Fuel cell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device. It produces electricity from fuel (on the anode side) and an oxidant (on the cathode side), which react in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained.

Fuel cells are different from electrochemical cell batteries in that they consume reactant from an external source, which must be replenished^[1] – a thermodynamically open system. By contrast, batteries store electrical energy chemically and hence represent a thermodynamically closed system.

Many combinations of fuels and oxidants are possible. A hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen as its fuel and oxygen (usually from air) as its oxidant. Other fuels include hydrocarbons and alcohols. Other oxidants include chlorine and chlorine dioxide.^[2]

Another distinct advantage of fuel cells over conventional internal combustion engines is mechanical simplicity; virtually no moving parts. Add the near carbon neutral operation to this and the advantages over current motor tech is compelling, to say the least. Funny how the choices societies and individuals make may have profound unanticipated consequences. The first fuel cell was demonstrated a842. Again, from Wikipedia;

The principle of the fuel cell was discovered by German scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838 and published in one of the scientific magazines of the time.^[16] Based on this work, the first fuel cell was demonstrated by Welsh scientist and barrister Sir William Robert Grove in the February 1839 edition of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science^[17] and later sketched, in 1842, in the same journal.^[18] The fuel cell he made used similar materials to today’s phosphoric-acid fuel cell.

The ready sources of petroleum extracted for transportation fuel first in the US probably doomed both the fuel cell and electric transportation, too bad for us and our grandchildren, but now as always necessity is the proverbial mother of invention (no, Frank Zappa stole the term). And so below We present a short summary of current developments from fuel cell world.

There are new teeny tiny fuel cells for your pocket

Taiwan unveils hydrogen-powered mobile phone chargers

Taiwanese researchers said Friday they have developed hydrogen-powered mobile phone chargers, in a development that could boost the island’s efforts to become a player in green technologies.

New electrode materials bring town the temperature and embrace cruder fuels

New Sulfur- and Coking-Tolerant Material Could Expand Applications for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

PhysOrg.com) — A new ceramic material described in this week’s issue of the journal Science could help expand the applications for solid oxide fuel cells – devices that generate electricity directly from a …

Umm, hello dubious folks, the sky actually is blue.

Warming, heat waves projected to grow worse with large regional variability

(PhysOrg.com) — While long-term projections call for higher temperatures and heat waves even more intense than previously thought, considerable geographic variability is also in the forecast, according to a study published …

Vinous hydrogen, right in my backyard.

Renewable hydrogen production becomes reality at winery

(PhysOrg.com) — The first demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized hydrogen …

Amazing what you can run through a fuel cell.

Sugar + weed killer = potential clean energy source

A spoonful of herbicide helps the sugar break down in a most delightful way.

God forbid we should ask Americans go go slower.

300 mph: New Land Speed Record for a Hydrogen Powered Vehicle

(PhysOrg.com) — One of the complaints that many have with regard to vehicles powered by alternative energy is the fact that they don’t really have a lot of speed. However, this does not necessarily have to …

Again with the nano.

Harnessing nanopatterns: Tiny textures can produce big differences

(PhysOrg.com) — Research at MIT has uncovered new information about how nanoscale patterns on the surface of a material can produce significant changes in the way it interacts with liquids. The discovery …

Lowering costs, we like that, unless its Wallmart.

Smaller isn’t always better: Catalyst simulations could lower fuel cell cost

(PhysOrg.com) — Imagine a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won’t be on the market anytime soon, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers …

With the optimization!

Researchers make progress in optimizing solid oxide fuel cells

While our standard of life increases, so does the worldwide energy demand. In this vein, the application of technologies based on fuel cells is put forward as an alternative to the massive consumption of fossil fuels. One …

Cutting emissions by 50% first time out. Give this five to ten more years and we cyclists will all be breathing easier.

Britain’s first dual fuel bus will cut emissions by half

A consortium brought together by low carbon experts at the University of East Anglia (UEA) is today launching the first bus in the UK to run on clean, biomethane gas.

And again with the nano, doing more with less. We may never get all the way to doing everything with nothing, but its clear we’re doing more and more with less and less.

Carbonized TiO2 nanotubes with semimetallic properties increase the efficiency of methanol fuel cells

(PhysOrg.com) — Mention of nanotubes usually means carbon nanotubes. But not all tiny tubes are made of carbon. For example, layers made of nanoscopic titanium dioxide have proven to be useful materials for biotechnology, …

The more familiar you are with this tech now, the less disoriented you’ll fell when in comes home to roost. Five to ten years and you wil own several fuels cells from chargers and battery replacements for your portable devices to, if all goes well, big ones running cars , trucks and buses cleanly quietly and efficiently. Imagine what your town or city will sound and smell like when this happens.

“There are lots of proven low-cost options that communities can use to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk or ride instead,” he says. “Use of these options helps people remain healthy (by promoting physical activity and reducing obesity) and helps reduce heat-trapping pollutants that cause global warming.”
In a recent article in the journal Preventative Medicine, Maibach suggests that policy makers and government officials at all levels should look at communication, marketing and policy enhancements that can be implemented with relative ease to promote active transport.
Maibach cites the Web site Active Living by Design (http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/) as showcasing many examples of successful programs such as city-bike sharing, customized walking or cycling maps and grassroots campaigns.
“One of my favorite examples is ‘walking school buses’ in which children and a few parents walk together to the local school,” says Maibach. He also suggests policy changes such as reducing speed limits, giving cyclists priority at intersections and closing some roads to cars, can also encourage people to consider alternative ways of commuting.
“There is no one magic bullet. All of these examples can be effective here in the U.S., and all should be implemented in as many communities as possible. The more that are implemented, the more we will wean people away from sole reliance on their cars when they could be walking and/or riding, and improving their health as a result.”
Source: George Mason University

University has grand designs to build a house of straw (w/ Video)

July 27th, 2009

Enlarge

Professor Pete Walker and Dr. Katharine Beadle are investigating the use of straw bales as a low carbon building material. Credit: Nic Delves-Broughton, University of Bath

Could straw houses be the buildings of the future? That’s what researchers at the University of Bath will be testing this summer by constructing a “BaleHaus” made of prefabricated straw bale and hemp cladding panels on campus.

Ads by Google

EarthCrete™ – The World’s Only Stainless Concrete Now Sustainable & Half the Weight! - www.sonomastone.com

Stunning Straw Bale – Build Your Own Straw Bale House Come to the Site the Experts Use - www.StrawBale.com

And people around the world will be able to watch its progress online via “Strawcam” from Monday 20 July at: www.bath.ac.uk/features/balehaus/
- part of a site which will also feature blogs, videos, photos and lots of other information about the project.

Straw is the ultimate environmentally-friendly building material since it is renewable and is a by-product of farming.

The crop used for the straw can be grown locally, and because it absorbscarbon dioxide as it grows, buildings made from it can be seen as having zero, or even a negative carbon footprint.

Could straw houses be the buildings of the future? That’s what researchers at the University of Bath will be testing this summer by constructing a “BaleHaus” made of prefabricated straw bale and hemp cladding panels on campus. Straw is the ultimate environmentally friendly building material since it is renewable and is a by-product of farming. The crop used for the straw can be grown locally, and because it absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows, buildings made from it can be seen as having zero, or even a negative carbon footprint. Credit: Sacha Goodwin & Myra Lee, University of Bath

Also, due to its high insulating properties, houses made of straw bales need almost no conventional heating, keeping running costs low and minimisingenvironmental impact.

The research team will be assessing straw bales and hemp as building materials so that they can be used more widely in the building industry for housing, helping the UK achieve its targets for reducing carbon emissions.

The two storey BaleHaus to be built on campus will be made using ‘ModCell’ – pre-fabricated panels consisting of a wooden structural frame infilled with straw bales or hemp and rendered with a breathable lime-based system.

ModCell is the creation of White Design in Bristol and Integral Structural Design in Bath. Other partners on the research project are Agrifibre Technologies, Lime Technology, Eurban, the Centre for Window & Cladding Technology and Willmott Dixon.

Some of the building has already appeared in the media spotlight. Last year the team helped Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme, to build an eco-friendly house in six days using ModCell panels for the Grand Designs Live exhibition.

All the wall panels used for the ground floor of the Grand Designs house are being reused for the BaleHaus at Bath.

Read the full article at; PhysOrg.com

<Editorial commentary>

So, I guess this means that, yet again, Science is catching up with common sense. Given the old maxim that “Science changes one funeral at a time” it’s then reasonable to presume that someone IMPORTANT must have died. On a lighter note, the combination of straw and hemp is highly appropriate for Mendocino County in particular and northern California in general. Moreover, no matter how commonsensical a technology may be, there’s nothing like a couple (hundred) PhD research papers to legitimize it in the eyes of bankers, lenders, and engineeres. This and other similar efforts could make it easier to get approval for “alernative” methods from agencies, institutions and the powers the be. I call it a good thing.

Emerald Empire Adventures is proud to wholeheartedly support Al Gore’s Repower America campaign for 100% renewable energy in 10 years.

The content below is reproduced here from http://www.repoweramerica.org/state/california/ as a public service.

You are here: Home » In The States » California

We’re more than 262,031 members strong in California

Click here to see specific cost savings and job creation information for California.

Did You Know?

• California is the leading producer of renewable energy in the United States. It ranks 1st in the nation for solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal, and bio-power capacity.It also ranks 3rd in the nation for installed wind capacity.
• California is home to the largest single source of solar energy in the world: a 354 MW solar thermal facility in the Mojave Desert.The state will shatter its own record in 2011 when a 553 MW solar thermal facility built by Solel begins operation, also in the Mojave Desert.According to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, California’s total solar thermal potential is equal to 12 times the state’s current electricity capacity.
• California’s potential geothermal resources can power every home in the state.The state’s potential unconventional geothermal resources could power another 54 million homes.

To submit clean energy news happening in your state, click here

Clean energy jobs in California

California is at the forefront of electricity generation from non-hydroelectric renewable energy sources, and its policies and investments encourage strong job growth in a clean energy economy. A few companies are already taking part in this new economy by providing ‘green’ jobs.

For example, FPL Group is set to operate its 250-megawatt solar thermal energy plant near Kern County, which will employ roughly 1,000 workers in its operation. And reports estimate that more jobs could be on the way. One study says that $12.7 billion investment on deploying renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Golden State can create 235,000 jobs over two years. And, this study only captures a portion of the service, construction, and technology jobs that will be created in the state by truly Repowering America.

Sources: Center for American Progress, Energy Business Review

Featured story

Aitan Grossman, a 6th grader from California, is using his love for music to help solve the climate crisis. Aitan wrote the song, “100 Generations,” to raise awareness about the dangerous effects of climate change. He has sent his song to schools around the world and is asking children everywhere to add their voices to the chorus.

The result is a global music project with contributions from children in France, Botswana and Taiwan. The song can be downloaded from iTunes or Amazon, and is featured on Aitan’s KidEarth website. Aitan is donating all profits from the song to his favorite environmental charities, including the Alliance for Climate Protection.

This map shows 13% of our membership in California

Take Action

• Write a letter to the editor

Additional resources

• The Repower America campaign aired an ad in California pushing back on opponents of clean energy, click here to watch.
• Join Repower California on Flickr

Enlarge

Microscopic diatoms like the one shown above could yield massive amounts of oil, scientists say. Credit: The American Chemical Society

Scientists in Canada and India are proposing a surprising new solution to the global energy crisis —“milking” oil from the tiny, single-cell algae known as diatoms, renowned for their intricate, beautifully sculpted shells that resemble fine lacework. Their report appears online in the current issue of the ACS’ bi-monthly journal Industrial Engineering & Chemical Research.

Richard Gordon, T. V. Ramachandra, Durga Madhab Mahapatra, and Karthick Band note that some geologists believe that much of the world’s crude oil originated in diatoms, which produce an oily substance in their bodies. Barely one-third of a strand of hair in diameter, diatoms flourish in enormous numbers in oceans and other water sources. They die, drift to the seafloor, and deposit their shells and oil into the sediments. Estimates suggest that live diatoms could make 10−200 times as much oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds, Gordon says.

“We propose ways of harvesting oil from diatoms, using biochemical engineering and also a new solar panel approach that utilizes genetically modifiable aspects of diatom biology, offering the prospect of “milking” diatoms for sustainable energy by altering them to actively secrete oil products,” the scientists say. “Secretion by and milking of diatoms may provide a way around the puzzle of how to make algae that both grow quickly and have a very high oil content.”

Policies that turn forests into valuable carbon storage units would likely preserve forests and lower costs of cutting atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Cutting down forests for agriculture vents excess carbon dioxide into the air just as industrial activities and the burning of fossil fuels do. But whether policies to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere should include this terrestrial source of carbon dioxide is under debate. According to a new study this week in Science, failing to include land use changes in such policies could lead to massive deforestation and higher costs for limiting carbon emissions.

The results also suggest improved agricultural technology will be as important as new energy technologies in a carbon-limited future.

To understand the effects of economic forces from climate policy on terrestrial carbon and land use changes, researchers with the Joint Global Change Research Institute in College Park, Md., a collaboration between the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland, used an integrated assessment model called MiniCAM to compare different scenarios. This computer model incorporates economics, energy, agriculture, land-use changes, emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gases in order to understand the way that human decisions interact with natural processes that control climate.

For this study, the researchers set the highest concentration that carbon dioxide could reach. Then they compared two ways to stay within that limit: in one, they taxed terrestrial carbon emissions and industrial and fossil fuel emissions all at the same rate. In the other, they only taxed emissions from industry and fossil fuels.

Ignoring terrestrial carbon led to nearly complete loss of unmanaged forests by 2100, largely as a result of massive expansions of bioenergy crops — those planted to reduce the use of fossil fuels — replacing forests. However, placing a value on terrestrial carbon emissions led to increased forest cover, while bioenergy still expanded considerably compared to today.

“When society tries to limit carbon dioxide concentrations, if terrestrial carbon emissions aren’t valued but fossil fuel and industrial emissions are, economic forces could create very strong pressures to deforest,” said PNNL scientist Marshall Wise, the study leader.

In addition, the cost to reduce global emissions in a world that valued terrestrial, fossil fuel, and industrial sources dropped to half that of the world in which only fossil fuel and industrial entities paid to emit carbon. This suggests that storing carbon in forests, agricultural areas, and other ecosystems is an important and cost-effective part of a bigger carbon dioxide emissions control strategy that includes dramatic changes to the global energy system.

This study also shows that continual improvement in agricultural crop productivity for crops like corn, wheat, barley, and rice will be required to best make use of limited cropland. This suggests improvements to agriculture technology could be as important as improvements to energy technology in controlling carbon emissions.

Read more on PhysOrg.com

Making Bio Fuels, Textiles and Paper With Eco-friendly Wood Dissolution Process

Wind Farms Impacting Weather
Environmental Engineers Detect Turbines’ Turbulence Effects

October 1, 2005 — Wind farms may have an impact on local weather patterns. As environmental engineers have discovered, wind farm propellers create a lot of turbulence in their wake, mixing air up and down with effects that can be detected for miles. But more efficient rotors may significantly reduce this problem. 

DURHAM, N.C.–You’ve seen the prices at the pump go up and now home heating costs are on the rise. And scientists are looking to the wind for a much needed alternative to fuel.

They’re the things that fuel our lives, but what fuels them is running low. Scientists may have found an answer with wind farms. Somnath Baidya Roy, from the department of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University in Durham, N.C., says, “It’s very clear to everybody that we have to move away from conventional fossil fuels like coal and oil and look at alternatives.”

With a new power source comes an impact to our environment. Roy says, “Large wind farms can significantly affect local meteorology.” He studied these massive machines and believes wind farms can actually impact our weather because wind turns the blades of the turbine around a rotor, which helps generate electricity the blades create a lot of turbulence in the wake

Duke University