Green Options » fuel cells

Honda Begins “Production” of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle

Nick Chambers — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:51:38 +0000

Honda has started rolling the first US specification FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell sedans off a production line in Japan to be delivered to a small group of hand-picked high-profile California test customers. Leases to these customers, including Jamie Lee Curtis, are scheduled to begin in July.

The combined sales plan for the US and Japan calls for a few dozen to be leased the first year with about 200 total units leased over the next three years.

The FCX Clarity was designed from scratch as a dedicated fuel cell vehicle and is powered by the relatively compact Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. With a 280 mile range per tankful of hydrogen, Honda claims it has a miles-per-gallon-gasoline-equivalent (GGE) fuel economy rating of 74 mpg (how’s that for a confusing tongue twister of a concept?).

Honda chose California as the starting place for the roll-out because, currently, California has the best liquid hydrogen distribution network in all of the US — with plans to expand the existing network of hydrogen fueling stations even more.

Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity to run a vehicle in the same way as a battery powered vehicle. However, fuel cells need to have their electricity generating substance (e.g. hydrogen) constantly replenished, whereas batteries are a closed system that can be recharged by plugging them into an outlet.

To accommodate the special equipment needed in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Honda has designed and built a new dedicated assembly line. The assembly line includes processes for installing the fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank. Because of the potentially explosive nature of storing compressed liquid hydrogen on board, the attention to detail must be very high.

Obviously, the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at any meaningful level is going to be entirely dependent upon accessibility to compressed liquid hydrogen refueling stations (unless hydrogen can truly be produced in large enough quantities in the vehicle and on-demand by some other means). This is no small road block and it leaves me still wondering if hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will ever really make it big.

But I guess it’s a good thing to research all the different possibilities for cars of the future. Eventually a few technologies will settle out as the winners and the world will be better off for it. I could be eating my words in 10 years, but I just don’t think hydrogen fuel cells are going to be one of those winners though.

Posts related to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles:

Image Credit: Honda Motor Company

GM Backs Hydrogen Refueling Station Near LA

Clayton B. Cornell — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:39:01 +0000

Despite claims to the contrary, it seems like General Motors is getting more and more involved in the refueling business. GM has already invested heavily in two different cellulosic ethanol companies (Coskata and Mascoma), and has now partnered with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to open a hydrogen fueling station near the Los Angeles Int’l Airport (LAX). The station will be located at Clean Energy’s compressed natural gas (CNG) facility and should be operational by the fall.

Mary Beth Stanek, GM’s director of energy and environmental policy & commercialization made it clear that this is just a continuation of the company’s general policy to advance the development of refueling infrastructure for their future vehicle fleet. No one wants a car they can’t buy fuel for, and GM isn’t go to wait around for the government to step in and mandate or subsidize one of the options.

“Developing and growing hydrogen infrastructure is vital to GM’s efforts to bring larger volumes of fuel cell vehicles to the market.”

Reforming hydrogen from natural gas is controversial, especially since California already has a reasonably well-developed CNG refueling system powering some of the cleanest cars on the road (14,000 daily according to GCC). But proponents argue that natural gas is an ideal transition feedstock until a more sustainable alternative for hydrogen production can be developed.

Hydrogen from the new station will be used primarily for Chevrolet’s Project Driveway, which is the largest market test of fuel-cell vehicles to date. If you want to test drive a Chevy Equinox Fuel-Cell Vehicle, check the link to see if you’re eligible (I tried to get through Project Driveway’s survey, but gave up after answering 50 questions that still wouldn’t tell me if my area is included—I’m pretty sure it’s not).

Final words from Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy president and CEO:

Developing a cost-effective hydrogen infrastructure is a challenge. By leveraging the growing network of natural gas stations, a variety of hydrogen station designs can be introduced to the public. Ultimately, reforming pipeline natural gas to produce hydrogen at our stations may be done inexpensively, thereby taking advantage of the ready infrastructure. This approach can help accelerate a larger-scale deployment of hydrogen vehicles.

Posts Related to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles:

More: GM partners with Clean Energy for new hydrogen statiion in Los Angeles

[Via]

Photo Credit: Clayton B. Cornell (Detroit Auto Show)

Fuel Cells that You can Carry on a Plane to Charge Phones, iPods, or Game Players

Rod Adams — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:53:42 +0000

Disclosure: I have been following the development of this device for several years and own Medis stock.

As a long time business traveler who likes to listen to music and podcasts and who occasionally needs to participate in lengthy phone calls, I have often gathered with others around the few electric sockets available at airports to grab a bit of juice for my portable devices. Some airports have finally started making more outlets available - perhaps they recognize that forcing some of their best customers to sit on the floor next to the columns where their cleaning crews plug in vacuum cleaners was not a good form of customer service.

However, there are still plenty of times when there is no source of ready power and I have a battery operated device that needs to be charged.

There are a couple of available solutions, but most of them depend on using chemical batteries to provide a few emergency charges. Once those charges have been completed, the batteries become a disposal challenge because it is not always easy to find a recycling path that will take proper care.

Since I have been dealing with this growing challenge for a couple of decades now, I have been very interested in a fuel cell product being developed by Medis Technologies that makes some very positive strides in solving the problem without causing new issues. Instead of typical chemical batteries, it uses a material with a paste like consistency that produces electricity by reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere.

Because a large portion of the chemical reactant is not stored inside the cell - the oxygen - the cells can be packed with a much higher quantity of energy than any battery where all of the chemicals that react to produce electron flow are sealed up as part of the battery. Medis has been working on their technology for at least five years and has made a lot of advances in terms of producing a charger that can provide a useful service.

They have gone through and extensive regulatory process to get the device approved for carrying on board airplanes, they have built and qualified a production facility that can produce large quantities of fuel cells and they have packaged the devices with a cord that accepts a number of different tips that allow it to be compatible with the multitude of different types of battery charging connections. The photo accompanying this post is one of the early models that I purchased about 9 months ago from MyTreo.com. I tried to keep track of its use - I managed to charge my iPod Nano about 30 times before it ran out of juice.

The charger is obviously one that was designed by a company where engineers have more influence than industrial designers - it looks a lot like a typical brick from a charging cord without the portion of the cord that plugs into the wall. Apparently, the company is developing some new relationships with people that know a bit more about pleasing the eye; the new models will not be in a black, boxy case. They have also announced that they are working on a product that combines their fuel cell with LED lights that will be useful for campers, travelers, storm victims and people who live in places where there is no reliable electricity. (If you want to learn more about how to purchase fuel cells or about the company’s future plans for new products using the same basic technology, you can read the transcript of their most recent investor conference call.)

Medis fuel cells are not rechargeable and they do - eventually - run out of chemical reactant and stop working. They provide about 5-20 times as much energy as a comparably sized battery, however, and the company will take them back for recycling. It is not a perfect solution, but certainly it is something to consider the next time that you wonder how you are going to keep your cell phone working through a long conference call.

Update: (Posted May 24, 2008) Medis 24 x 7 Power Packs are now available for purchase at Savenna.com. Medis also stated during their recent investor conference call that the Power Packs will soon be available for purchase at selected Best Buy stores. In the works are versions of the system that will be refillable and other versions designed to provide laptop quantity power. You can learn more about the technology at Medis Technologies.

Photo credit - Rod Adams under Creative Commons (taken May 20, 2008)

Green Motorcycles Combine Technology, Sex Appeal, and Transformers [SlideShow]

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:37:11 +0000

Yamaha Tesseract: Green Bike or Decepticon?

The future of transportation is in no way restricted to cars, considering that most of the world’s population gets by on some sort of bike. If you want to see what the future of individual transport might look like, take a look at the Yamaha Tesseract (above), and a slideshow of 11 other green motorcycles put together by Wired.

Despite looking like it could walk away on its own or eat your dog, the Tesseract isn’t really a Transformer, but it and the other bikes are powered by innovative combinations of renewable power sources like electricity, methanol, and hydrogen-fuel cells. You might see some of them soon, too—the first hydrogen-powered motorcycle, the ENV Fuel Cell Bike, is slated for release next year.

These designs could usher in a new era of non-petroleum based individual transport. For details and pictures, see Wired’s slideshow of “Eco-Friendly and Badass” green motorcycles .

Green Motorcycles of the (Near) Future [SlideShow]

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:01:45 +0000

Wired magazine put together a slideshow of motorcycles that are pushing the limits of green design and technology. Take the ENV Fuel Cell Bike, pictured above, which will be the first hydrogen-powered motorcycle when it’s released next year.

See 11 more of these green machines at Wired.

The Cleanest Cars on Earth: Honda Civic GX and Other Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs)

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:58:14 +0000

Clean Burning Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are hot commodities in some parts of the country, where fuel can sell for as low as $0.63 per gallon.

Unlike the world’s most fuel efficient car (VW’s 285 MPG bullet), the Honda Civic GX looks like a standard passenger vehicle. What makes it special is what you don’t see: tailpipe emissions that are often cleaner than ambient air.

The Civic GX is powered by compressed natural gas—methane—the simplest and cleanest-burning hydrocarbon available. With an economical 113-hp, 1.8-Liter engine, the EPA has called the Civic the “world’s cleanest internal-combustion vehicle” with 90% cleaner emissions than the average gasoline-powered car on the road in 2004.

And get this: in Utah, natural gas can be purchased for $0.63 per gallon.

At $24,590, buying a new Civic GX won’t exactly break your bank account, especially since up to $7,000 will come back to you in the form of state and federal tax credits. But don’t expect to find one easily. The car is only sold in two states, New York and California, and Honda can’t build them fast enough. One dealership said they have over 80 people waiting to buy.

It’s fairly obvious why densely populated states would be interested, especially since natural gas is a readily available source of heating fuel for many parts of the country. Most importantly, the Civic is the Eagle Scout of emissions certifications: it qualified for the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) status, which means that it’s a Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (SULEV) with zero-evaporative emissions. To qualify for AT-PZEV, the Civic must also carry a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty on emissions equipment. It also meets EPA’s strict Tier-2, Bin-2 and ILEV certification.

Despite getting the equivalent of a good but not quite amazing 36 MPG highway/24 MPG city, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) awarded the Civic the green ribbon as the greenest vehicle of 2008. That’s the fifth consecutive year it’s taken the top prize.

So what’s the downside?

Drawbacks to the Civic GX and other Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles

Earlier this week I was clued-in to the explosion in popularity of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in Southern Utah, and their potential to overwhelm the 91 refueling stations already in place there.

That’s the biggest drawback to NGVs:

There are only about 1,600 CNG stations nationwide (compared to 200,000 gas stations), though some areas (like Utah and California) are better served than others. To see where these stations are, see the alternative fuel locater from Mapquest (under #2 on that post).

One way to get around this is to buy your own natural gas refueling station. Since a large number of us burn natural gas for heat, this doesn’t require much more than setting up a pump. The refueling kits, made by FuelMaker, will set you back about $3,500, but that can be offset by substantial tax credits.

Second drawback: since natural gas is a compressed fuel, the tank takes up some trunk space, and only holds the equivalent of 8 gallons of gasoline. Honda estimates the vehicle’s range to be 220 to 250 miles, although Consumer Reports claimed it was closer to 180 miles.

NGV enthusiasts are getting around range limitations (and vehicle scarcity) by converting their own vehicles to run on natural gas and adding spare tank capacity. Throwing extra tanks in the bed of a truck, for example, can boost driving range to around 600 miles. The best part about converting a vehicle (as opposed to the Civic GX) is that if you run out of CNG, the system automatically switches back to gasoline.

Third drawback: NGVs don’t provide that great of a reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions when compared to their gasoline counterparts.

According to the industry group Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVA), the reduction is only 20%, which is about the same GHG reduction you get from corn-based ethanol. That doesn’t sound too impressive, but it’s still a reduction, and clean air could be worth it.

The big question mark is natural gas supply. If large amounts of biomethane can be produced from biomass (which is probably already done at your local landfill), the emissions reductions would be much greater.

But What About Natural Gas Supply?

Natural gas supplies 20% of all energy use in the US. According to NGVA: “Even if the number of NGVs were to increase 100-fold in the next ten years to 11,000,000 or roughly 5% of the entire vehicle market (a formidable goal), the impact on natural gas supplies and the natural gas delivery infrastructure would be small — equating to about 4 percent of total U.S. natural gas consumption.”

At first glance, that sounds pretty good, but any increase in natural gas usage means importing more fuel.

Taking a look at data from the Energy Information Administration, the US uses about 21.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, most of which is produced domestically (18.5 trillion cubic feet) with the difference being imported (4.2 trillion cubic feet). Proved natural gas reserves in the US amount to about 211 trillion cubic feet. If my math is correct, without taking into account any increase in demand, the US only has about 11.5 years of natural gas left. After that, we’re back to square one: importing oil from Russia, Qatar, Iran, and Saudi Arabia

Like petroleum, two-thirds of world natural gas supply exists in just a few countries. If we’re at all worried about having domestic (let alone renewable) energy sources, basing the future of US transportation on natural gas puts us right back in the same position we’re in now.

Also like petroleum, there is an “infinite supply” argument: “Don’t worry, we won’t run out… promise.” NGVA says that if we can tap into methane hydrate ice formations that exist under 1000 feet of water at the bottom of the arctic oceans, we’ll be just fine. Right now, this is about as plausible as time travel, and methane hydrates serve a very important function—they’re a crucial sink for carbon dioxide in the global carbon cycle.

Conclusions

Whether or not we’ve learned our lesson about importing foreign energy, natural gas could still provide a functional infrastructure and technology for transition to hydrogen fuel cells. Natural gas is currently the number one feedstock for producing hydrogen, and refueling stations along California’s hydrogen highway may produce the fuel by reforming natural gas on-site. Basically, this gives us a transition fuel until we figure out how to make hydrogen sustainably.

As for the Honda Civic GX, it may be the cleanest-burning vehicle on the market, but the drawbacks listed above are likely to keep NGVs out of mainstream production for the forseeable future. It seems unlikely that natural gas will stay as cheap as it currently is in Utah, but relatively low pricing could keep the car’s popularity high in some areas. It will be interesting to see how things resolve there.

For more on the Honda Civic GX, see Honda’s Website and Consumer Reports. See more pictures below.

For more on Natural Gas, see Natural Gas Cars: CNG Fuel Almost Free in Some Parts of the Country.

Posts Related to Alternative Fuels and Green Car Technology:

Photo Credit: Honda

Gas 2.0 Monthly Recap: March 2008

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:12:34 +0000

This has been a great month for Gas 2.0, and in no small way due to the incredible stories we’re hearing every day about new green-car tech, non-food based biofuels, and big scientific breakthroughs.

Besides getting back into the swing of things after some down-time in February, we were lucky to add Benjamin F.T. Jones to our writing team. Ben’s covered some of the most popular stories here this month, including the Subaru’s STI diesel, the all-electric Lightning GT, and a Japanese man’s attempt to sail across the Pacific in a wave-powered boat. See all of Ben’s posts here.

If you don’t want to miss the news next month, you can subscribe to Gas 2.0’s RSS feed here.

To recap, these are some of the top stories from March 2008:

Biofuels

The biggest story was one of the last of the month: the first algae-to-biofuels facility will go online on April 1, 2008. Researchers found that another second-generation biofuel, switchgrass, could potentially displace 30% of US petroleum usage with 94% GHG reduction. The first cellulosic ethanol facility went online, making fuel from wood waste. And don’t forget about new microtechnology that could allow biodiesel to power the hydrogen economy (biodiesel fuel-cells). Continental and Boeing also said they’d be conducting a biofuels test-flight in 2009.

Green Cars

Tesla Motors announced they will finally start production of the electric Tesla Roadster. Progressive Auto Insurance announced they would fund a $10 million purse for the 100 MPG Automotive X Prize (Google will also spend $10 million on plug-in electric hybrid research). Subaru unleashed the R1e electric car in New York. A 376.59 MPG car was found in a museum, and, finally, Volkswagen announced they will produce a 69.9 MPG VW diesel hybrid.

We also reviewed some older news about Aptera’s electric car and 300 MPG hybrid vehicle (available next year), the lower-emissions-than-a-Prius Toyota iQ, and the world’s most fuel efficient car (285 MPG).

Science

Other notable studies (not listed under the biofuels section) included:

Researchers found that nanoparticles in diesel exhaust can affect the brain.
Another study found that biodiesel blends sold as B20 biodiesel (20% biodiesel, 80% diesel) varied from 10% to 74% in actual biodiesel content.
Scientific American writers have a plan to power 35-90% of US transportation off solar power.
Scientists at University of Minnesota found that most cars can actually run just fine on 20% ethanol (E20).

Do-It-Yourself and Practical Info

Gas 2.0 also added some good practical information, such as the Top 15 Unexpected Uses For Biodiesel, learning how to make biodiesel on YouTube, replacing your car’s engine instead of buying a new one, increasing your car’s efficiency for $11, and a few stories on people converting their Prius hybrids to get over 100 MPG.

Expect to see more exciting news here in April. Thanks for your questions and comments, and thanks for reading!

Top 15 Unexpected Uses For Biodiesel

Clayton B. Cornell — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:57:54 +0000

While virtually everyone is familiar with the use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel, there are a few novel uses that may not have crossed your radar. Biodiesel can produce hydrogen, clean up oil spills, degrease your tools, heat your home, and more.

Here’s My Top 15 Unexpected Uses for Biodiesel:

1. Producing Hydrogen for Fuel-Cell Vehicles

This was the big story of the month: Researchers at InnovaTek have developed hand-sized microreactors that can turn biodiesel (or any other liquid fuel) into a hydrogen stream for use in an adjoining fuel-cell. Chevron has already invested $500,000 to develop hydrogen refueling stations for fuel-cell powered cars. InnovaTek hopes to eventually install the microreactors in vehicles, which would allow cars to fill up on biodiesel but be powered by a much more efficient and even cleaner-burning electric drivetrain. See the full story here.

2. Cleaning Up Oil Spills

Biodiesel is known for being environmentally benign, but who would have thought it could help clean up oil-spills? Biodiesel has been tested as potential cleaning agent for shorelines contaminated with crude oil, and has been found to increase the recovery of crude oil from artificial sand columns (ie, the beach). It’s also been used in commercial biosolvents shown to be effective in coagulating crude oil and allowing it to be skimmed off the surface of water. In 1997, the product Cytosol was licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game as a shoreline cleaning agent.

3. Generating Electricity

In addition to producing hydrogen for vehicle fuel (see #1), fuel-cells have power-generation applications that could utilize biodiesel. The military has already invested $1.8 million in mobile power-generation using this technology, and it could be available for civilian applications in the near future.

Biodiesel is already used in conventional power generation. In 2001, UC Riverside installed a 6 megawatt backup-generator system powered by 100% biodiesel. The project was a success, and operating smoke typical to diesel generators was virtually non-existent. Biodiesel can be used in backup systems where the substantial reduction in emissions really matters: hospitals, schools, and other facilities usually located in residential areas. It can also be used to supplement solar power in off-the grid homes (for instructions, see Kemp 2006).

Petroleum usage by electrical utilities in 2006 amounted to 115,370,000 barrels of oil, an amount that could be completely replaced by US biodiesel production.

4. Heating Your Home

Bioheat has has grown in popularity over the last few years, and biodiesel can be used as a home heating oil in domestic and commercial boilers (Number 2 heating oil is virtually identical to petrodiesel). While a 20% biodiesel blend (B20) can be used without modification, higher blends may affect rubber seals and gaskets in older equipment. High blends of biodiesel will also clean out fuel pipes, which can improve heating efficiency but may initially cause fuel filter clogging.

A 20% biodiesel blend will reduce the emissions of both sulfur dioxide (SO2 - acid rain) and nitrogen oxides (NOx - pollutants that contribute to ground-level ozone) by 20% over the entire range of air settings.

There may be a business in your area that specializes in bioheat. Check out Portland Green Heat for an example.

5. Camping: Cooking and Illumination

It’s possible to use biodiesel instead of kerosene in some non-wick lanterns and stoves. For example, BriteLyt Petromax multi-fuel lanterns will work just fine with biodiesel (they’ll burn just about anything). BriteLyt also makes multifuel stoves. But at 4lbs., it isn’t something you’d want to take backpacking.

I’ve always wondered if traditional camp-stoves could handle biodiesel. For example, the MSR WhisperLite Internationale and the Primus Multifuel are designed to run on a number of fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. There is some anecdotal evidence that they can use biodiesel, but I thought it would be better to ask the manufacturer, MSR. Here’s the response I got from Cascade Designs (a distributor):

Clayton,
Thank you for contacting Cascade Designs Inc.
We have seen stoves come back that had biodiesel used in them and they are severely clogged to the point that the stove cannot be revived. So the short answer is no one cannot use biodiesel in any of our stoves. Rest assured that our designers are taking this into consideration and a stove that can burn biodiesel is being discussed for the future.

Keep in mind, however, that many auto manufacturers say the same thing about using B100 in their diesel cars and trucks. I suspect the stoves mentioned above might have been clogged by the owners trying to use straight vegetable oil (brilliant idea). For lamps and stoves that will work with biodiesel, check out the resources available on JourneyToForever’s list.

6. Cleaning Up Tools and Grease

B100 is such a good solvent that it can clean dirty or greasy engine or other machine parts. Fill a bucket with B100 (100% biodiesel), drop in the tool or part that needs cleaning, and see what happens (note: best to try this with less-expensive tools first). Also, biodiesel makes an awesome bike-chain degreaser/lubricator. If you chain starts to squeak, just add a little B100 and see what a world of difference it makes.

Biodiesel can also be used as an industrial solvent for metal cleaning, which is advantageous due to its lack of toxicity or environmental impacts.

7. Adding Lubricity to Diesel Fuel

In 2006, all diesel fuel was required to reduce its sulfur concentration from 500 ppm to 15 ppm. Since sulfur provided most of the fuel’s lubricity, a substitute is required to keep diesel engines functioning properly and avoid premature injection pump wear (ie failure). Biodiesel naturally has less than 15 ppm sulfur concentration anyway, and adding just 1 to 2% biodiesel can restore the lubricity to diesel fuel.

8. Removing Paint and Adhesives

Biodiesel can replace the exceedingly toxic products designed for paint removal. It’s probably best used for smaller-scale and non-critical applications (ie not on your car’s custom paint job).

Biodiesel can also be used to remove adhesive residues, like those left by duct tape.

The last 7 uses I’ve heard about but wasn’t able to substantiate. If you know something about these, or have a resource to contribute, feel free to add it here:

9. Asphalt Cleanup Agent

10. Hand Cleaner

11. Crop Adjuvant

12. Screen Printing Ink Remover

13. Auto Wax Remover

14. Corrosion Preventative

15. Metal Working Lubricant

So how can you find Biodiesel in your area? Check out 6 Ways To Find And Use Biodiesel Anywhere.

For more information on using biodiesel, see Gas 2.0’s biodiesel guide or the following posts:

Biodiesel Guide: 7 Steps to Buying a Diesel
Learn How To Make Biodiesel On YouTube
How Biodiesel Fuel-Cells Could Power The Future (And Your Car)
Study: Buying Biodiesel May Be A Gamble

NEW: First Algae Biodiesel Plant Goes Online April 1, 2008

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How Biodiesel Fuel-Cells Could Power The Future (And Your Car)

Clayton B. Cornell — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:38:49 +0000

After years of development, the Washington-based company InnovaTek is testing a hand-sized microreactor that can convert virtually any liquid fuel into hydrogen, producing a portable hydrogen stream for use in adjoining fuel-cells.

Since the microreactor units can be linked together, InnovaTek has developed systems capable of producing anywhere from 1 to 160 gallons of hydrogen per minute—enough to supply a hydrogen refueling station or, even more exciting, creating on-board hydrogen for fuel-cell powered vehicles.

That’s InnovaTek’s eventual goal anyway: having their technology built into cars, where energy-dense renewable fuels could be converted into motion, bypassing combustion and the production of exhaust gases entirely, and powering a much more efficient engine. (Imagine for a moment, filling up on biodiesel and driving off to the exhaust-free hum of an electric motor.) InnovaTek plans on commercially licensing the microreactors by 2009.

Weighing less than one pound, the square piece of shiny steel (pictured above) houses an array of microchannels containing patented catalytic sites. Each microtube helps convert (or reform) a continuous stream of hydrogen from fuels like gasoline, diesel, vegetable oil, biodiesel, propane, natural gas, even the glycerol byproduct from biodiesel manufacturing.

While hydrogen produced by the device has been lauded as the “energy of the future,” it faces major developmental issues. Hydrogen is not a great energy carrier. It has a relatively low energy density, it’s difficult and dangerous to transport, and finding a way to store it on-board in hydrogen-powered vehicles has proven difficult (the first Mercedes F-cell had a range of only 110 miles). The refueling infrastructure is also non-existent.

Even more to the point, we haven’t yet established a renewable source of energy to produce hydrogen.

But that hasn’t stopped us from building hydrogen fuel-cell powered cars. GM, Ford, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota all have prototypes in the works, and Mercedes already released their subcompact F cell in late 2007.

Taking all this into consideration, Innovatek’s reactor could revolutionize the energy and transportation infrastructure of the country.

Innovatek has already signed a $500,000 joint development agreement with Chevron to pursue fuel processing technology for hydrogen refueling stations. (If you think that’s big, in Sept. ‘06 the Navy also awarded Innovatek with a $1.8 million contract to develop portable recharging systems for equipment Marines typically carry by foot.) One of Innovatek’s chief board members commented on their ability to reduce the cost of hydrogen generation: “The smaller system size, reduced catalyst volume, and more efficient process that is realized with InnovaTek’s technology represents another significant step in moving the hydrogen economy from science to commercial reality,” he said.

While InnovTtek’s reactor can run on a variety of non-renewable hydrocarbon sources they, like the potentially revolutionary Coskata Biofuels, are expressly interested in sustainable power, even to the point of preferring biodiesel in their test runs. Innovatek also said that biodiesel just plain works better: it contains fewer impurities and reforms at lower temperatures than petrodiesel.

Now let me beat naysayers to the punch here: no way are we going to power all of America’s cars on biodiesel, even using this kind of technology. I’m also interested in investigating what byproducts the microreactor produces and how they would be collected and used. But without being able to write off algae biodiesel or other majorly productive feedstocks as potential solutions, and based on the inherent coolness of this device, I think we could all be cautiously optimistic.