- Email: [email protected]
HotModule enters industrial service at Michelin
NEWS USA. Tel: +1 248 813 3792, Fax: +1 248 813 4876, www.delphiauto.com Or contact: Dr Gary McVay, Deputy Associate Lab Director, Energy Division, Battelle – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PO Box 999/MS K7-20, Richland, WA 99352, USA. Tel: +1 509 375 3762, Email: [email protected], www.seca.doe.gov
FCT signs California contract with AQMD Ottawa-based Fuel Cell Technologies has signed a contract for 10 residential solid oxide fuel cell units for California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). In May 2002 AQMD chose FCT to negotiate a contract to supply 10 fuel cell power systems for the first California clean air demonstration of fuel cells in homes. AQMD and FCT have now signed the contract, with the first deliveries scheduled for later this year. The contract is scheduled to run through 2005, during which time FCT will install, then operate and maintain the residential fuel cells for two years. FCT’s planned range of 1 kWe to 50 kWe SOFC products will provide on-site electricity and heat for homes, small commercial enterprises and remote locations, and can operate on any of several readily available fuels. Contact: Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd, 20 Binnington Court, Kingston, Ontario K7M 8S3, Canada. Tel: +1 613 544 8222, Fax: +1 613 544 5150, www.fct.ca Or contact: South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), 21865 E. Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, USA. Tel: +1 909 396 2000, www.aqmd.gov
UTC Fuel Cells, Nissan to collaborate on PEMFCs Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co and UTC Fuel Cells (UTCFC) in Connecticut have signed an agreement to jointly develop PEM fuel cell technology for automotive applications. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Under the agreement, Nissan will obtain rights to UTCFC’s technology, although UTCFC will continue its separate development efforts with other automakers. UTCFC, part of United Technologies’ UTC Power unit, will also have rights to any intellectual property jointly developed by the two companies for use in nonautomotive applications, including commercial stationary power plants. Nissan is already testing fuel cell vehicles on US roads within the California Fuel Cell 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Partnership, equipped with fuel cell engines made by Ballard Power Systems. But Ballard’s tight control of its intellectual property has meant that Nissan cannot obtain detailed information on the stacks used in the vehicles. The Japanese automaker will first include UTCFC fuel cells in its own vehicles to be released on a limited basis later this year, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in Tokyo. The companies will also exchange engineers to jointly research high-performance fuel cells. Nissan plans to jointly invest ¥85 billion (US$720m) in R&D with French automaker Renault SA over five years to commercialize fuel cell vehicles. But Nissan aims to develop its own products with technology developed with UTCFC. Contact: UTC Fuel Cells, 195 Governor’s Highway, South Windsor, CT 06074, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, Fax: +1 860 727 2319, www.utcfuelcells.com Or contact: Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Nissan Research Center, 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan. Tel: +81 468 675331, Fax: +81 468 675332, www.nissan.co.jp
Proton hydrogen generator for German fuel cell bus program Connecticut-based Proton Energy Systems has supplied a Hogen® 380 hydrogen generator for a hydrogen and renewable energy project in Barth, on Germany’s Baltic coast. The system, delivered last November, was commissioned and successfully passed acceptance testing in February. The hydrogen generator will be used to compress and store high-pressure hydrogen – up to 380 standard cubic feet per hour – for a fuel cell-powered bus, which will be operated by local bus company Wolters-Ostseebus GmbH for visitors in a nearby national park. The fuel cell manufacturer was not identified, although a number of fuel cell manufacturers have been providing information to the project, coordinated by Professor Jochen Lehmann at the Fachhochschule Stralsund. The oxygen byproduct from the unit will be used to increase Barth’s wastewater treatment capacity by adding oxygen to its biological wastewater treatment system, as part of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern regional government’s Hydrogen Initiative. The Barth environmental site will also incorporate solar panels for zero-emission electricity generation. Proton’s European distributor, Diamond Lite SA in Switzerland, supplied much of the equipment for the project.
Contact: Proton Energy Systems Inc, 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, Fax: +1 203 949 8016, www.protonenergy.com Or contact: Professor Jochen Lehmann, FB Elektrotechnik und Informatik, Fachhochschule Stralsund, Zur Schwedenschanze 15, D-18435 Stralsund, Germany. Tel: +49 3831 456703, Fax: +49 3831 456687, Email: [email protected]
HotModule enters industrial service at Michelin The first high-temperature MTU ‘HotModule’ fuel cell system for industrial service has begun operation at the Michelin tire works in Karlsruhe, Germany where it will undergo field-testing under everyday operating conditions. The clean electrical and thermal energy the power plant offers is crucial in view of the tire work’s location in the center of Karlsruhe. The startup marks a new stage in the commercialization of the molten carbonate technology, after more than 10 years of development. The power plant, which is being operated on the Michelin site by EnBW Energie BadenWürttemberg, Germany’s third-largest energy company, will supply both electricity and process steam for a number of industrial purposes, such as tire vulcanization. The fuel cells in the power plant were manufactured by US-based FuelCell Energy and shipped to MTU for incorporation into its HotModule power plant. The Michelin location is well suited for longterm fuel cell testing because the tire works operates a three-shift system and continually needs steam. The potential inherent in the simultaneous production of heat and electrical energy (cogeneration) can therefore be used to its best advantage and the fuel cell operated at base load. The HotModule will be operated with natural gas, but it can accept other fuels. The HotModule system has been developed by the New Technology division of MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary specializing in very large diesel engines, and is based on FuelCell Energy’s Direct FuelCell® molten carbonate fuel cells. MTU stresses that the HotModule – which produces some 230 kW net electric power and 180 kW of thermal energy, at a total utilization efficiency of >90% – is already comparatively mature in design and construction and relatively cheap to manufacture. The planned target for series production run-up is 2006. Ten HotModule plants have been installed at field-test locations so far, eight of which are still
April 2003
NEWS in regular operation. Further plants are to be delivered in 2003 to customers in Europe, the US and Asia. The results from the first HotModule field tests have generated a great deal of interest from potential users. Five plants were put into operation in 2002, installed at among others, De Te-Immobilien in Munich, IPF in Magdeburg, RWE in Essen und IZAR Cartagena in Spain. Contact: MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, PowerGen/New Technologies, D-81663 München, Germany. Tel: +49 89 607 31507, Fax: +49 89 607 31509, www.mtuonline.com
GM 700 bar hydrogen storage breakthrough extends FCV range General Motors has increased the driving range of its compressed hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with the world’s first successful vehicle test of a 700 bar (10 000 psi) hydrogen storage system, developed by California-based Quantum Technologies. GM claims this milestone has been achieved more than a year ahead of the stated goals of other automakers, including a recently established international alliance that includes Toyota, Nissan, DaimlerChrysler and Ford [FCB, March 2003]. The new 700 bar tank technology extends the range of GM’s HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicle by 60–70% compared to an equivalent-sized 350 bar (5000 psi) system. The 700 bar system was developed in collaboration with Quantum, GM’s fuel cell strategic alliance partner. Quantum’s TriShield™ tank design features a one-piece permeation-resistant seamless liner, a highperformance carbon composite over-wrap for strength and a proprietary, impact-resistant outer shell. The refueling process takes less than 5 min. The system was approved last year by the TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein), the leading German safety institute, in accordance with common industry standards in Europe and North America. The system has also been validated according to the European Integrated Hydrogen Project (EIHP), which is leading the development of global regulatory standards for hydrogen testing and certification. ‘This is a major step forward in developing fuel cell vehicles with a range equal to or better than conventional gasoline vehicles,’ said Larry Burns, GM vice president for R&D and planning. ‘We’re making great progress toward realizing the 300–350 mile (480–560 km) range required for large-scale commercialization.’ Contact: Dr Josefin Meusinger, Hydrogen Storage
April 2003
Systems, GM Fuel Cell Activities, Global Alternative Propulsion Center, Adam Opel AG, D-55252 MainzKastel, Germany. Web: www.opel.com or www.gm.com Or contact: Quantum Technologies Inc, 17872 Cartwright Road, Irvine, CA 92614, USA. Tel: +1 949 399 4500, Fax: +1 949 399 4600, www.qtww.com
LIPA to install 45 more Plug fuel cells across Long Island The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) will purchase an additional 45 Plug Power fuel cell systems for installation across Long Island this year, installing them in local homes for the first time. The announcement was made at a McDonald’s restaurant in West Babylon, New York partially powered by a Plug Power fuel cell. Twenty-five of the 5 kWe GenSys™5CS fuel cell systems will be installed at LIPA’s West Babylon Fuel Cell Demonstration Site, which currently contains fuel cell systems feeding directly into the Long Island electrical grid. The remaining 20 systems will generate on-site heat and power for single or multi-family residential sites, for the first time in LIPA’s service territory. The natural gas-fueled GenSys5CS units will be monitored remotely, and contain standby capacity to provide electricity to critical loads during grid outages. The McDonald’s fuel cell was installed by LIPA as part of its alternative energy technologies R&D program, within its Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) – a five-year, $170m program to foster the development and application of clean energy technologies, including fuel cells. In addition to its grid-connection program for fuel cells at its West Babylon substation, LIPA has also been placing Plug Power fuel cells at various commercial locations around Long Island, including Hofstra University, and Babylon and East Hampton Town Halls. LIPA hopes that thousands of Long Island homes and businesses eventually have fuel cells, to relieve it of some of the resources needed to build additional on-island power plants, and also help to achieve NY Governor George Pataki’s goal of 25% of the state’s electricity needs supplied by alternative energy technologies within 10 years. Contact: Long Island Power Authority, 333 Earle Ovington Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11553, USA. Tel: +1 516 222 7700, Fax: +1 516 222 9137, www.lipower.org Or contact: Plug Power Inc, 968 Albany-Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, Fax: +1 518 782 9060, www.plugpower.com
In Japan Sumisho Air mobile hydrogen filling station Tokyo-based Sumisho Air Water Company has developed a mobile hydrogen filling station for supplying fuel cell vehicles, according to the Nikkei Business Daily. The truck-mounted system comprises a high-pressure hydrogen dispenser and a hydrogen storage tank able to withstand 400 bar (5700 psi), compared with conventional onboard tanks rated for 350 bar (5000 psi). The company has also developed a system outfitted with a compressor that can accept and pressurize industrial-use hydrogen, stored at low pressure and delivered by truck. The report added that Toyota and Nissan are to employ the systems. Toyota will purchase a system comprising a high-pressure dispenser and storage tank for ¥50–60m (US$420 000– 500 000), and Nissan will lease a compressorequipped system for ¥2m ($17 000) per week. Fuel cell power generation at Chubu Electric Chubu Electric Power in central Japan has begun to generate electricity using a 300 kWe molten carbonate fuel cell in combination with a waste gasification system, according to a Jiji Press report. The fuel cell is in operation at the company’s Shin-Nagoya Thermal Power Plant in Chubu, generating electricity for use at the plant. The fuel cell – developed with IshikawajimaHarima Heavy Industries (IHI), and support from NEDO – can generate power from gases produced by burning waste paper and other materials, in addition to conventional fuels such as natural gas. After confirming its basic performance with natural gas, the company will begin testing with waste gases between late 2003 and March 2004. The company apparently plans to develop a 3 MWe fuel cell for commercial use by 2008. Garbage-powered bio-fuel cells developed by Kyoto institute, Sharp The Kyoto-based Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and Sharp Corporation have developed basic technology for making effective, compact biofuel cells which could operate at room temperature, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The report claimed that a matchboxsized device could power an LCD TV, while a 2-liter device could power an entire household. The bio-fuel cell comprises a fuel cell and a device for cultivating special microbes. Bio-fuel cells require no separate supply of hydrogen, methanol or other gas. Glucose made by liquefying and refining kitchen refuse is fed to the microbes, which produce enormous amounts of hydrogen. The researchers have increased the hydrogen production efficiency of soil bacteria by a factor of several hundred. The aim now is to make a small bio-fuel cell, and to start testing the device in 2005.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
FCT signs California contract with AQMD Ottawa-based Fuel Cell Technologies has signed a contract for 10 residential solid oxide fuel cell units for California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). In May 2002 AQMD chose FCT to negotiate a contract to supply 10 fuel cell power systems for the first California clean air demonstration of fuel cells in homes. AQMD and FCT have now signed the contract, with the first deliveries scheduled for later this year. The contract is scheduled to run through 2005, during which time FCT will install, then operate and maintain the residential fuel cells for two years. FCT’s planned range of 1 kWe to 50 kWe SOFC products will provide on-site electricity and heat for homes, small commercial enterprises and remote locations, and can operate on any of several readily available fuels. Contact: Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd, 20 Binnington Court, Kingston, Ontario K7M 8S3, Canada. Tel: +1 613 544 8222, Fax: +1 613 544 5150, www.fct.ca Or contact: South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), 21865 E. Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, USA. Tel: +1 909 396 2000, www.aqmd.gov
UTC Fuel Cells, Nissan to collaborate on PEMFCs Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co and UTC Fuel Cells (UTCFC) in Connecticut have signed an agreement to jointly develop PEM fuel cell technology for automotive applications. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Under the agreement, Nissan will obtain rights to UTCFC’s technology, although UTCFC will continue its separate development efforts with other automakers. UTCFC, part of United Technologies’ UTC Power unit, will also have rights to any intellectual property jointly developed by the two companies for use in nonautomotive applications, including commercial stationary power plants. Nissan is already testing fuel cell vehicles on US roads within the California Fuel Cell 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Partnership, equipped with fuel cell engines made by Ballard Power Systems. But Ballard’s tight control of its intellectual property has meant that Nissan cannot obtain detailed information on the stacks used in the vehicles. The Japanese automaker will first include UTCFC fuel cells in its own vehicles to be released on a limited basis later this year, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in Tokyo. The companies will also exchange engineers to jointly research high-performance fuel cells. Nissan plans to jointly invest ¥85 billion (US$720m) in R&D with French automaker Renault SA over five years to commercialize fuel cell vehicles. But Nissan aims to develop its own products with technology developed with UTCFC. Contact: UTC Fuel Cells, 195 Governor’s Highway, South Windsor, CT 06074, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, Fax: +1 860 727 2319, www.utcfuelcells.com Or contact: Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Nissan Research Center, 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan. Tel: +81 468 675331, Fax: +81 468 675332, www.nissan.co.jp
Proton hydrogen generator for German fuel cell bus program Connecticut-based Proton Energy Systems has supplied a Hogen® 380 hydrogen generator for a hydrogen and renewable energy project in Barth, on Germany’s Baltic coast. The system, delivered last November, was commissioned and successfully passed acceptance testing in February. The hydrogen generator will be used to compress and store high-pressure hydrogen – up to 380 standard cubic feet per hour – for a fuel cell-powered bus, which will be operated by local bus company Wolters-Ostseebus GmbH for visitors in a nearby national park. The fuel cell manufacturer was not identified, although a number of fuel cell manufacturers have been providing information to the project, coordinated by Professor Jochen Lehmann at the Fachhochschule Stralsund. The oxygen byproduct from the unit will be used to increase Barth’s wastewater treatment capacity by adding oxygen to its biological wastewater treatment system, as part of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern regional government’s Hydrogen Initiative. The Barth environmental site will also incorporate solar panels for zero-emission electricity generation. Proton’s European distributor, Diamond Lite SA in Switzerland, supplied much of the equipment for the project.
Contact: Proton Energy Systems Inc, 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, Fax: +1 203 949 8016, www.protonenergy.com Or contact: Professor Jochen Lehmann, FB Elektrotechnik und Informatik, Fachhochschule Stralsund, Zur Schwedenschanze 15, D-18435 Stralsund, Germany. Tel: +49 3831 456703, Fax: +49 3831 456687, Email: [email protected]
HotModule enters industrial service at Michelin The first high-temperature MTU ‘HotModule’ fuel cell system for industrial service has begun operation at the Michelin tire works in Karlsruhe, Germany where it will undergo field-testing under everyday operating conditions. The clean electrical and thermal energy the power plant offers is crucial in view of the tire work’s location in the center of Karlsruhe. The startup marks a new stage in the commercialization of the molten carbonate technology, after more than 10 years of development. The power plant, which is being operated on the Michelin site by EnBW Energie BadenWürttemberg, Germany’s third-largest energy company, will supply both electricity and process steam for a number of industrial purposes, such as tire vulcanization. The fuel cells in the power plant were manufactured by US-based FuelCell Energy and shipped to MTU for incorporation into its HotModule power plant. The Michelin location is well suited for longterm fuel cell testing because the tire works operates a three-shift system and continually needs steam. The potential inherent in the simultaneous production of heat and electrical energy (cogeneration) can therefore be used to its best advantage and the fuel cell operated at base load. The HotModule will be operated with natural gas, but it can accept other fuels. The HotModule system has been developed by the New Technology division of MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary specializing in very large diesel engines, and is based on FuelCell Energy’s Direct FuelCell® molten carbonate fuel cells. MTU stresses that the HotModule – which produces some 230 kW net electric power and 180 kW of thermal energy, at a total utilization efficiency of >90% – is already comparatively mature in design and construction and relatively cheap to manufacture. The planned target for series production run-up is 2006. Ten HotModule plants have been installed at field-test locations so far, eight of which are still
April 2003
NEWS in regular operation. Further plants are to be delivered in 2003 to customers in Europe, the US and Asia. The results from the first HotModule field tests have generated a great deal of interest from potential users. Five plants were put into operation in 2002, installed at among others, De Te-Immobilien in Munich, IPF in Magdeburg, RWE in Essen und IZAR Cartagena in Spain. Contact: MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, PowerGen/New Technologies, D-81663 München, Germany. Tel: +49 89 607 31507, Fax: +49 89 607 31509, www.mtuonline.com
GM 700 bar hydrogen storage breakthrough extends FCV range General Motors has increased the driving range of its compressed hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with the world’s first successful vehicle test of a 700 bar (10 000 psi) hydrogen storage system, developed by California-based Quantum Technologies. GM claims this milestone has been achieved more than a year ahead of the stated goals of other automakers, including a recently established international alliance that includes Toyota, Nissan, DaimlerChrysler and Ford [FCB, March 2003]. The new 700 bar tank technology extends the range of GM’s HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicle by 60–70% compared to an equivalent-sized 350 bar (5000 psi) system. The 700 bar system was developed in collaboration with Quantum, GM’s fuel cell strategic alliance partner. Quantum’s TriShield™ tank design features a one-piece permeation-resistant seamless liner, a highperformance carbon composite over-wrap for strength and a proprietary, impact-resistant outer shell. The refueling process takes less than 5 min. The system was approved last year by the TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein), the leading German safety institute, in accordance with common industry standards in Europe and North America. The system has also been validated according to the European Integrated Hydrogen Project (EIHP), which is leading the development of global regulatory standards for hydrogen testing and certification. ‘This is a major step forward in developing fuel cell vehicles with a range equal to or better than conventional gasoline vehicles,’ said Larry Burns, GM vice president for R&D and planning. ‘We’re making great progress toward realizing the 300–350 mile (480–560 km) range required for large-scale commercialization.’ Contact: Dr Josefin Meusinger, Hydrogen Storage
April 2003
Systems, GM Fuel Cell Activities, Global Alternative Propulsion Center, Adam Opel AG, D-55252 MainzKastel, Germany. Web: www.opel.com or www.gm.com Or contact: Quantum Technologies Inc, 17872 Cartwright Road, Irvine, CA 92614, USA. Tel: +1 949 399 4500, Fax: +1 949 399 4600, www.qtww.com
LIPA to install 45 more Plug fuel cells across Long Island The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) will purchase an additional 45 Plug Power fuel cell systems for installation across Long Island this year, installing them in local homes for the first time. The announcement was made at a McDonald’s restaurant in West Babylon, New York partially powered by a Plug Power fuel cell. Twenty-five of the 5 kWe GenSys™5CS fuel cell systems will be installed at LIPA’s West Babylon Fuel Cell Demonstration Site, which currently contains fuel cell systems feeding directly into the Long Island electrical grid. The remaining 20 systems will generate on-site heat and power for single or multi-family residential sites, for the first time in LIPA’s service territory. The natural gas-fueled GenSys5CS units will be monitored remotely, and contain standby capacity to provide electricity to critical loads during grid outages. The McDonald’s fuel cell was installed by LIPA as part of its alternative energy technologies R&D program, within its Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) – a five-year, $170m program to foster the development and application of clean energy technologies, including fuel cells. In addition to its grid-connection program for fuel cells at its West Babylon substation, LIPA has also been placing Plug Power fuel cells at various commercial locations around Long Island, including Hofstra University, and Babylon and East Hampton Town Halls. LIPA hopes that thousands of Long Island homes and businesses eventually have fuel cells, to relieve it of some of the resources needed to build additional on-island power plants, and also help to achieve NY Governor George Pataki’s goal of 25% of the state’s electricity needs supplied by alternative energy technologies within 10 years. Contact: Long Island Power Authority, 333 Earle Ovington Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11553, USA. Tel: +1 516 222 7700, Fax: +1 516 222 9137, www.lipower.org Or contact: Plug Power Inc, 968 Albany-Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, Fax: +1 518 782 9060, www.plugpower.com
In Japan Sumisho Air mobile hydrogen filling station Tokyo-based Sumisho Air Water Company has developed a mobile hydrogen filling station for supplying fuel cell vehicles, according to the Nikkei Business Daily. The truck-mounted system comprises a high-pressure hydrogen dispenser and a hydrogen storage tank able to withstand 400 bar (5700 psi), compared with conventional onboard tanks rated for 350 bar (5000 psi). The company has also developed a system outfitted with a compressor that can accept and pressurize industrial-use hydrogen, stored at low pressure and delivered by truck. The report added that Toyota and Nissan are to employ the systems. Toyota will purchase a system comprising a high-pressure dispenser and storage tank for ¥50–60m (US$420 000– 500 000), and Nissan will lease a compressorequipped system for ¥2m ($17 000) per week. Fuel cell power generation at Chubu Electric Chubu Electric Power in central Japan has begun to generate electricity using a 300 kWe molten carbonate fuel cell in combination with a waste gasification system, according to a Jiji Press report. The fuel cell is in operation at the company’s Shin-Nagoya Thermal Power Plant in Chubu, generating electricity for use at the plant. The fuel cell – developed with IshikawajimaHarima Heavy Industries (IHI), and support from NEDO – can generate power from gases produced by burning waste paper and other materials, in addition to conventional fuels such as natural gas. After confirming its basic performance with natural gas, the company will begin testing with waste gases between late 2003 and March 2004. The company apparently plans to develop a 3 MWe fuel cell for commercial use by 2008. Garbage-powered bio-fuel cells developed by Kyoto institute, Sharp The Kyoto-based Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and Sharp Corporation have developed basic technology for making effective, compact biofuel cells which could operate at room temperature, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The report claimed that a matchboxsized device could power an LCD TV, while a 2-liter device could power an entire household. The bio-fuel cell comprises a fuel cell and a device for cultivating special microbes. Bio-fuel cells require no separate supply of hydrogen, methanol or other gas. Glucose made by liquefying and refining kitchen refuse is fed to the microbes, which produce enormous amounts of hydrogen. The researchers have increased the hydrogen production efficiency of soil bacteria by a factor of several hundred. The aim now is to make a small bio-fuel cell, and to start testing the device in 2005.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9