![]() Most commercial hydrogen isn’t exactly green, since it’s mostly derived from fossil fuels, though it can also be produced from renewable sources, like solar and wind power (more on this in a moment). Most hydrogen on earth is locked up in water, hydrocarbons, and various organic matter separating it and compressing the gas for use in a fuel cell consumes a lot of energy. Unlike conventional batteries, compressed hydrogen can be stored with little energy loss for long stretches of time, and fuel cell vehicles can be recharged in minutes.īut there’s a long list of catches and caveats that have so far hamstrung this technology. Fuel cells, which generate an electrical current via a chemical reaction, make a tempting power source: Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, after all, and the only emissions left behind are clean water vapor. There’s a lot of hope riding on this bus-just as there has been on hydrogen energy for decades. “This is the perfect fuel of the future." The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute hydrogen station, ready to fuel a shuttle bus later this year. “The high-level concept is to use tax dollars to support the general public, as opposed to wealthy individuals who can afford the cars,” he said. From his perch in Oahu, he’s spent nearly two decades trying to pioneer a hydrogen-powered path for the island state. Mitch Ewan, the hydrogen systems program manager at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii, has spearheaded the project. Department of Energy later leveraged into an additional $3 million from the state and the Office of Naval Research. This little bus project is years in the making, seeded long ago by a $2 million grant from the U.S. By summer, an electrified Ford F-550 equipped with a fuel cell should be transporting citizens up and down the hills of the Big Island. In the coming months, a hydrogen-powered shuttle bus will be integrated into the Hawaii County public transit fleet. To illustrate why, look to the warm shores of Hawaii. Now some proponents insist that this magical-seeming alternative fuel is ready for prime time. But the cost and efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells has held back widespread adoption. Inventors, theorists, and wealthy entrepreneurs have envisioned whole societies powered by the chemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen meets air. ![]() For nearly a century, the hydrogen energy economy has been the greenest pipe dream. ![]()
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