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.
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.
My thoughts about hydrogen 
A visit at the BATAAN Nuclear Power Plant in The Philippines, 
NEW! Hans-Olof Nilsson's Off-The-Grid Hydrogen House near Goteborg, Sweden
Carta abierta al Angela Merkel, Canciller Federal de Alemania, fundador y miembros del Comité de Ética Alemán convocado por la Canciller de Alemania para “Asegurar el abastecimiento de energía”
Hans-Olof Nilsson's Off-The-Grid Hydrogen House near Goteborg, Sweden 
Visit at the Italian demonstration plant of MagneGasâ„¢ on February 7th and 8th, 2011
Hydrogen Plant of Emirates Industrial Gases Co. Ltd ( EIGC) at Dubai, UAE 
Huerta Solar en Tabernas, Spain, October 2009 
AFCC Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, Burnaby, BC, Canada June 2009 
How Airbus conquered the 
The Arecibo Observatory 
Fuel Cell Bus Trial, Perth, Australia 
Dreieich 2012
