Honda & Plug Power Announce Experimental Operation of Second-Generation

[Dover]

Honda and Plug Power Announce Experimental Operation of Second-Generation Home Energy Station (HES II)

LATHAM, NY, U.S.A., November 16, 2004 - Honda R&D Americas and Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) today announced that they have began successful operation of the second-generation Home Energy Station (HES II) located at Plug Power’s corporate headquarters in Latham, New York.

HES II is the further evolution of a joint development effort by Honda and Plug Power to produce a home refueling unit that provides hydrogen from natural gas for vehicle refueling, heat for domestic hot water use and electricity for the home. Testing of the HES II system will be done in conjunction with demonstration of Honda’s 2005 FCX fuel cell car on public roads in the Northeastern U.S.

The development of this new, more compact, HES II, along with operation of the Honda FCX and Honda FC Stack in sub-zero temperatures, represent significant advancements in this industry-leading program to develop advanced, real world, fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen refueling solutions.

“Honda is taking a comprehensive approach that includes the development of both fuel cell and refueling technologies, “ said Ben Knight, Vice President Honda R&D Americas. “We feel that home refueling could play an important role in the introduction of fuel cell technology and the development of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure.”

“We have enormous respect for Honda’s technical capabilities and are excited to be part of this collaboration,” said Dr. Roger Saillant, President and Chief Executive Officer of Plug Power. “The development of a Home Energy Station represents an important milestone towards a hydrogen infrastructure and sustainable energy future.”...cont'd

http://world.honda.com/news/2004/4041116_b.html

[ewagner]

1. Excellent!

This should be the "Manhatten Project" of the decade.

[pantouflard]

2. If the hydrogen is produced using natural gas,

what's the benefit? Aren't you still using non-renewable fuel to produce energy?

[NNadir]

6. Shhhhh. You'll wake everyone up.

The real energy benefit of this system has nothing to do with hydrogen, the production of which is a waste of energy. This system does however capture the waste heat of electricity production and utilizes it for home heating applications. Thus for 1/2 of the year, it saves lots of energy and for the other half, it saves the cost of heating water.

In general, I like these kind of systems, co-generation systems, because they are excellent conservation tools. You really don't need anything exotic however to make such a system. If you have natural gas, you can hook up a turbine to a heat exchanger and get the same effect. However the hydrogen "bell and whistle" on this system is wasteful and unnecessary. It is provided for those of us who are completely uneducated about energy but want to think we're doing the right thing.

[hunter]

7. My favorite dumb idea is using natural gas to desalinate water.

If you thought depleting "fossil" aquifers to water golf courses was shortsighted...

[Dover]

3. Samsung Test Drives New Scooter.

Samsung Test Drives New Scooter.

Samsung Engineering Co. has conducted a successful test-ride of a hydrogen-powered motorcycle. The scooter, the result of a project sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, can run up to 140 kilometers on 6 liters of hydrogen fuel and uses a water-based solution of sodium borohydride, made from sodium borate, to produce the hydrogen gas.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/041118/3/rsg9.html

[hunter]

4. I still don't get it...

...unless it's just a way to bleed the government of more "research" money.

Why do I want to take natural gas from my local utility and turn it into hydrogen to use in my car?

Assuming someone has lots of excess natural gas sitting around why not send it to a refinery to make gasoline, methanol, or some other easy to use liquid fuel? Or why not design a compressed natural gas automobile refueling system that any doofus can use safely?

Home-sized natural gas cogeneration units might be a good idea -- maybe using some sort of small mass produced Sterling engine or turbine. These might produce electricity, cooling and heating more efficiently than the current system in which we burn natural gas in central power plants and at home in our furnaces and water heaters.

It seems to me the automobile fuel aspect of this project was tacked on by someone who thought it would be "sexy." (Ooooooo... Arnold in a H₂H₂. Politicians and press swoon! :puke: )

[Massacure]

5. There isn't an infinite supplie of natural gas.

Those researchers are idiots.