Posts filed under 'Making News'
Japan Today reported on January 14, 2011 that gas suppliers and oil companies in that country are seeking to build approximately 100 hydrogen supply stations in four major cities throughout the country in preparation for the launch of mass produced hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles slated for 2015. America, that’s four years from now. Are we on the same trajectory? The announcement was made in a joint statement with Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Company and Honda Motor Company as they signaled their combined efforts to expand into the next generation of eco-friendly vehicles in Japan. Hello? Detroit automotive decision makers? It’s the U.S. economy calling. Japan recognizes that the infrastructure costs are high “with about 600 million yen required to build one hydrogen fueling station” according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. But it seems Japan has its eye on the future rather than worrying about the great American C-level executive pastime of wondering when the next bonus check will get deposited into their account.Again, let’s just look at what happened to the once booming city of Detroit and hopefully not get behind yet another 8-ball when it comes to making prudent decisions for the benefit of the many opposed to the elite few who seemingly ignore the incessant ringing of a hopeful and hardworking economy.
January 22nd, 2011
General Motors (GM) announced on December 8, 2010 its part to test fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in Hawaii. In a release issued by GM it was reported that “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; or H2I) aims to “integrate hydrogen as an essential building block for Hawaii’s sustainable energy ecosystem.” The GM release further commented that the partners are currently looking at methods to distribute hydrogen through natural and existing pipelines while also addressing the present issue of how to cost effectively produce and distribute hydrogen. According to the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, the state is the most fuel dependent in the country because it imports so much fossil fuel and has very high electricity and liquid fuel prices compared to its mainland counterparts. According to Martin LaMonica of CNET’s Green Tech, “to lessen Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels, the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative is trying to address one of the toughest challenges to fuel cell vehicle adoption–the lack of distribution infrastructure. We’ll stay tuned to see if the Initiative reaches its goal over the next five years.
December 15th, 2010
Fuel cells are being used to power buses, boats, trains, planes, and forklifts to name a few applications, and most (if not all) automakers are working to commercialize cars. Additionally, there are fuel cell-powered vending machines and vacuum cleaners, and cell phones and laptops are poised to hit the market.As far as stationary fuel cell systems are concerned, the three most popular applications are to power generation systems in hospitals, office buildings, hotels, schools, and utility districts; use with computers and telecommunications to identify more reliable power than currently on the grid; and landfills/wastewater treatment plants to reduce emissions and generate power from the methane gas they produce.A recent highlight for stationary fuel cell use includes Adobe’s installation to power their San Jose, California headquarters and New Haven Connecticut’s installation in City Hall.
October 21st, 2010