In the search for alternative energies using green technologies, the brass ring for scientists has always been the creation of a generator, or battery source that uses hydrogen as the primary catalyst to create electricity for multiple purposes. That technology may have finally been perfected when on February 6th, a Belgian chemical company reported they had successfully created a hydrogen fuel cell that has the capactity to power up to 1400 homes.
A super-battery that produces enough electricity to power nearly 1,400 homes, the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been producing clean electricity at a "steady rate" for weeks at a SolVin plant part-owned by Germany's BASF in Antwerp, northern Dutch-speaking Belgium.
The company said this equates to the electricity consumption of 1,370 families over the same period.
Fuel-cell technology is tipped by developers as a future power solution for everything from cars to ships. – Sott.net
Hydrogen fuel cell technology has been around for several decades, but the ability to harness the energy in a battery or generator has rarely evolved out of the testing phase. In fact, President Bush in 2003 helped initiate over $1 billion in funding for HFI, the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, but since that time green technology companies have dedicated resources primarily to wind and solar because of cost.
That may change very soon for consumers, homeowners, and automobiles if the European advancements in Hydrogen cell technologies grows into an accepted and focussed form of alternative energy. In the early part of this century, installation of fuel cell technology ranged from $4000 to $10000 per kw, with the US Department of Energy seeking an eventual target of $700 per kw. While more amenable for providing electricity to larger structures such as residential homes, the cost and available technology to supply energy to smaller machines such as automobiles is still tied to the research and testing stages.
While solar and wind are free and natural sources of energy for global populations and economies, the technology to date has proven to be inefficient for use on a large scale. Government loans and grants to companies such as Solyndra and Mesa Power have been wasted as these companies eventually filed for bankruptcy when they failed to compete with Chinese solar prices and technology.
In the world of green energy and green technologies, Europe and Asia are leading the way over the United States, especially in the invention of solar and hydrogen fuel cells. Should the results from Solvay's testing prove they can sustain fuel cell energy to over 1400 homes with their new battery and generator source, then the future does look very bright in finally integrating a workable source of alternative energy to every point around the globe.
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