HANNOVER FAIR 01
Convention Center, Room 2
International Conference, April 25, 2001
Energy Summit

On the way to a Hydrogen Economy

The third part of the conference is oriented towards the technology progress of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells applications since the HANNOVER FAIR 2000. It offers a comprehensive view for international visitors of the fair and to media representatives about the state of the art and the prospects on the way to the hydrogen economy.

In the first topic of the program "Production of Fuel of choice" international speakers are explaining new steps in the industrial production of hydrogen. International experts are going to show their solutions to the use of renewable energy from wind or water power. Representatives from worldwide market-dominating companies are speaking about the production of Hydrogen by Electrolysers.

Under the heading "Applications - ready for the market" producers of Fuel Cells for stationary electrical power and heat represent experience with a few hundred installed systems worldwide. Contributions of international experts about Micro Fuel Cells for the electrical supply of portable applications complete this part of the congress.

Representatives of international companies, associations and banks, for whom the theme of Fuel Cells represents an important task, take part in the final discussion with the motto: "Visions only lead to actions". The theme attends to these new technologies and their technological, financial and strategically challenge. It explains the way from Research and Development to commercialization and deals with the question how to reach a wide acceptance by the population.

The Deutsche Messe AG strengthens its unique position as an initiator in this congress-program for the industrial implementation of technology on the way to a new
factor of economic.

Arno A. Evers FAIR-PR

Starnberg, February 6, 2001


Interviewer: Ulrich Walter M.A.
Team Arno A. Evers FAIR-PR, Starnberg

10:00 Opening
   
 

Production of Fuel of choice
Generally there have to be a number of changes before we come to a hydrogen-based economy: The public acceptance has to be improved - to oil or gas we are used to but hydrogen is new to many people. And nearly no one knows, that hydrogen is used since years from the food industry (e.g. production of chocolate) without any problems.
In the first years of a hydrogen-based economy it is also important for a good start, that there is no petroleum tax on hydrogen (as until today) as an energy carrier. The more the energy market will be liberalized, the more competitive renewable energies are going to be
Also we should think about the fact, the USA is spending 15 up to 20 times more money for research and development in hydrogen-technology than in Germany.

 

 
Dipl.- Ing. Gotthard G. Sonneborn
Technical Director
Energiekontor AG
Stuhr, Germany

In Europe there is the potential to produce enough hydrogen for a hydrogen-based economy, in Northern Germany e.g. through offshore wind-parks. This renewable energies can be used in combination with electrolyse to produce the energy carrier hydrogen. But at the moment the direct use from electricity via the power grid is more effective.

 

Christopher Kloed, Managing Director
Norsk Hydro Electrolysers AS, Norway
We should use our existing resources on natural gas more environmentally friendly through reforming into hydrogen. Our natural gas will last for approximately 10 or 15 years and the necessary units for using it with hydrogen are already there. Of course this process should take place together with the use of renewable energies. To reach this target we should do more research and development concerning electrolyse.

 

David Hart
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
London, UK
The infrastructure must be improved step by step for hydrogen. Probable this will take place together with an improvement of the traditional power supply. At the beginning hydrogen will close gaps in the decentralized energy market. I can imagine future use in the a combined system from hydrogen-car and home-energy-supply: The car will be an additional energy-storage and can for example cover a part of the power for your home.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Reinhold Wurster
Ludwig-Boelkow-Systemtechnik GmbH
Ottobrunn, Germany
Necessary conditions for a hydrogen-based economy are homogeneous standards and norms worldwide. The infrastructure for the hydrogen-car can look like this:

  • 2005 The first thousand cars are on the street
  • 2010 Several 100,000 hydrogen-cars are running. Perhaps 16% of the filling station will offer hydrogen to ensure an area-wide supply.
  • 2020 Hydrogen-cars will be 50% of the used vehicles.

In the future car producers, energy groups and petroleum companies will work closer together.

 

11:15 Morning Coffee
   
11:30 Applications - ready for the market
In the sector of hydrogen-technology and fuel cells there are many different solutions, therefore it is necessary to consider about the suitable fuel cell for varying application fields.
Independent power supply, meaning your own power unit at home, of course is not welcome by the suppliers of electric power. But you can imagine, that these companies provide their customers with a back-up system (using fuel cells) as an additional service.
In the Third World there are many regions without connection to the electrical grid. This could be a huge market, if the people there can afford the technology.
 

 

 

Dr. David Edlund
Senior Vice President, CTO and co founder IdaTech
Bend, OR, USA
The first applications for fuel cells ready to merchandize will be back-up systems. In California we have had use for them recently. The technology is prepared to provide electric power in milliseconds. And as there are more and more suppliers for components, the fuel cell will be affordable in the near future. If we are using PEMFC or AFC, I cannot say yet. We will use a PEM fuel cell in our smaller stationary systems (10Kw).

Dipl.-Ing. Bernd Kohlstruck
ALSTOM BALLARD GmbH
Managing Director
Frankfurt/ Main, Germany
From the start we are interested in the upper performance range of fuel cells. We want to build applications with 250 kW. Currently Alstom Ballard is running six test-units with 212 kW performance together with Ballard Generation System. Beside the advantages like environmentally friendly, low sound emission and cost efficiency, the life-cycle of this stacks is perfect for back-up systems. The sector with stationary applications will benefit from the public image thrust released by the first hydrogen-vehicles.

Robert G. Hockaday
Chief Fuel Cell Scientist
Manhattan Scientifics, Inc.
Los Alamos, NM, USA
In several years micro fuel cells will push portable applications for hydrogen-technology. With ten times higher capacity, these devices will be cash cows due to their longer time of use. At present mobile phones, laptops, etc. are already high-tech units, so the consumer will pay for this new technology. This will be a large market, also I can think of FCs with 700W e.g. for bicycles or wheel-chairs. The first prototypes for portable applications will be in use approximately in one year.

12:45 Lunch break; visit of the Group Exhibits
Hydrogen + Fuel Cells in Hall 13 and Hall 18
   
14:00 Visions only lead to actions
A future vision is not easy to be built. Visionaries with a high competence for hydrogen and fuel cells are needed. The fuel cell seems to be universally usable and then to be profitable for the companies. Maybe sometime we live to see a future with only one tax: the energy tax.
 

 

Robert Rose
Executive Director
Fuel Cells 2000
Washington, DC, USA
Fuel cells have the potential to create new markets and to dominate them. From 2003 on products ready for the market will be available. The technology must bring performance and the market must be confronted with realistic prizes. However, the public must be better informed about hydrogen to increase the acceptance.

Dr. Ulf Bossel
European Fuel Cell Forum
Oberrohrdorf
Switzerland
The development in the market of hydrogen technology can not be restricted to several countries. In this area it can only be to work together e.g. there are various close co-operations between the USA and Europe. It is more less a worldwide development.

 

Prof. Dr. David Bellamy
Scientist, London, UK
The development of the industrial society has been being able by the use of fossil fuel at first. But now we have big environment damages and problems by that. It is the time for a new technology now. Hydrogen, a clean and safe energy solution, should be used more intensive. For our environments sake. But the publics acceptance for that must be increased. John Cleese or James Bond should advertise it. This new technology must be made "sexy".

 

Dr. Bernd Wiemann
CEO, Mannesmann Pilotentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, Munich, Germany
We went in the hydrogen technology years ago because we are convinced of the potential of this sector. From the beginning on we concentrated on the periphery needed around the stack. Complete concepts like fuel processing or stack management we are also interested in. We always concentrate on the whole system. To go to the market as early as possible we also took care of related systems like e.g. APU (current additional supply in cars via fuel cells). A central new task energy management will be (e.g. with special heat exchangers).

 

Richard Witzko
Business Leader Europe
Industrial Products Division
W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH
Putzbrunn, Germany
Apart other well known products like our membrane Goretex we invest for ten years now in the fuel cell technology. We believe that the first niche applications with fuel cells can be utilized in the next few years. Then it will be possible to make a profit by hydrogen technologies before by the hydrogen car.

 

John Dean
Director Equity Research
UBS Warburg
London, UK
It is not easy to find a solution to cover the need for energy. This will only be possible step by step and with different applications. A big market normally develops after the breakthrough of one product, then other ones will follow.
The investors like to do short-term investments. To make that profitable it is not only technology companies need but also a clear concepts. But investors will surely tend to enter that sector.

 

Organizer: Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover
For more information about the Energy Summit go to:
http://www.energy-fair-online.com

Realization Part III (Hydrogen):
Arno A. Evers FAIR-PR
Achheimstrasse 3
82319 Starnberg
Tel.: +49 8151 998923
Fax: +49 8151 9989243
email: arno@hydrogenambassadors.com
https://www.hydrogenambassadors.com