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Non-Tech : Alternative energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ~digs who wrote (522)	8/9/2002 10:08:33 PM
From: ~digs	Respond to of 16955

Fuel cells march toward the mainstream By Charles J. Murray ; EE Times ; August 9, 2002 (5:29 p.m. EST) After years of upping the technological ante, suppliers of micro fuel cells may finally be preparing to make a bid for the $10 billion-a-year rechargeable-battery market. Their efforts reached a high-water mark this past week, as MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. (Albany, N.Y.) unveiled a prototype fuel cell that's small enough to ride piggyback on a cell phone, while offering greater charging potential than a lithium ion battery. The technology, said to be manufacturable because it employs no pumps or water recirculation techniques, could be in production as early as 2004, the company said. MTI's 90-cubic-centimeter device, reportedly the smallest direct-methanol fuel cell available, represents another in a succession of fuel cell advances during the past 12 months. Late last year, scientists at Motorola Labs (Tempe, Ariz.) demonstrated a prototype of a miniature ceramic-based direct-methanol fuel cell, a type that converts methanol fuel directly to electricity. In April, Manhattan Scientifics Inc. (Los Alamos, N.M.) unveiled a micro fuel cell that reportedly offers six to nine times the energy density of lithium ion batteries. And in May, Medis Technologies Inc. (New York) announced that its engineers had operated a tiny laboratory fuel cell at 0.5 volt and 10,000 mA-hours continuously for 24 hours. Casio, Toshiba and Samsung have also announced fuel cell breakthroughs in the past six months. "There's an intense horse race going on now in the micro fuel cell area," said Gerald Caesar, program manager for the advanced-technology program at the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which awarded $4.7 million to MTI for technology development last year. "If these companies can get the cost down, miniaturize the technology and keep the energy density up, they have a real chance to supplant lithium ion technology." == Production effort Fuel cells could represent a major step forward for the electronics industry, since they could be used as portable chargers for current-generation batteries or as power sources for cell phones, personal digital assistants or, eventually, laptop computers. There, they could eventually offer charge times anywhere from two to 10 times as long as lithium ion batteries, now the standard power source for such systems. "Battery chemistries are reaching a point where it's going to be hard to enhance them much more," noted Barry Huret, president of Huret Associates (Yardley, Pa.), a battery consultant. "Fuel cells appear to be the next step, but it's clear that it's not going to be easy getting there." MTI's announcement of a prototype that's believed to be the smallest direct-methanol fuel cell yet gave rise to speculation that fuel cells may finally be nearly ready for prime time. Direct-methanol fuel cells, which convert methanol to electricity through the use of a catalyst, are highly sought after by the electronics industry because they don't convert the methanol to hydrogen before creating electricity. That means such products as PDAs and cellular phones wouldn't dissipate much heat and could, therefore, be held in hand or carried in a pocket. MTI's prototype also added a new dimension, because the company's scientists say they have developed a conversion technique using a polymer electrolyte membrane that can be easily manufactured. Unlike past such techniques, MTI's system does not need to collect water from the fuel cell's cathode and pump it back to the anode, vastly simplifying the device's internal components. MTI's claims of manufacturability were supported by the fact that the company is making obvious efforts to bring its fuel cell out of the lab and into production. DuPont (Wilmington, Del.), which has made an equity investment in MTI, is working with the company to develop membrane electrode assemblies and polymer-based conductive plates for use in its fuel cell stack. MTI also announced last week that it has hired Alan Soucy, a former Philips Electronics executive with experience in laptop and PDA production, to head a Silicon Valley operation that will develop alliances with the electronics industry. == Long-range potential Micro fuel cells are said to offer energy densities of 1,000 watt-hour per kilogram or greater. By comparison, the best lithium ion batteries now range from 150 to 300 W-hr/kg. As a result, some scientists believe fuel cells could boost the span between battery recharges by two, five or even 10 times on products such as laptops, cell phones and PDAs. "Depending on the application, we believe that we can get a factor-of-10 improvement in the useful life of a device between recharges," said Bill Acker, president and chief operating officer of MTI MicroFuel Cells. MTI and other developers say they first plan to build fuel cell-based battery rechargers, which would recharge today's conventional batteries rather than replace them. Ultimately, however, they foresee their products' supplanting batteries during the next several years. "Longer-use devices, such as PDAs and cell phone-PDA combinations, are the most attractive entry point," Acker said. "We're looking at high-end devices where the users are willing to pay a premium for the device itself, and pay a premium for longer usage times. When you bring out a product like this, you have to capture those applications first." Observers say that the technology could be especially important for high-end cell phones, which are expected to climb from today's power draws of 1 to 3 W, up to as much as 5 W in some cases. "Once you start adding broadband capabilities to portable devices, you're going to dramatically reduce their run-time," said Caesar of NIST. "Phones could drop down to as little as half an hour of run-time in a 3G [third-generation cellular] mode." Using fuel cells instead of batteries to power such products, users would lengthen run-times as they shorten recharges. Fuel cells could be recharged simply by replacing a methanol fuel cartridge that would range from thumbnail size to the size of a bar of soap. Developers estimate that such refills would cost only about $1 apiece, and most of that cost would be contained in the plastic enclosure holding the methanol. == Hurdles ahead Many experts contend, however, that fuel cell technology must cross several hurdles before it reaches the electronics mainstream. One key area of technical concentration is in their ability to handle temperature extremes as well as batteries currently do. "Fuel cell catalysts don't operate very well in the cold, nor do they perform very well in extreme dry climates," said Bob Hockaday, chief fuel cell scientist for Manhattan Scientifics. "That's why some of the wild enthusiasm to put them right into electronic products has died down a little. That may still be a couple of years away." Experts also say that the dream of fuel cell-based notebook computers may still be a few years out. "If you look at how people use notebook computers, you find that most of them don't run extensively on battery power," said battery consultant Huret. "Most of the time, notebook computers are plugged in, so the question could come down to how much more it will cost to give consumers the extra charge time." Fuel cell makers say they still don't have a handle on how much the devices would add to the cost of a cell phone or laptop. As a result, manufacturers expect their technology to initially come out on higher-end products, where its cost can be more easily absorbed. They say they also need to tread lightly in the beginning while they build public confidence. "The general public and the OEM engineers need to get comfortable with it first," said Acker of MTI. "The timing of our product rollout is going to be tied to developing the proper mind-set." eet.com

To: ~digs who wrote (522)	9/9/2002 8:04:26 PM
From: ~digs	Respond to of 16955

Fuel Cell Technology Update - September 2002 TRANSPORTATION Ballard Receives Bus Engine Order. Ballard Power Systems has received an order from Gillig Corporation for delivery of three heavy-duty Ballard® fuel cell engines and support services. The 205 kW fuel cell engines will be integrated into transit buses for delivery in 2004 to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) based in San Jose, California. The fuel cell buses will operate for a two-year period in revenue service under real-world conditions, in response to the California Air Resources Board's zero-emission transit bus requirements. <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020829/292105_1.html> GM Gets Set to Introduce the Hy-Wire. General Motors Corporation (GM) revealed a look at its new Hy-wire automobile, a drivable fuel cell vehicle that features by-wire technology. The Hy-wire incorporates features first displayed in GM's AUTOnomy concept car shown earlier this year. The X-drive incorporates an electronic monitor of "vital" car functions and shuttles from side to side on a horizontal bar that stretches across the width of the vehicle. The 94kW fuel cell stack is located in the back of the chassis, and the electric motor, which drives the vehicle's front wheels, is installed transversely between the wheels. Hy-wire will be introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show Sept. 26, 2002. <http://www.gm.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?3137> Japan to Introduce Tax Incentives for FCVs. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to exempt fuel cell vehicle (FCV) owners from two taxes beginning in FY 03. The purpose of the tax waivers is to encourage consumers to buy the vehicles, which are expected to enter the market by the end of this year. The ministry has proposed removing a vehicle owner tax that is equal to five percent of the vehicle's purchase price, as well as a 39,500 yen (about US$300) tax on vehicles with engines between 1,500 and 2,000 cubic centimeters. STATIONARY POWER H Power Taking Orders, Signs Agreement with Osaka Gas and DGP. H Power Corporation is now taking orders for its two commercial, direct hydrogen fueled product lines. The EPAC-500(tm)is a self-contained 500-Watt fuel cell power source. The Modular Power Solutions product line can be configured for indoor or outdoor use. Shipments are expected to be in September. In other news, H Power has signed a licensing agreement with Japan's Osaka Gas Company, Ltd. under which H Power acquires the rights to manufacture, integrate and improve Osaka Gas' fuel processing system for use in its FC systems. H Power also signed a Representation Agreement with Direct Global Power, Inc. (DGP) of Schenectady, NY. DGP will be responsible for developing sales opportunities for H Power's EPAC(TM)-500 and HCORE(TM)-500 power systems. <http://www.hpower.com/cgi-bin/pr.cgi?idPressRelease=74> <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020822/222295_1.html> <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020805/52494_1.html> Nuvera Launches Commercial Fuel Cell Generators. Nuvera Fuel Cells has launched a hydrogen fuel cell business based on its Avanti(tm) 5-kW distributed generation product line. Nuvera will provide OEMs with hydrogen power modules ranging from 1 to 6-kW. <http://www.nuvera.com/press/nv_lincoln.pdf> DOE Selects FuelCell Energy for Coal-Powered Fuel Cell Demonstration. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved plans for FuelCell Energy to install a two-megawatt fuel cell power plant at the Wabash River Energy coal gasification-combined cycle power plant in West Terre Haute, Indiana. The one-year program will demonstrate the fuel cell using coal gas. <http://www.fossil.energy.gov/techline/tl_cct_fuelcell_print.html> FCE, PPL to Install FC System at NJ College. FuelCell Energy (FCE) will partner with PPL Energy Services to install a 250-kilowatt Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant at Ocean County College in Toms River, NJ. The natural gas system will be operated in a cogeneration mode and will supply both electricity and heat to three buildings on the college campus. <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020814/nyw111_1.html> Plug Power Delivers 9 Systems to Navy, Generates 1 Million kWh of FC Power. Plug Power Inc. announced the sale and delivery of nine GenSys(tm)5C systems - a 5kW, combined heat and power (CHP) grid parallel, natural gas-fueled, proton exchange membrane (PEM), fuel cell system - to Johnson Controls, Inc., under contract to the Navy Renewable Energy Division at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, California. The nine systems are expected to be installed at three Naval facilities in California. Plug Power's five-kilowatt (kW), grid-parallel, natural gas-powered fuel cell (FC) systems have generated more than 1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in the field this year. The FC systems were installed and have been operating in more than 20 customer locations in seven U.S. states and three countries, with an additional 13 systems slated to be installed later this year. plugpower.com <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020822/nyth084_1.html> Working Fuel Cell On Display in Colorado. In Colorado, a fuel cell providing power to a residence and to the electrical grid system is available for public viewing. The fuel cell will be operating at the Parade of Homes from August 31 through October 6, 2002. Miller Burton Homes, Inc., Built Green Colorado(TM), the City and County of Denver, Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC), Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), Plug Power Inc., and Xcel Energy, Inc. collaborated in the installation of this fuel cell. <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020827/270089_3.html> Hydrogenics Installs Back-up System. Hydrogenics Corporation announced the successful installation of its HyUPS(tm) regenerative back-up fuel cell power generator at a trial site provided by Nextel Communications in northern California. The next step of the trial will simulate grid power failure conditions in order to test the 25 kW HyUPS(tm) system under a variety of operating conditions. The trial is expected to last through to the end of the summer. <http://www.hydrogenics.com/ir/NewsReleaseDetail-1.asp?RELEASEID=87353> Sulzer Hexis, GVM Sign FC Distribution Deal. Swiss companies Sulzer Hexis and Gasverbund Mittelland (GVM) signed a distribution agreement aimed at evaluating fuel cell (FC) systems for household use. Under the agreement, GVM will buy 30 FC systems from Sulzer Hexis for installation in customer homes. <http://www.sulzer.com> PORTABLE POWER Electric Fuel Receives Contracts, Orders from Several Companies. Electric Fuel Corporation has received a contract from an Israeli Security Agency to develop advanced zinc-air batteries for miniature arial platforms. Under the terms of the contract, Electric Fuel will develop prototype zinc-air cells that can maintain high power densities for extended periods of time. In other news, Electric Fuel 's Instant Power(tm) Chargers for digital cameras and camcorders will be sold in 1,200 Ritz Camera stores, the nation's largest retail photo chain, and on their award winning website 'Ritzcamera.com' with additional nationwide distribution from WYNIT, Inc., the nation's largest and fastest growing distributor of digital imaging products. The Instant Power camcorder battery connects to the camcorder through its DC jack and offers up to 10-hours of straight use time, depending upon the product's make and model. Auction World, one of the foremost direct television channels in the UK, has also placed an order valued at approximately $730,000 for the Instant Power(tm) Chargers and Mini Chargers. The order will be supplied over the next 12 months. Auction World will use INSTANT POWER Chargers in their TV auctions, as well as in a bundling deal with the purchase of mobile phones sold on a Vodafone contract. <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020806/nytu143_2.html> <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020819/nym144_1.html> <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020826/nym078_1.html> FUEL CELL COMPONENTS IdaTech Launches Fuel Processor. IdaTech commercially launched its FPM 20(TM) fuel processor module - the first commercial product of its kind incorporating a steam reformer and the company's patented, two-stage purification process into a compact package. The first of a family of fuel processors to be commercially released, the FPM 20(TM) is designed for simple integration into fuel cell systems or for use as a stand-alone hydrogen generator producing high-purity hydrogen. <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020826/sfm080_1.html> Hydrogenics and Dow Sign Agreement. Hydrogenics Corporation and Dow Corning have signed an agreement to jointly commercialize an innovative manufacturing process that the two companies co-developed for sealing PEM fuel cell stacks, electrolyzers and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA). Fuel Cell "Seal-in-Place(tm)" (FCSIP) technology is a robust and cost-effective automated sealing process that injects Dow Corning's proprietary silicone materials into an unsealed assembled stack. <http://www.hydrogenics.com/ir/NewsReleaseDetail-1.asp?RELEASEID=87005> FuelCell Energy Receives More Orders from MTU. FuelCell Energy, Inc. has received additional orders by the MTU unit of DaimlerChrysler for fuel cell components for six 250 kW units. <http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020828/nyw027_1.html> AMI to Supply Additional Test Stations to Global Thermoelectric. Global Thermoelectric Inc. has issued a contract to Advanced Measurements Inc. (AMI) to supply 14 additional solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) test stations for delivery in the fall of 2002. <http://64.69.77.104/generic_frames.asp?content_page=news.htm> Solvay Unveils New Membrane Website. Solvay Advanced Polymers has launched a new website designed to help manufacturers and their end-users better understand the benefits of using polymers for membranes. The site features the company's family of semi-permeable sulfone polymers and is focused on educating its visitors about the content, manufacturing and uses of polymeric membranes. <http://www.solvaymembranes.com> REPORTS/MARKET STUDIES Global Stationary Fuel Cell Markets. Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) released a report predicting the wide-scale adoption of commercial stationary fuel cell (FC) technology in the near future. The study, titled "Global Stationary Fuel Cell Markets - A Detailed Analysis of an Emerging Industry," indicates that FC generation capacity will increase to nearly 16,000 megawatts (MW) by 2012, from its current level of about 45 MW. <http://www.alliedworld.com> Fuel Cell Patent Report. Metrics Group has released a new report - "Technical Intelligence Profile (TIP): Fuel Cells." The TIP provides a broad overview of patenting activity in the field of Fuel Cells, as well as general competitive intelligence on the patenting of select market leaders and universities. <http://www.metricsgroup.com> MISCELLANEOUS Pacific Fuel Cell Signs Agreement with University of California. Pacific Fuel Cell Corporation has signed an agreement with the University of California (UC) to research and develop a fuel cell prototype based on Pacific Fuel Cell's proprietary carbon nanotechnology. The major purpose of the research and development (R&D) project is to sharply reduce the amount of platinum required for fuel cell operation. Wartsila, Topsoe Join to Develop Fuel Cells. Wartsila has entered into an agreement with Haldor Topsoe to jointly develop and market new fuel cell products with power outputs above 200 kilowatts (kW) for distributed power and marine applications. The two companies will combine Wartsila's decentralized power plant applications and marine technology experience with Haldor Topsoe's experience in catalyst development for the oil industry and planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology development. <http://www.haldortopsoe.com> Fuel Cells 2000 Adds New Features to www.fuelcells.org <http://www.fuelcells.org>. Fuel Cells 2000 has added new features to its award-winning website, <http://www.fuelcells.org>. An Interactive Map of Fuel Cell Developers and a Fuel Cell Installation chart are just some of the new items that can be found. <http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020903/32561_1.html> CONFERENCES/CALL FOR PAPERS Early Markets for Stationary Fuel Cells. The 2nd Annual Early Markets for Stationary Fuel Cells will be held at the Radisson Hotel Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 30 - October 1, 2002. For registration details, please visit <http://www.srinstitute.com/part_iter_site_page.cfm?iteration_id=438> f-cell 2002. The "forum f-cell 2002" will be held October 14-16, 2002, Stuttgart, Germany. For details, go to <http://www.f-cell.de/english/>. Environment UK 2002. "Environment UK 2002: creating connections, sharing solutions" will be October 22-23, 2002, at the Stoneleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, in Warwickshire, UK. For more information, go to environment-agency.gov.uk. CHP Conference. The 3rd International CHP and Decentralized Energy Conference takes place at the Hotel Grand Inter-Continental, New Delhi, India, October 24-26, 2002. <http://www.winrockindia.org/form_chp.htm> Hydrogen Infrastructure Investment Roundtable. The Hydrogen Infrastructure Investment Roundtable will be held November 13-15, 2002, at the Westfields Marriott Hotel, in Chantilly, Virginia. <http://www.montreuxenergy.com/hydrogen.htm> Fuel Cell Seminar. The 2002 Fuel Cell Seminar will be held November 18-21, 2002, at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California. For more information, go to <http://www.gofuelcell.com>. National Ethanol Conference. The National Ethanol Conference will be held February 17-19, 2003, at the Camelback Inn Marriott Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, please visit <http://www.ethanolRFA.org>. Electric Power 2003. Electric Power 2003 takes place March 4-6, 2003, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. <http://www.electricpowerexpo.com> Hyforum 2003. The International Hydrogen Energy Forum 2003 - "Clean Energy for the 21st Century" - will be October 20-23, 2003, in Beijing, China. For details, check out <http://www.chinahydrogen.org>. ---------- Fuel Cells 2000 is a non-profit, educational activity that seeks to promote the development, demonstration and commercialization of fuel cell technology. More info can be found @ <http://www.fuelcells.org/> To SUBSCRIBE to this listserve, send a BLANK email to fuelcell-subscribe@yahoogroups.com