Hydrogen Becoming A Player Car Makers Betting Big On Hydrogen Market

We have entered into the hydrogen market and I am very interested in the fact that a few months later we start seeing headlines like this. We did not plan it this way but I have to say after 25 some years in the industry I do start to see patterns and many technologies have been around for years. Hydrogen is one of those and I felt the timing was right. To me it is a no brainer. I witnessed hydrogen produced from a solar panel and water years ago. It is a clean burning fuel that can be created at the location needed for use. I have heard all the economic detractors and think they are missing the whole picture. I said this about solar 25 years ago and I am saying this about hydrogen now. I have utilized batteries in many applications over the years and am intimately knowledgeable on their limitations. I predict they will have a 10 year run. When solar really got traction in the market there were numerous solar technologies that jumped up taking in huge investments. All these thin film solar companies are pretty much gone or forgotten. The fact is what was tried and true (silicon) is what is primarily used and if you want to make a bet on solar panels it is primarily how to reduce the cost of making the solar cells. Folks I offer the hypothesis that energy storage will follow the same pattern. We know that hydrogen is a great energy storage method and offers versatility that batteries can never achieve. It has been used for many years (ask NASA) or the hydro dams in Canada that have been producing hydrogen from their excess power using electrolysis and water for many years now. It will be the reduction in cost and enhancing the efficiency. We did it with silicon and we can do it with hydrogen. I am pretty proud that we have engineered a unit that has enhanced the efficiency and eliminated the need to scrub the hydrogen from the oxygen but the fact is that when it gains traction like solar has these young emerging minds will continue to innovate and perfect the technology.

ALLEN MARTIN

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - Hydrogen cars may not be as green as they seem even though they're zero-emission.Toyota's newest venture into clean technology is the "Mirai", a hydrogen fuel cell car set to hit the market next year. The company let KPIX's Allen Martin take one for a test drive.It can go 300 miles on one tank, that can be filled in minutes, avoiding long charging times. "It's something that says we believe in zero emission vehicles. We believe in ecology. We believe in keeping the environment very clean," said Toyota's Nihar Patel.And it "is" very clean: The only thing coming from the tailpipe is a drip of water. But the process of making most hydrogen today is very dirty. "The California Air Resources Board CARB has stated there would be a 40% increase, overall, in carbon emissions," said Charlie Drevna, President of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association.That's because most hydrogen is produced in refineries with natural gas, an energy intensive process that emits a large amount of greenhouse gases. "If the intent is to make sure you're going to lower carbon emissions you have to make sure you do the full blown, what we call, the "well to wheels" calculation," he said.But Toyota's Nihar Patel points to the latest federal research, that shows "well to wheels" data actually supports hydrogen technology. "Well being the wells the oil comes from, hydrogen powered vehicles have the most amount of efficiency," he said. He points out that hydrogen can also be made from renewable energy such as solar, wind and methane gas.We asked oil industry spokesperson Charlie Drevna whether the oil industry is down on the technology because it doesn't want the competition, especially in its own backyard at a gas station. His response: "Gasoline is the most reliable, efficient and abundant transportation source we have, it has proven year in and year out to get the job done."But Toyota and other fuel cell car manufacturers say they will continue to invest in not just the cars but the stations as well.Another obstacle to the hydrogen car market: Refueling stations. There are only ten of them in the entire state. California invested 50-million dollars this year to build 50 more stations, with one main condition: 33% of the hydrogen will have to come from alternative renewable sources.