BURLINGTON, Vt. - Jul 4

 

New England's first hydrogen fuel station is up and running and it will fuel the state's first vehicle designed to run on the fuel that produces emissions of water vapor.

The hydrogen that will run the modified 2005 Toyota Prius will be produced by a wind turbine owned by the Burlington Electric Department on the Lake Champlain waterfront.

The three-year test project is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the city, Burlington Electric and a number of other organizations.

The vehicle will be run by the Burlington Department of Public Works for three years.

John Kassel, chairman of EVermont, a nonprofit that deals with alternative fuel research and development, said he was looking forward to showing transportation needs could be met with less petroleum.

"We can produce our own fuel and we're thrilled to have been able to do that," Kassel said.

The hydrogen fuel system was unveiled Monday in a ceremony at the Burlington Electric.

U.S. Rep. Bernard Sanders, an independent, helped secure a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy for the project. He drove the Prius up to the pump and project officials topped off the tank.

"We need to break our dependency on Mideast oil and polluting fossil fuels," Sanders said. "This will help us move sooner rather than later away from fossil fuels that are contributing to environmental degradation and global warning."

The hydrogen production plant was built by the Waitsfield-based Northern Power. Electricity wind turbine separates the hydrogen from oxygen in water molecules.

The hydrogen of technology is too expensive for general use, but engineers want to study ways to make hydrogen fuel vehicles more affordable.

"We're trying to head toward a more diverse energy future," said Northern Power Project Manager Nick Borland.

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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com