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Proclaiming a “key step toward developing a hydrogen economy,” Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham flipped the switch in Freeport, Texas, on a General Motors fuel cell, the first used to generate electricity at Dow Chemical’s giant chemical complex there. The cell, the same as the one found in GM’s HydroGen3 fuel-cell vehicle, generates 75 kW of electricity, enough for about 60 homes. After four to six months of testing, GM and Dow will install 12 more modules, putting out 1 MW. By 2006, the companies plan some 400 units, producing 35 MW and serving about 2% of the site’s power needs. Although DOE didn’t provide financial support for the project, Abraham stressed a $1.7 billion government commitment to hydrogen fuels, adding that the government should limit its role to lending support and helping build the environment for advances. “The future will not be constructed in the halls of government,” he said, “but in the labs and facilities of places like General Motors, Dow Chemical, the other auto companies around the world, and other innovators in science and technology.” For Dow, the fuel cells represent a trial of a technology with which it can use its by-product hydrogen more efficiently than burning it in boilers or selling it to industrial gas companies, said Theo Walthie, Dow business group president of hydrocarbons and energy. For GM, the project will help advance fuel-cell automobiles, according to Larry Burns, GM’s vice president of R&D and planning. “By taking our fuel-cell technology into the stationary power market, we are learning how to improve fuel-cell efficiency, reliability, and durability,” he said. |
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