Demand for hydrogen fuel slows progress
Nov 12 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Stephanie Toone The Augusta
Chronicle, Ga.
A year after Aiken County officials announced plans to become a part of
a nationwide hydrogen energy initiative, usage of this alternative fuel
source has increased but its everyday potential still seems years in the
future.
Last November, Aiken County received a loan of more than $500,000 to
open a hydrogen fuel station at Sage Mill Industrial Park, said Fred
Humes, executive director of Aiken-Edgefield Economic Development and
the Center for Hydrogen.
The station opened in late March -- the second one in the state and the
first outside Columbia. That station and a nearby Bridgestone/Firestone
plant's use of hydrogen-fueled forklifts were cited as signs of the
initiative's success. However, few strides have been made locally or
nationally in creating hydrogen-fueled vehicles.
"Right now, the focus is on using the energy for forklifts and back-up
units for cell phone towers," Mr. Humes said. "We'll probably see the
first vehicles in 2014 or 2015 in greater populations, and some time
after that in Aiken."
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy proposed a $68 million
stimulus budget for hydrogen and fuel cell energy and research.
Unfortunately that was a decrease of more than $144 million from the
budget last year, said Patrick Serfass, National Hydrogen Association
spokesman. Last month, Congress voted to restore most of the budget,
with more than $180 million approved for the program and hydrogen cars
research.
"Congress reviewed the budget and determined that it didn't make sense
to cut the budget so low," Mr. Serfass said. "They put more money in so
that there could be continued work on hydrogen vehicles and other
projects."
Though the Obama administration has shown its support, there is still a
lack of interest in the energy source by businesses and the community,
primarily because it costs more, Mr. Humes said.
The station in Aiken fuels a truck that is used for educational purposes
at schools, fairs and other events, Mr. Humes said. It also has the
capability to fuel several vehicles and other power sources with about
400 kilograms of hydrogen fuel available weekly, but there is a lack of
hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the area, Mr. Humes said. There is also no
nearby hydrogen source for the station, which affects the cost of
hydrogen energy.
"The thing that's holding a lot of the technology back is the demand for
hydrogen," he said. "It needs to be higher so that we can cut down the
prices."
Bridgestone/Firestone has benefited from the federal funding, with 19 of
its forklifts using hydrogen, said Mitch Musetter, engineering team
leader for the company. The tire plant has saved time and money by using
hydrogen fuel cells to power its forklifts as opposed to electric
batteries, which had to be replaced three times a day.
"We get a longer run time out of the hydrogen fuel cells, more
consistent operation of the trucks and it's better for the environment,"
he said. "It gives us more flexibility in our fleet to have those
forklifts."
One hydrogen energy program that did not see a return on funding is
Savannah River National Laboratory, which researches the use of nuclear
hydrogen energy.
"It impacts the work and programs they're doing out there, and it's a
shame that the DOE was short-sighted in not supporting that project,"
Mr. Humes said.
Hydrogen supporters, however, aren't deterred.
The development of hydrogen technology continues to see progress in
Aiken and across the state, said Shannon Baxter-Clemmons, the executive
director of South Carolina Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Alliance.
Genco Distribution Systems recently received $6.1 million in federal
stimulus funds to use hydrogen to run its 25 forklifts at the Kimberly
Clark plant, and at four other sites across the country, she said.
More than $15 million in stimulus money will also help add 113 jobs at
Kemet, a Simpsonville, S.C., plant that manufactures capacitors for
hydrogen fuel cells, Dr. Baxter-Clemmons said. There are also plans to
build a hydrogen fuel station in Clemson and place hydrogen-powered cell
phone towers throughout South Carolina.
"It's not just a positive for the environment, Bridgestone is an example
of the increased productivity and the future of hydrogen energy," she
said. "It will do away with some industries by using this energy, but it
will be a net gain of job creation. That's our main goal for South
Carolina -- creating jobs."
Reach Stephanie Toone at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110 or
stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.
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McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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