EDITOR’S MEMO: RUN - DON’T WALK - TO SEE AL GORE’S HUGELY IMPRESSIVE, DEVASTATINGLY DISTURBING, CLIMATE CHANGE DOCUMENTARY, “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.” It doesn’t mention hydrogen or fuel cells, but it does talk graphically and in great detail and understandable lay language about the extremely urgent need to get carbon out of our fuels, our atmosphere and our lives. Even if you think you know all there is to know about global warming and climate change - go see it anyway whether you’re a left-, right- or middle winger. It’s a wake-up call for everybody with even minimum concern for where we, the people, and our world are going.
Ballard Signs With Chinese Group to Provide up to 20 Fuel Cells For Car Trials VANCOUVER – In yet another sign that Ballard Power Systems seems to enjoy a pretty advantageous position when it comes to providing fuels cell to China, the company says it may provide as many as 20 85 kW fuel cell systems to a Chinese r&d company, Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Powertrain Co., Ltd. for field trials.
Briefly Noted: Los Angeles Port Cleanup Alternative fuels and fuel cell applications are expected to be eligible for solicitation bids under the large-scale San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan announced for the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Briefly Noted: New California H2 Stations California’s Air Resources Board has selected three new proposals for building new hydrogen fueling stations in a competitive bidding process. The board also voted to help fund the leasing of seven hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Briefly Noted: Ford H2 Buses Ford Motor company last month kicked off production of its dedicated hydrogen-fueled supercharged 6.8 liter V-10 engines that will power the modified E-450 12-passenger shuttle buses.
Briefly Noted: Airplane Fuel Cartridge Rules Permission to take sodium borohydride-fueled small fuel cell cartridges for laptops and cell phones aboard commercial aircraft has come a step closer with approval of new regulations along these lines by a United Nations commission.
Briefly Noted: EC H2 Vehicle Draft Proposal The European Commission has issued a preliminary draft proposal for a new regulation that would cover hydrogen-powered motor vehicles.
Briefly Noted: Shell Rotterdam Buses Shell Hydrogen and two partners are planning to launch what they say will be the world’s largest hydrogen-fueled bus line system in Rotterdam before the end of the decade.
Briefly Noted: BP/GE H2 Power Plants BP and General Electric plan to team up to build between 10 and 15 hydrogen-fueled power projects over the next decade.
Briefly Noted: New NREL Facility The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last month inaugurated a new Science and Technology facility in ribbon-cutting ceremonies attended by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
Briefly Noted: Dutch Fuel Cell Car & Scooter Two fuel cell vehicles from Holland: The Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN), Petten, has unveiled the first car powered by a Dutch fuel cell system. The car is a modified version of DaimlerChrysler’s GEM.
Briefly Noted: IdaTech Sale In a back-to-basics move, Boise, ID-based Idacorp, Inc., a utilities-based group, has sold its fuel cell subsidiary Idacorp Technologies, Inc. to IdaTech UK which in turn is owned by a British specialty banking group, Investec Group Investments (UK) Limited.
Briefly Noted: Electro-Chem ElectroChem, a pioneering supplier of fuel cell test equipment, says its product line is now available online at FuelCell.com.
Briefly Noted: Synthesis Energy Systems/Hai Hua Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. (SES), Houston, TX says it has signed a 50-year agreement with China’s Hai Hua Coal and Chemical Company, Ltd., Shandong, to form a joint venture for building a coal gasification and synthesis gas plant in one of the country’s major coal mining regions.
Briefly Noted: Selenium Fuel Cell New Jersey engineer and inventor Phillip J. Petillo has designed what he says is new fuel cell that employs a membrane coated with selenium.
Opportunities The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Cocoa, FL invites applications for two faculty positions.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) invites proposals in support of the hydrogen economy in New York State. The agency has available $5 million for its Hydrogen Transportation Development Program.
Events A NATO Advanced Research Workshop, “Assessment of Hydrogen Energy for Sustainable Development: Energy & Environmental Security” will be held Aug. 7-10 in Istanbul, Turkey.
