Bright Idea: Why Not Hydrogen?

Hydrogen has been the holy grail of energy for decades because it can be produced relatively simply using electricity and water and creates only water as a byproduct when used. Unfortunately, the high cost of liquefying and storing the gas has made it uneconomical for all but a few specialized applications. So while Honda, Toyota and Kia are selling hydrogen cars, few expect them to be big sellers.

Students at Washington State University working under the direction of Assistant Professor Jacob Leachman have designed a hydrogen fueling station they say could pave the way for a flourishing hydrogen economy. The project won a national hydrogen student design contest last year.

The station could be built for $423,000, one-fifth to one-tenth the cost of current hydrogen stations. It would fill a cars tank with enough hydrogen for a 300-mile trip for $50, only slightly more expensive than traditional fuels. A fill-up would take five minutes, compared to the hours it takes to recharge an electric car. The whole gas station could be built inside a couple of shipping containers and plopped down on an empty lot. Contrary to popular perception, hydrogen is far safer than gasoline. While leaked gasoline pools where it can explode, hydrogen, unless trapped, quickly disperses into the atmosphere.

WSU students came up with two innovations that could change the economics of hydrogen. One is a way to liquefy hydrogen at a tiny fraction of the cost of existing systems (see illustration). The other is to use carbon-fiber storage tanks pressurrized by letting hydrogen boil. That dispenses with compressors currently used to raise pressure so more hydrogen can be stored.

Leachman says Washington is in an excellent position to pioneer a hydrogen economy because it regularly has excess wind and hydro power that can be used to create hydrogen. For the $363 million that King County recently estimated it would cost to electrify one bus route, a statewide system of hydrogen fueling stations could be installed. The hydrogen would initially be used in oil refineries, in the production of fertilizer and silicon wafers, for bus fleets and for cars. Many warehouses already use hydrogen-powered forklifts because they dont create emissions and can be recharged quickly.

Leachman says WSU has filed for provisional patents and is raising money to build a model to test the design.