The Stanford scientists behind the work say that “carbon nanotubes could be an excellent alternative to the platinum, palladium and other precious-metal catalysts now in use.” Inside a fuel cell, the catalysts are needed to oxidize the hydrogen at the anode.

The study demonstrates that when they shred the other walls of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) with the inner walls left intact, the MWNT gained “enhanced” catalytic ability. The electrical conductivity remained good too. When used in metal-air batteries, the potential is for batteries that have 10 times the theoretical energy density of “today’s best lithium-ion technology.”

Further research is needed, of course, but this could be the key to cracking the puzzle of more widespread fuel cell adoption.

[Source]

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A team from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences  might have a solution. The team received a $100,000 grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work on a microbial fuel cell-based charger; a mobile phone charging system that gets its power from microbes in the soil. The device incorporates a conductive surface, that harvests free electrons created by naturally-occurring soil microbes during the course of their metabolic processes. The device has managed to power LED lights in a lab for 14 months. Once the device is ready for development, two researchers from the team will go to Africa to conduct a field study.

The team hopes that Africans will be able to assemble the chargers from readily-available materials like window screens and soda cans, and should be able to fully charge a phone within 24 hours.

Photo: Gates Foundation

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Suzuki is bringing Fuel-Cell vehicles one step closer to global adoption. The Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter packs a hydrogen tank which reacts with oxygen to produce electricity with water being the byproduct. It has been accepted by the European Union by obtaining Whole Vehicle Type Approval. This means the Burgman will not have to be inspected on an individual basis and any individual or company importing them can do so just as they would with any other approved vehicle without any hindrance in respects to vehicle admissibility. Prior to this, each Fuel Cell Scooter would have to be reviewed and inspected by a case by case basis. This news is a big step towards common acceptance as they are deemed safe. In the USA the D.O.T. uses a more lax self-governing approach by assuming importers abide by the importation laws and regulations set forth. In Canada it is much stricter and expensive as it would need individual testing and certification. With this news it will surely lead the way for other governments to accept the vehicle as safe and road worthy.

No pricing information has been released yet for the Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, with this news Suzuki distributors should start bringing them in as soon as they are ready to roll off the line.

The Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter uses a single polymer-electrolyte type fuel cell made by Intelligent Energy. The fuel storage system is a high-pressure hydrogen tank (70MPa). Inside is a secondary battery made of Lithium-ion providing a total range of 350km per tank.

[Bikez, Suzuki GB]

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You know that space age Liquidmetal technology we love to hear about that’s in everything from high-tech gadgets to thousand dollar watches? Well, it may have just become an internal component to some seriously jaw dropping technology. Apple uses Liquidmetal in the iPhone and iPad casing — oddly enough not in the iPhone 4s back glass — but apparently a new use for this ultralight weight stronger than steel GMO substance has been found; to house a vat of potentially explosive combustable liquid to power your gadgets.

Yes, thats right, Liquidmetal will help power the next iPhone 5, if the latest evidence is to be believed.  So how is Liquidmetal being used for fuel cells? The patent describes the “amorphous alloy” used to make collector plates for fuel cells, it doesn’t specifically use the Liquidmetal name, but the electrochemical battery technology that will use hydrogen to generate electricity with amorphous alloy is owned by Apple.

How long does your current smartphone stay charged for? In standby mode 90% of the time, a week tops. Compare that to a month of constant use on a Liquidmetal fuel cell. Would you buy the iPhone 5 with a 30 day battery charge? Apple seems to think so, and it seems that Liquidmetal may have more uses than we initially believed.

[Cult of Mac, Gizmodo via USPTO]

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Photo: Bloom Energy Headquarters with Rainbow and magical Unicorn (Gizmodo)

Alternative fuel is the only solution for mankind’s current fuel dilemma. And both private and government organization’s are throwing millions of dollars at scientists with ideas on how to develop the next “Free and Clean” fuel technology.

On the cards we have another feather weight contender, Bloom Energy. With a hip name like that and with hype generated from coverage on 60 Minutes and a NASA Scientist/CEO at the helm of affairs with a name most of us can’t pronounce. We get the Bloom Box!

Of course the scientists that bring us this revolutionary fuel are focusing on big businesses before they go for households. Why? We hope the only reason is that it’s more profitable. Keep that in mind and hang in there, I’m going to connect the dots soon.

Let’s rewind a bit here. For those laymen that do not know what a fuel cell is let me enlighten you. It’s typically “Not” one big battery, but an entire power plant.

The unit is called the ES-5000 Energy Server (Bloom Box), when a chemical agent called an oxidant is poured in one side and fuel poured in from the other side – both these bodies lock on together (much like two teenagers after prom night), you get electricity with electrons flowing in the circuit architecture of whatever device the cell is plugged into.

Photo: Bloom Energy animation on how a fuel cell works.

Now fuel cells have been around before Star Trek – oh way back since the mid- eighteenth century, so all these scientists have had a while to play around and develop this technology and the majority of the crop were and still are hydrogen based fuel cells.

Stay with me it gets interesting!

However, the Bloom Box fuel cell is a solid oxide type of cell. Meaning they have an advantage over other fuel cells in that they are efficient, low cost and have lower polluting emissions. The biggest factor with this type of fuel cell is that they can get really hot up to 1800ºF whereas other fuel cells would breakdown or need maintenance.

But get this: the Bloom Box requires hydrogen in a less purer state. For example from land waste and fossil fuels. And the heat generated by it is recyclable by this fuel device.

The biggest problem with this type of cell is … yup you guessed it, price!

Isn’t cost what everything boils down to? A 100 Kilowatt hour energy server can cost you $700,000 to $800,000 total!

Given that hefty price tag I suggest we keep liaisoning with OPEC as a value chain affordable fuel supplier and don’t eradicate the combustion engine from high school physics books just yet.

But with all new technologies comes the price. What Bloom has done for the companies who can actually afford a unit is allow them to save money first. “The efficiency built into Bloom’s fuel cell systems allows a typical customer to achieve a 3-5 year financial payback making it an easy and economically sound choice.”

Photo: (Mercury News) Tech journalists at eBay's San Jose headquarters learned how Bloom, who raised $400 million from investors, plans to mass produce solid oxide fuel cells. Governor Schwarzenegger meets Bloom co-founder and CEO K.R. Sridhar.

Sure that is a good plan, but how will it help the environment? Bloom says the Energy Servers will cut CO2 emissions by 40%-100% compared to the U.S. grid (depending on their fuel choice) and virtually eliminate all SOx, NOx, and other harmful smog forming particulate emissions.

As it stands now, if you have more money than you know what to do with, Bloom Energy Servers can enable businesses to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint, but not at the cost of the bottom line. Now it’s clear as to why eBay, Google, FedEx, Staples and WalMart are on board. Saving the environment is one thing, but saving money is what really counts at the end of the quarter.

These decisions are business decisions and right now average folk like you and I are not their target market. Large scale corporations are their target, ones that can clearly afford the hefty price tag. Fuel Cell technology has been far too expensive for home use which is why only Aerospace companies using tax dollars have been the ones who can afford it. If, and that’s a big if, Bloom Energy has figured out a way to truly manufacture home units for $3,000 in the next 5-10 years, we could have ourselves a global evolution.

A new way to generate clean electricity: Mercury News

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The Swedish company myFC AB unveiled a series of hydrogen powered portable fuel cell power generators designed to recharge your mobile device whether you are in the desert, jungle or any remote location lacking a power outlet.

How is energy created? Through the “Proton Exchange Membrane”, hydrogen is converted into electricity by drawing from a packet of aluminum powder added to one of the compartments in the device along with precious water.  The companies aim is targeted to developing countries like Africa. It may be naive to believe the people in poverished countries such as Africa need a hydrogen power pack that requires one of the most important things to them, water.  And no mention of the quality of water that is needed, is it distilled? Filtered? Plain? Because the water running straight from the tap in many remote villages have high iron content, will this conflict with the production of hydrogen? Then there is the Aluminum powder packet which according to the company will be “inexpensive” but it is still an expense nonetheless, another thing people in Africa do not have much of, money.

The company has 3 different designs.  The B2 series is for charging your smartphones and devices that require 6W of power.  The H3 with output being from sub-watt to 3W is for charging all your other portable electronic devices.  Both of the B2 and H3 series are designed to be durable enough for outdoor use.  The third design is called the Blade, at 3mm thick, it’s really just a prototype design for manufacturers to integrate on the back of devices which I could see having more potential than a stand-alone product.

MyFC Fuel Cell Photo Gallery

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