April 30, 2004
Chewonki dabbles in 'green' hydrogen power
By Bob Kalish, The Times Record
WISCASSET
Peter Arnold would like to do for hydrogen what he has done for
biodiesel: Give it a little push.
Arnold, in his capacity as alternative energy pathways coordinator at
Chewonki Foundation also carries the title of project director for the
Renewable Hydrogen Project, a joint effort with the Hydrogen Energy Center
to produce a model that will use renewable energy to produce a hydrogen
energy system.
"What makes this program unique is that we're using off-the-shelf
technology to make hydrogen that will do what we expect of our fossil
fuels," Arnold said.
The Chewonki project will store this hydrogen energy and call on it as
a back-up source of energy for the alternative energy education building.
Implementation of the plan begins next month, and Arnold hopes to have it
online by late fall, in time for the next heating season.
The plan is as follows: Photovoltaic panels (already in place and in
use) create electricity from sunlight. That electricity is used to operate
an electrolyzer, which takes hydrogen molecules from water to use in one of
two ways: To make electricity that can be stored in batteries, or to run
directly an internal combustion engine.
Another method uses biomass, plant matter, that is fed through a
reformer to create hydrogen.
Hydrogen-powered automobiles have been touted by the Bush
administration, which recently announced it was backing further research
into the technology, but Arnold says the emphasis on cars is misguided.
"Critics of hydrogen will call attention to how the electricity to make
that hydrogen is produced," Arnold said. "That's why we emphasize the use
of renewable energy sources to make that electricity. In our case, we
already have photovoltaic panels making our electricity. The problem of
using a fuel cell in a car is that if you're producing the electricity to
make the hydrogen out of coal, you're not doing much good for the big
picture."
The plan is to use T1 welding tanks, commonly used to store gases under
pressure, to store the hydrogen.
"We're going to use what we have," he said, "Nothing fancy."
Hydrogen won't be appealing to the general public right away, Arnold
said, because it is still more expensive than fossil fuels.
"But it's inevitable we'll run out of fossil fuels, especially
gasoline," he said.
Arnold plans to use the set-up he is building at Chewonki as a model,
hoping to interest other groups or individuals who might take the concept
further into a real business plan. Chewonki has been making its own diesel
fuel out of recycled deep fryer oil for two years, enough to heat one of
the buildings and to drive the organization's tractors and vehicles.
At first, biodiesel was considered an idea too edgy to find public
support, but several states have begun to introduce biodiesel into their
fleet of vehicles and here in Maine at least one retailer offers home
heating oil made from soybeans. Arnold thinks that eventually hydrogen
cells will be almost as common.
"It's inevitable that we'll come to using renewable fuels," he said.
"We have a lot of coal, still, but oil maybe another 30, 35 years left.
Isn't it crazy to keep using it like we have?"
What Arnold likes about the use of hydrogen from renewable fuels is
that it can be more democratic than using fossil fuels. If we all make
hydrogen from sunlight, whether it be photovoltaic cells or biomass or
water power, we won't have to import energy from foreign countries.
"It's a matter of thinking of the hydrogen like you do a battery, a
means of storing energy," Arnold said.
The cost to build the demonstration project is $240,000. Private
donations have so far contributed $75,000 and other grants from Maine
Technology Institute, Maine Public Utilities Commission, U.S. Department of
Energy, the Praxair Corp. and the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust have
raised $150,000. That leaves $15,000 still to raise, but Arnold is
confident Chewonki will be able to collect it.
"We've had tremendous support from private individuals and businesses,"
Arnold said.
This Saturday Chewonki hosts its sixth annual sustainable energy
conference from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at which information about the renewable
hydrogen project will be available. For more information log on to
www.chewonkih2.org.
Contact Bob Kalish at bkalish@timesrecord.com
visit The Times Record on-line at www.timesrecord.com
Reprinted with permission.
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