Hydrogen Breakthrough

Sep 25 - Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand

A major breakthrough in hydrogen technology is set to offer the British housing market a chance to move towards supplying sustainable and non-polluting power.

A UK company, ITM Power, has developed a device that can generate hydrogen in the home to fuel central-heating boilers and cookers while drastically cutting CO2 emissions. This means the home could also become the source of fuel for a hydrogen-powered car.

The development is a major advance towards the British government's goal of achieving a zero carbon new housing market by 2016. Currently, domestic consumers account for over 20 per cent of that country's CO2 emissions.

ITM Power's electrolyser, which is set to go into production next year, can create its own hydrogen fuel from a totally green supply now becoming increasingly available from wind, wave, solar or hydro- electric power. Users could alternatively use low-cost off-peak electricity or choose a green tariff from their existing supplier to produce hydrogen.

The hydrogen produced can be stored and then used as a conventional gas to burn in new or converted central-heating boilers and as a fuel for cooking. But, unlike gas and oil, when hydrogen burns it releases no CO2 emissions, merely water vapour. Stored hydrogen can also be reconverted to electricity using domestic fuel cells or generators to power lighting or other electrical appliances, removing the inconvenience of power cuts.

Scientists at ITM Power's Sheffield research centre made the breakthrough when they developed and patented new low-cost materials which outperform and undercut those being used by other firms.

In addition to its use in the home, the hydrogen can be used to power a family car, and ITM Power plans a hydrogen home refuelling station for the automotive market and a converted bi-fuel petrol/ hydrogen car based on the Ford Focus. It aims to demonstrate that the car can be refuelled using hydrogen generated by a home electrolyser and can complete an average daily commuting journey without the need to use petrol. --Dave Moore

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