U.S. Department of Energy; FuelCell Energy; Aloha Petroleum Ltd; Louis Berger Group; U.S. Pacific Command, supported by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific, and U.S. Marine Forces, Pacific; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; the County of Hawaii; University of California – Irvine, and the University of Hawaii.

“Hawaii is on the cutting edge of developing the infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles and adopting the latest clean energy technologies to move our islands toward energy independence and sustainability,” said Richard Lim, acting director, state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. “H2I is a unique, innovative partnership that has brought together public, private and community partners to improve the quality of life for our citizens and become a worldwide model.”

In 2008, the state launched the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), a partnership with the U.S. DOE with a goal of generating 70 percent or more of Hawaii’s energy through energy efficiency and  clean, renewable resources such as solar, wind, wave, biofuels, and geothermal.

About General Motors – General Motors Company (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908.  With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling.  GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Russia.  GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

About The Gas Company LLC – The Gas Company   is a Hawaii-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Macquarie Infrastructure Company (NYSE: MIC – www.macquarie.com/mic). MIC owns, operates, and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses that provide basic services to customers across the United States. www.hawaiigas.com

Construction of a fuel cell with enough capacity to power 2,800 homes has begun on the UC San Diego campus as part of a renewable-energy project with the City of San Diego and BioFuels Energy to turn waste methane gas from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant directly into electricity without combustion.

When completed in late 2011, the 2.8-megawatt fuel cell will be the largest on any college campus, providing about 8 percent of UC San Diego’s total energy needs. The $19 million project requires no university funding: the project is eligible for $7.65 million in State of California Self Generation Program incentives, and BioFuels Energy will provide the remaining $11.35 million in private investment, loans, and investment tax credits.

“Our campus currently generates 85 percent of its own power. With this new fuel cell and the near-doubling of our photovoltaic solar capacity in 2011, our campus will be able to meet as much as 95 percent of our annual electricity needs,” said Gary C. Matthews, vice chancellor of Resource Management and Planning. “The fact that we’ve been able to significantly increase our renewable-energy capacity in very challenging economic times with an innovative public-private partnership is as much a financial feat as it is an engineering accomplishment.”

As part of a 10-year agreement, UC San Diego will buy the electricity produced by the fuel cell from BioFuels Energy at competitive rates. The university’s fuel cell also offers the potential benefits of cogeneration, or combined heat and power, in which waste heat can be tapped as a secondary power source, raising the overall net efficiency of the fuel cell to about 60 percent, compared to about 33 percent for coal- and oil-fired power plants.

About 85 percent of the university’s energy needs are provided by its low-emission 30-megawatt natural-gas-fired cogeneration plant, which operates at 66 percent overall net efficiency. It is also called a combined heat and power plant because it generates electricity to run lights and equipment and also captures the plant’s waste heat to produce steam for heating, ventilation and air conditioning for much of the 12.5 million gross square feet of campus buildings. Waste heat from the plant also is used as a power source for a water chiller that fills a 3.8-million-gallon storage tank at night with cold water, which allows the university to reduce its peak daytime energy requirements by about 14 percent.

The fuel cell and its ancillary equipment will occupy a space about the size of a tennis court. It will form the centerpiece of UC San Diego’s Energy Innovation Park on the east side of the main campus, which includes:

* High efficiency, 5.75-kilowatt sun-tracking concentrating photovoltaic array made by Concentrix Solar.
* A compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station for 13 CNG service vehicles, including two delivery trucks and two street sweepers, three sedans, three pick-up trucks and three buses. Vehicle emissions are lower with natural gas fuel than with gasoline because CNG-fueled vehicles emit 10 percent less carbon dioxide compared to diesel and 30-40 percent less than equivalent gasoline-fueled vehicles.
* A chiller plant that efficiently produces the cold water required to cool the nearby Moores UCSD Cancer Center and Shiley Eye Center.

In the future the energy park will have an array of additional technologies:

* An electric-vehicle charging station.
* A second chiller plant with 300 kilowatts of cooling capacity that will be powered by the fuel cell’s waste heat to cool the Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Center and other UC San Diego medical treatment, research and office buildings nearby.
* An energy-storage system that will stockpile four hours’ output of electricity from the fuel cell every night during off-peak hours and release the electricity to the campus energy grid during peak-demand hours in the afternoon.

The planned energy-storage system is eligible for an additional $3.4 million in State of California Self Generation Program incentives and could reduce UC San Diego’s peak energy demand by 6 percent.

“The university’s increasingly sophisticated microgrid will integrate all the campus’ production, consumption and stored power and cooling water into one of the most sophisticated energy-management systems anywhere,” said John Dilliott, energy and utilities manager for the campus. “We will soon be able to factor in the variable cost of imported electricity and optimize the production and consumption of electricity in our entire system with a high degree of cost and energy efficiency.”

The city of San Diego will make money by selling the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant’s biogas, which is purified on site and injected into an existing gas pipeline that will supply three fuel cells being constructed, one at UC San Diego and two at City of San Diego sites. “This project and the uniqueness of the concept is anticipated to pave the way for similar future applications,” said Frank Mazanec, managing director of BioFuels Energy.

The three fuel cells are made by Danbury, Conn.-based FuelCell Energy, Inc. and use an electrochemical process to combine the methane fuel with oxygen in ambient air to produce electricity directly. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are also produced, but no nitrate or particulate pollutants are produced because there is no combustion.

The so-called directed biogas project is the first time that a FuelCell Energy power plant will be fueled by renewable biogas generated at a distant location.

The fuel cell being built at UC San Diego is one of the largest fuel cells in the nation to use directed biogas from a wastewater treatment plant,” said Kenneth J. Frisbie, managing director of the Encinitas, Calif.-based BioFuels Energy No university has a fuel cell this big.

iVoice, Inc (OTCBB: IVOI | PowerRating) announced today that it signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to merge with Hydra Fuel Cell Corporation, a subsidiary of American Security Resources Corporation. The transaction, which is subject to due diligence, the usual and customary conditions, and entering into a definitive agreement, is expected to close in early 2011.

Hydra Fuel Cell Corporation has developed highly scalable, mass producible proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cell systems. It is in the process of delivering the first HydraStax(R) systems this month. Hydra, located in Beaverton, Oregon, is set to advance hydrogen fuel cell electric generation as grid replacement for residences and small commercial establishments.

Jerry Mahoney, CEO of iVoice, remarked, “We are excited about the merger and to be working together with Hydra Fuel Cell Corporation.”

Frank Neukomm, CEO of ARSC, stated, “We have been working to find the right company to merge with Hydra since 2009. We’ve found it in iVoice.”

The first public hydrogen fueling station has opened in Netherlands, on the 5th of December. The project belongs to Avia petrol company and the affiliated station will be unveiled in Arnhem.

The gas station also has a small-scale factory for converting the gas into hydrogen, which is stored in compressed form. The hydrogen fuel is fed through a special hose, just like ordinary LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and then converted in energy by means of fuel cell technology in the cars.

Some of the key advantages spring from the use of hydrogen: the energy provided increases proportionally to the one obtained from diesel or gasoline, doesn’t emit tailpipe pollution and has the potential to run a fuel-cell engine with greater efficiency than an internal combustion engine.

The hydrogen facility has limited capacity, for now. The clients are only local vehicles converted to hydrogen through automotive projects developed by students at the Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN) in collaboration with the industry sector.

One main obstacle that the students had come against was the space needed for the hydrogen tank and fuel cell wiring. “Only the tank for a hydrogen car is already twice as big as a normal tank, so you can imagine that the hydrogen system as a total occupies more space,” stated Bram Veenhuizen, lecturer at the high-school, for the Trouw newspaper.

Currently, in some converted cars, the hydrogen powering system is installed at the expense of the trunk and/or the backseat space. A smaller tank would seem unreasonable due to the limited range that the car would have, sometimes a little more than 150 km.

Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s leading forklift manufacturers, today introduced a new version of its Crown SP 3500 Series Stockpicker that is designed to accommodate fuel cells. The Crown SP 3500 is the industry’s first forklift to integrate a fuel cell hydrogen level indicator onto the dashboard display, as well as feature programmable performance settings and advanced diagnostics for the fuel cell power unit.

The Crown SP 3500 Series Stockpicker is specifically engineered for narrow-aisle applications, smoothly moving from pallet handling to picking at heights to transporting. The truck designed for fuel cells maintains the same features and benefits presented by the standard model.

The newly designed SP 3500 builds on the innovation of the Crown PC 4500 Series pallet truck, which was the first forklift to incorporate fuel cell controls and gauges into the dashboard of the truck. With the Crown SP 3500, the Crown Access 1 2 3® System Control is now connected directly to the fuel cell power unit to increase safety, efficiency and productivity. Access 1 2 3 is the electronic system that manages all truck functions and proactively facilitates two-way communication with the operator.

The system’s on-board display now features a fuel cell hydrogen level indicator that allows parameters to be set for a low fuel warning. Operators receive an alert when the fuel cell hydrogen pressure reaches a pre-determined level, based on size of the facility and distance to the facility’s hydrogen refueling stations. The alert can be adjusted to signify when between 2 and 25 percent of the hydrogen level remains. The truck also has a lift lockout feature that prevents lift when the fuel level reaches a pre-determined level below the initial low charge alert. This feature protects the integrity of the fuel cell and encourages the operator to immediately visit the hydrogen refueling station.

“The fuel cell version of the Crown SP 3500 is a major step forward in Crown’s continuing research-based efforts to increase fuel cell integration with the truck,” said Eric Jensen, director of new technology research and development, Crown Equipment. “Using the truck’s intelligence to alert the operator of the fuel cell hydrogen level will significantly improve efficiency and performance by eliminating the possibility of running out of fuel in the middle of a job or leaving the floor too early.”

The Access 1 2 3 display screen on the dashboard of the truck also calls attention to detailed information about fuel cell performance and allows authorized users to adjust performance settings. Technicians can use the dashboard display to view fault codes, including the last event code, for the purpose of maintenance and troubleshooting. A refueling mode uses a bar graph to show status of refueling. Since the byproduct of creating electricity from a fuel cell is water, a high-water warning alerts operators if too much water is in the holding tank which can cause overflow onto the floor.

Crown’s fuel cell initiative is a critical component of its commitment to environmental sustainability throughout its business. The company releases an annual Crown ecologic Report highlighting the company’s sustainability initiatives and accomplishments. To download a copy of the 2009 report, visit crown.com.

About Crown Equipment Corporation
Crown is one of the world’s largest lift truck manufacturers. Crown’s award-winning line of lift trucks maintains a reputation for exceptional product design, engineering and manufacturing. From the smallest hand pallet truck to the highest lifting turret truck, Crown seeks to provide users with safe, efficient and ergonomic lift trucks that lower total cost of ownership and maximize uptime. Headquartered in New Bremen, Ohio, Crown manufactures lift trucks that are sold throughout the world.

Crown Equipment acknowledges the contribution of the State of Ohio, Department of Development and the Third Frontier Commission which provided the funding in support of the Qualification of lift trucks for battery replacement fuel cell projects

Brooke Boone-News 4

Northern Nevada will not be the first to jump on board the hydrogen fuel trend, but it could be the first for other reasons.

H2 Fuel Project Manager Dean Mottram says they are “determined to take a 100 percent roll out on our hydrogen vehicles and show how you can take alternative fuel vehicles and make them work on an everyday bases.”

The H2 fuel project will use geothermal energy in northern Nevada and create hydrogen. That hydrogen will then fuel transit vehicles. RTC hopes to fuel ten of its access buses through this project initially. The total cost of the project is estimated at about $120 million.

In 2004, when the economy was in a much different state, Sen. Harry Reid helped support a $5.4 million earmark to go towards this hydrogen station. While the money is not a new expense, some people still feel there could be a better use of government dollars.

But, Mottram says the money will come from a federal grant, not local taxes. The project is still in its early stages and construction won’t happen for a few more years. But Mottram believes it’s a step i

South Korea aims to build 1.2 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell vehicles in the country by 2015 as part of efforts to reduce emissions.

The government, which provided an update of its earlier plan made in September, plans to export 900,000 of the vehicles from the country and bring their total domestic market share to 21 percent by 2015, according to an e-mailed statement from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Environment.

South Korean automotive companies may invest about 3.1 trillion won ($2.7 billion) in technologies for electric, plug- in hybrid, and fuel-cell vehicles in the five years starting 2011, the statement said. The government referred to vehicles that will be produced by Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. and Renault Samsung Motors Co.

Kia, South Korea’s second-largest carmaker, aims to build 2,000 electric vehicles and its affiliate Hyundai plans to produce 500 units of the BlueOn electric car by the end of 2012, the Seoul-based companies said in September.

The government said in September it aims to produce 1 million electric vehicles in the country by 2020 and may give tax benefits to buyers. It said today the government may review giving tax breaks to electric-car buyers from 2012, instead of from 2013 as previously considered, according to the statement.

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, (AIM/ASX:CFU) a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, has received a conditional order for up to 200 integrated power and heat generators from German energy service provider EWE.

Ceramic Fuel Cells will generate revenue of up to 4.9 million Euros from the order over two years.

The integrated units use Ceramic Fuel Cells’ patented technology to convert natural gas into electricity and heat, with the world’s highest level of electrical efficiency. EWE will install the units in homes in the Lower Saxony region in northern Germany, and the units will provide the homes with low emission electricity, hot water and heating.

The order is conditional on EWE receiving partial funding under the German government’s national hydrogen and fuel cell technology innovation program. This Government program is providing 700 million Euros between 2008 and 2018. EWE has submitted a formal funding application and a decision is expected in early 2011.

Subject to EWE obtaining Government funding and to the units meeting agreed performance targets, EWE will order 70 units for delivery in 2011 and 130 units for delivery in 2012. The performance targets, unit prices and the rates for ongoing service and support have been agreed in a contract signed by EWE and Ceramic Fuel Cells.

“This is a significant follow-on order from EWE, and it will see us selling many more of the integrated products we have developed with EWE and our local partner Bruns,” said Ceramic Fuel Cells’ Managing Director Brendan Dow. “We are confident that the German government will support the project and we look forward to continuing to deploy products with EWE, our longest-standing customer and partner. We are also encouraged by the very strong interest in our low emission products in Germany.”

Ceramic Fuel Cells will supply the core Gennex fuel cell module and related components. Ceramic Fuel Cells and its local manufacturing partner, Gebrüder Bruns Heiztechnik GmbH, will integrate the fuel cell module with a boiler into an integrated power and heating product for supply to EWE.