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The plane, which used propellers, flew at a speed of 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour for about 20 minutes at an altitude of about 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) using only the hydrogen battery for power, Boeing said in a statement.
Hydrogen battery?
http://www.millenniumcell.com/fw/main/home-177.html
EATONTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2008--Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL), a leading developer of hydrogen battery technology, today confirmed that its Hydrogen on Demand(R) technology provided the energy storage for a record-breaking nine hour flight of AeroVironment's (NASDAQ:AVAV - News) PUMA. The PUMA, a small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was powered by Protonex Technology Corporation's (LSETX - News) Pulse(TM) UAV fuel cell system, which incorporated Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand(R) technology for its energy storage. Protonex has been a licensee of the Company since 2004. The nine-hour flight duration more than triples the duration of Puma's standard battery-only operation.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/hydrogen_batter.php
We've hinted at the idea of the hydrogen battery in earlier stories. Progress Energy has collaborated with the State of Florida to get a complete hydrogen battery system functioning as part of a public education program. It includes a solar panel, a hydrogen electrolyzer by Hydrogenic's / Stewart Energy subsidiary, hydrogen storage capablity, and a fuel cell, pictured here next to the wildlife pavilion at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The Progress Energy web site linked here mentions a forthcoming streaming video of operating performance metrics. But don't wait. We recommend you take the time to view the technology overview video already there. Nice Progress!
http://www.hydrogenics.com/our.technology.hydrogen.generation.asp
While there are many cases where it does not make sense to use the available electricity to make hydrogen in order to make more electricity, there are many instances where it does make sense. It boils down to more of an economic argument than a scientific argument that requires some understanding of off-peak power availabilities as well as how to optimize renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Today, wind and solar power are stationary intermittent energy sources, limited by the hours in which they can actually generate power that has to be used ‘there and then’, or be lost. Hydrogen by electrolysis becomes a ‘dispatchable’ energy option that allows later use of power that has been previously harnessed by the wind or the sun.
Last edited on Fri Apr 4th, 2008 09:49 am by Joe Kelley