Researchers Discover Easy Way To Generate Hydrogen For FCVs

Researchers at the S&P Energy Research Institute say that they have developed a highly efficient method of generating hydrogen. The technique could provide a ready source of hydrogen for fuel cell and other power applications, and may help to reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Dr. Sen Kim, who heads the research project, says that laboratory tests show that carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were dissociated or broken apart using low energy. The technique also works for hydrogen (H2) and water vapor (H2O). The process is about 90% efficient and uses just .1kWh of electricity to produce 1 cubic meter of hydrogen. This compares to 4.5 kWh used to create the same amount of hydrogen with conventional electrolysis techniques.

According to Dr. Kim, the technique will lower hydrogen production costs by 20-30 times, and could be used to bring a significant volume of hydrogen to market immediately. Technological improvements like this could help create the hydrogen fuel infrastructure needed to migrate to a hydrogen based economy. It won't do much, however for the price of a hydrogen FCV. Currently, vehicles like the Honda Clarity would cost about $200,000 if they were available for sale. Right now, the company only leases the vehicles due to their extraordinarily high price tag.

Source: S and P Energy Research Institute