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The growth of the renewable and sustainable energy sectors will be a key feature of the coming years. However, the global economy is still a fossil fuel based economy.
It is vital to move to a more diverse energy mix while making the best and cleanest use of existing fuels.
Energy diversification
In a climate of declining supply, booming global demand and politically volatility, a more versatile alternative to energy supply and security has many advantages. Hydrogen offers the potential to decouple the geopolitics of fuel supply from growing energy demand. It can also play a key role in reducing our reliance on diminished supplies of fossil fuels, as hydrogen can be produced from a diverse range of sources. These include conventional hydrocarbons, biofuels, and as a byproduct of the chemical industry. Hydrogen can also be produced cleanly from the electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable or nuclear sources. In short, hydrogen can help to ensure that supply diversity is energy security.
Intelligent Energy is developing a range of clean fuel processing technologies to be key transition assets in the move to a more diverse range of energy sources, which can co-exist alongside hydrocarbons for the provision of energy in the 21st century.
Distributed generation of hydrogen
Producing hydrogen from a range of fuels on-site, where it is required for refuelling or power provision has the advantage of allowing energy suppliers to make maximum use of their existing fuelling infrastructures. They are able to offer hydrogen to their customers without the need for the high capital expenditure associated with central generation and pipeline construction costs.
This removes the need for the high capital expenditure associated with central generation and pipeline construction costs. Rather than replacing petrol stations with hydrogen refueling stations, or constructing thousands of miles of hydrogen conveyor pipelines, hydrogen will be generated at the point of dispensation from an existing fuel, such as diesel, natural gas or bio-fuel, using small reformer based hydrogen generators.
Distributed power generation & portable power
""Intelligent Energy has developed fuel processing, hydrogen generation and fuel cell power systems for a diverse range of distributed and portable applications.
Power demand is inextricably linked with increased economic activity. Meeting the global challenge of reducing CO2 emissions requires a shift to cleaner and more efficient power generating technologies across all sectors. For example, up to 65% of the fuel used by large power generating plants is wasted due to a combination of inefficient energy conversion and power-line losses.
Today, the power sector is responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions, with electricity demand predicted to more than double by 2050. It is also estimated that $22 trillion of cumulative investment will be required in new plant and grid infrastructure to meet global demand for electricity by 2030.
Distributed generation (DG) is defined as electricity production that is on-site or close to the point of use. DG uses small-scale power generation technologies, typically in the range 1kW to 10,000kWs. The advantages of DG lie in the fact that transmission losses are avoided as is large capital expense, the power generated is targeted at the user and system size can be closely matched to the particular power requirement.
Here is the Ballard energy's spesific example of electricity production through H2 by product from existing Chlor Alkali plant.
There are fuel cell models 1 MW - 7 MW depending on the needs and H2 feed amount.
When used in DG applications, and particularly in CHP (combined heat and power) mode, fuel cells have the potential to save energy and reduce emissions. They could also, as hydrogen can be produced from a wide range of sources, help address energy shortage issues through energy diversity. In addition, fuel cells either are or have the potential to be quieter, more reliable, and have lower maintenance costs than most technologies used for DG.
fuel flexible hydrogen generators for distributed generation and portable power applications are designed to convert both existing fossil fuels and bio-fuels into hydrogen at the point of use. Hydrogen generated where it is required minimizes new infrastructure cost by maximizing the use of existing fuel supply infrastructure assets.
oday there are over 800 million vehicles in the world, with the number expected to reach two billion by 2050. The transportation sector accounts for 19% of global CO2 emissions and is the fastest growing contributor to man-made atmospheric CO2 . In addition it also responsible for much of the poor air quality now seen in many of the world’s population centres.
There is a clear need for a cleaner, practical alternative to the internal combustion engine to power our vehicles, and the alternative, according the vast majority of the worlds major automakers will be the PEM fuel cell. PEM fuel cells in a hybrid electric configuration are viewed as a highly efficient powertrain offering practical driving ranges, with much reduced overall emissions and producing no harmful emissions whatsoever at the tail-pipe.
Fuel cell technology in the motive power market
Intelligent Energy fuel cell power systems designed for a wide range of motive power applications, providing propulsion, battery charging or on-board auxiliary power. Our partners in the motive field include PSA Peugeot Citroën,Prodrive, Bosch, Lotus, TRW, LTI and The Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Fuel cells are power dense, robust and capable of operation in a wide range of environmental temperatures. They have been designed with mass manufacturability as a priority, use practical and economical fabrication materials and utilise proprietary designs that reduce system size and component count to a minimum.
Our systems have been designed with automotive cold start and operation particularly in mind and our EC systems are presently capable of reaching full power at -20oC in less than two minutes.
ENV
Intelligent Energy developed the multi award winning ENV, the world’s first purpose built hydrogen fuel cell motorbike. The ENV is fueled by pure hydrogen and the only emission it produces is pure water. It can be refilled with hydrogen in less than 5 minutes, makes virtually no noise, has a top speed of 50 mph and a range of 100 miles.
Suzuki Burgman fuel cell scooter
Following on from the success of the ENV, the Suzuki Burgman fuel cell was first presented at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, the city friendly Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter builds upon the success of the Crosscage fuel cell motorbike unveiled in 2007. The Fuel Cell Burgman takes the next step towards offering cleaner, more efficient motorcycles in a practical and accessible form with the potential to significantly reduce emissions around the world.
The scooter is equipped with the latest version of Intelligent Energy’s unique and proprietary air-cooled, clean fuel cell power systems and is fuelled from a cylinder of hydrogen, which can be re-fuelled in a few minutes and gives a riding range of 350km comparable to a conventional Burgman scooter.
For more information on the Burgman please view the attached case study. Burgman Case Study
Zero emissions London taxi
Intelligent Energy, Lotus Engineering, LTI Vehicles and TRW Conekt, with funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board, have unveiled a full performance, zero-emissions Fuel Cell Hybrid London taxi.
While the taxi looks and drives like an iconic London black cab, the Fuel Cell Black Cab is powered by an Intelligent Energy hydrogen fuel cell system hybridised with lithium polymer batteries; allowing the vehicle to operate for a full day without the need for refuelling. Capable of achieving a top speed of over 80 mph, it has a range of more than 250 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, refuels in about 5 minutes and produces no emissions other than water vapour.
**(But for the motive power application instead of internal combustion engines,storage of pure hydrogen is still a problem to overcome. Because,liquid H2 storage is a big deal in the aspect of thermodynamics)
The aviation industry
is under intense environmental scrutiny, both for what it emits into the atmosphere while aircraft are in flight but also for emissions associated with airports. The world aircraft fleet is expected to double in size by 2020, and pressure on the industry to clean up its act has never been greater.
Aerospace
Although the amount the aviation industry contributes to man made CO2 has been relatively small (<5%), the size of the worldwide fleet is set to double by 2020. In Europe, the amount of CO2 emissions generated by aviation is set to increase by about 70% by 2050. Whereas passenger airliners will continue to use engine technologies for primary power, there is much that could be done in other areas to increase efficiency and improve the environmental performance of the aviation industry.
With high efficiencies and zero to low emissions, fuel cells are an emerging technology that can lead to a cleaner and less wasteful aviation future. This technology was proven in the skies in early 2008 with the world’s first manned fuel cell flight, powered by an Intelligent Energy fuel cell system. They will be applied to secondary power generating systems such as on-board auxiliary power units (APUs) for large commercial airplanes and as the main propulsion systems for small manned aircraft and a whole range of differing sizes of UAVs (unmanned air vehicles), where their very low noise levels and insignificant infrared (IR) signatures makes them particularly attractive for surveillance flights.
Defence
PEM fuel cells are under consideration for a wide range of military applications, including battery replacement for the dismounted soldier, portable battery chargers, tactical quiet generators, APUs in armoured vehicles, UAV power trains and air independent propulsion systems in submarines (already is service with the German and Italian navies).
Increased efficiency and reduced emissions are important in defence applications, but some other fuel cell characteristics also add to their appeal – fewer moving parts and low operating temperatures result in quieter power and reduced infra-red signatures. PEM fuel cells offer the potential to greatly increase stealth.
Intelligent Energy has a range of solutions for the aerospace and defence market, from fuel desulphurisation and distributed hydrogen generation to fuel cell power systems to provide portable, distributed, on-board and motive power.
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1)http://www.intelligent-energy.com
2)http://www.ballard.com
The Fundamentals
