Comments on: Home hydrogen to spark energy revolution?

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:50:45 +0000

I found this looking for a story of a guy who did just what Ken mentioned. He powered his house with solar and wind power, the extra being converted into hydrogen for his car. He developed it all himself. I read it a few years ago, tracking the story now is REALLY difficult.

We have to find a solution soon…

By: bdos

bdos — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:47:09 +0000

Not much of an energy revolution as long as it’s powered by mains.

The real revolution is not in the hydrogen but in independent/alternative power sources such as solar panels or wind turbine.

Hydrogen can be useful to store energy, including for mobile use. But it remains to be seen if it’s the most efficient solution.

By: Bill Walton

Bill Walton — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:28:31 +0000

this type of system sounds ideal for storage of excess micro-hydro energy for use later. Sounds like a free lunch to me…35 years off grid.

By: NIGEL ATKIN

NIGEL ATKIN — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:16:20 +0000

RESPONSE TO NIGEL, RON ALEX
I am interested in collecting the most market ready technologies to test, and produce results on a live off grid fuel cell backed renewable energy system in Ibiza, where there is plenty of sun. Obviously the sun energy needs to be stored through longer cycles than battery so save using fossil fuels. I would like to power a 10KWH/day house. There is still a fair amount of sun in winter, but intermittent gen use would be necessary. Can this storage system keep enough fuel to power a large fuel cell for a few hours a day? Can large tanks be produced to store hydrogen, produced in summer, through to winter? Also, I would love to hear peoples ideas for their favorite fuel cell product, hydrogen production and storage systems as contenders for this trial. Bear in mind that this system needs to power a comfortable family home, not a hermit house or just a laptop.

The goal is to prove such a system, and publish the results to give the public confidence in such a system, prove viability and cost on the latest domestic systems.
Hydrogen powered micro turbine generators could be considered as the generators if specs seem to outdo fuel cells.

I am at an information gathering stage, and your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Nigel Atkin.

By: Ron Joseph

Ron Joseph — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:36:04 +0000

In answer to nigel. I have been living off-grid for 9 years (solar
panels, wind generator) . Produce more than enough electricity,
but only able to store what batteries will hold and the batteries are
expensive and need to be replaced every 4 or 5 years. To have the
ability to produce hydrogen and have a fuel cell to produce electricity would obviate the need for batteries . This would make
off grid living much more appealing. Also one could power a fuel
cell powered electric car for very little.

By: the1nigel

the1nigel — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:01:50 +0000

Good to see more players in the game, but I think I’m right in saying that a domestic hydrolyser is nothing new. ITM Power in the UK presented one last year for example and… so far it has gone nowhere. Partly, I suspect, because of the lack of Government support for such enterprise to help create green start-up markets, and partly because everyone is more concerned with keeping their jobs than making their homes run on hydrogen, here in the UK – the country supposed to be ‘leading the world in carbon emission reductions’, if you listen to the politicians – Ha Ha, big joke!
On a more serious note however, I think it’s true to say that hydrogen hydrolysation is only going to help mitigate carbon emissions when the electricity driving it is also zero carbon, or near to. This fundamental is what is really required to move us forward and unlock all manner of low carbon energy stream spin-offs, like home hydrogen and electric vehicles for example. On a global stage, the world is in what amounts to a stand-off position of mutually assured destruction while major economies fail to really commit the resources to large scale generating from renewable energy. I believe this position will only change when the USA takes the lead and shows the world it is committed and demonstrates the technology is feasible to run a country. The US has, after all, got one of the best opportunities for doing this due to it’s natural resources, technology and infrastructural base, a relatively keen government and a single international border enclosing millions of square miles of sun and wind resourced land, with two big oceans either side. If the US can’t demonstrate to the rest of the world that schemes like Desertec (for example) make sense then we can not expect other major emitters to follow suit down a decarbonisation pathway. They will continue to point out that there is a moral imperative for the big industrialised rich countries to clean up their act on the global stage first and not make the first move. I am sorry that this comment has digressed somewhat, but I believe it is at the heart of the matter before we all rush out to buy domestic hydrolysers and imagine we are going green. If you are living off-grid though, and have got your own wind turbine in the back yard, then maybe a hydrogen hydrolyser makes some sense for cooking or heating in a few rare cases. Most people though, would opt to just burn the electricity directly on cooking, heating, light and EV battery charging wouldn’t they?

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:00:58 +0000

When I read ” . . . or to run domestic electrical devices.”,
I thought, how stupid, if charged by electricity in the first place. ???
Then I started thinking and I wonder: if it were connected to a windmill, would it simply produce hydrogen in a volume(at a rate) that directly corelates to the wind speed? If so, you may get by with a cheaper windmill that did not have to be concerned with wind speed or voltage outputs, all it would have to do is turn. The faster it turned, the more hydrogen it made . . . all regulators would be on the generator . . . fueled by the hydrogen. Seems simpler to me . . . yes? Or would it all equal out in the end?

By: Roy Stewart

Roy Stewart — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:07:44 +0000

http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/store.htm
Did not see ‘Hydrofill’ listed on Web ‘Store’ Page!
Roy Stewart,
Phoenix AZ

PS. Anyone attend ‘CES’ and take pictures of “Hydrofoill”?
Please email to me, Thank You!

By: Jerry Largent

Jerry Largent — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:28:16 +0000

How can I become a dealer? Do you have a catalog of products with retail pricing? Any marketing lit or info you have developed for sales?

By: Bay Elliott

Bay Elliott — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:27:25 +0000

You are right on point illuminating the start of the off-grid energy revolution. The type of solution that Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is offering in their Hydrofill product is a very apt (if not yet efficient enough) model for the future. Because of the efficacies in new electrolysis methodologies in prototype around the world, these will both, eliminate those limitations noted in the problems associated with transporting, storing and filling while also significantly reducing the huge investment in infrastructure that is currently envisioned as required. The infrastructure needs will have radically changed. The combination of these efficacies in H2 gen and the recent breakthroughs in fuel cell costs will create significant cost incentives, the pull of which will drive market adoption ahead of current projections. We should see far more efficient H2 production units with a very broad range of applicability within two years, well ahead of the targeted 2015 FCV fleet deployment targets. This is a very exciting revolution we get to watch from its beginning.