Wind-to-hydrogen energy project commissioned at university

MORRIS, Minn. - A 230-foot-tall wind turbine already fills half of the energy needs at the University of Minnesota-Morris, but researchers hope it can do much more.

On Friday, they commissioned an experimental project to use wind power as a clean way to produce hydrogen, a gas that's considered by many to be the answer to America's future energy needs.

Hydrogen currently is made in one of two ways. It's extracted from fossil fuels such as natural gas. Hydrogen can also be pulled out of water, but electricity is needed to do that, and quite often that power comes from burning fossil fuels.

Greg Cuomo, who heads the wind-to-hydrogen project, said using electricity from the wind turbine to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen in a process called electrolysis is "a very clean source" of renewable energy.

The project could also solve wind power's biggest drawback. Turbines can only make electricity when the wind blows, which doesn't help the energy crunch on a hot, but calm, summer day. Making hydrogen would be a way to store the energy from the wind.

The researchers near Morris also will study the use of biomass. The project will explore converting corn stalks and other plant materials into synthetic natural gas.