Hydrogen fuel cells are an up and coming way to store and dispense fuel. 

As TENTHMIL recently reported, scientists are looking at molybdenum as a catalyst in the chemical reaction that splits hydrogen gas from water.  It is about 70 times cheaper than old platinum catalysts, and it even works with waste water and sea water, unlike platinum. 

Through a process called electrolysis, an electrical current splits water into its component gases:  oxygen and hydrogen.  The oxygen is emitted and the hydrogen is compressed and stored in a fuel cell, to be later converted back to electricity. 

Piggy-Backing off of Renewables 

It’s a relatively simple and clean process, but it takes energy to fruit.  As hydrogen fuel cells production cheapens, from new technological advents, we may soon see them proliferating in tandem with renewable power sources. 

Wind

Some enterprising souls have already brought this idea to demonstration.

The Wind-to-Hydrogen project in Boulder, CO, is a partnership of NREL and Xcel Energy, to showcase electrolysis by wind turbine.

(This peppy narrator took me right back to 7th grade…sheee’s a friendly lady.)

Out on the windswept plains of North Dakota is the Basin Electric Power Cooperative, in Minot, that is putting that resource to work.  The Cooperative has a demo fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles, including pickup trucks and a tractor, and is capable of re-fueling them on location.

(If you stayed awake through that guy’s voice, you deserve a commendation.)

Solar

Honda has been exploring the conversion of solar power to hydrogen production for some years.

Geothermal

Iceland is well known for its geothermal energy resources.  Now it utilizes that energy to produce hydrogen, to fuel compatible vehicles directly.

(Is anyone really craving another dose of Alan Alda?)

The Recovery Act already allots nearly $42 million to hydrogen fuel cell development, which ought to go some way to improving the cost effectiveness of the fuel source. 

How much further can it go?