New York State Project to Lay Groundwork for Use of Hydrogen
By Sara Clemence, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
The roads of the future will be populated by hydrogen-fed cars and lined with hydrogen-powered buildings, some say. But navigating to that point, where things run on clean, renewable fuel, will not be simple, cheap or pollution-free.
"So we come at it systematically -- we don't do it piecemeal,"
explained Peter Smith, president of NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation that
underwrites energy research in the state.
Smith announced Tuesday that the project will be developed by Albany NanoTech,
a University at Albany initiative, and Energetics Inc., a Maryland consulting
company. He made the disclosure at a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored
"Hydrogen Learning Workshop" held at Albany NanoTech on Fuller Road.
Although a hydrogen-fueled economy is years off, Smith said, federal money
will be available far sooner. The state needs to assess its resources, review
its safety regulations and figure out where to invest in infrastructure, he
said. More than a dozen states, including Texas, California and Ohio, are
pursuing hydrogen plans.
"We're not going to be left behind," Smith said.
Several dozen people, including educators, business people and government
representatives, attended the workshop.
Hydrogen, a light, odorless, colorless gas, has been promoted as an
alternative to petroleum products. It burns cleanly and can be used in fuel
cells that create electricity, emitting only water and heat as byproducts.
Hydrogen is abundant in nature and can increase the country's energy security by
reducing reliance on foreign sources of fuel.
But processing hydrogen can create greenhouse gases or require electricity
from polluting sources. Storing and transporting the material can be expensive
and difficult, requiring special pipelines and trucks. And fuel cells, which
contain platinum, are still prohibitively priced.
"The bottom line is, the fuel cells' costs are really high," said
James Winebrake, chairman of the public policy department at the Rochester
Institute of Technology, who discussed the basics of hydrogen at the workshop.
"You can't find a fuel-cell vehicle at your local dealer because they're
too much."
Local companies such as Plug Power Inc. of Latham are working to make fuel
cells a commercial reality. And there are other hydrogen resources already in
the area: Albany NanoTech has a hydrogen generator that makes the material for
use in semiconductor manufacturing research.
"The hydrogen economy that we're talking about is not going to happen
all of a sudden," said Pradeep Haldar, director of the Energy and
Environmental Technology Applications Center at Albany NanoTech. "It's
going to be in places where they know how to use, make and store it first."
Introducing a portion of Tuesday's workshop, Assemblyman Paul Tonko,
D-Amsterdam, said he is tired of "feeble attempts" and "minor
demonstration projects," and called for strong policy to help develop
consumer interest.
The entire state hydrogen project, one-third of which New York is funding,
totals $750,000. That includes a $100,000 grant to review safety codes and
standards, as well as educational and demonstration projects, NYSERDA's Smith
said.
"By spring 2005, we'll have a pretty good idea where we're going,"
Smith said.
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