A new fuel cell system is now being developed in Norway. The company that is developing the new fuel cell system is “Nordic Power Systems”. The development is carried out with support by “The Research Council of Norway”. The fuel cell system reforms regular diesel or biodiesel to produce hydrogen and the hydrogen generated drives a solid-acid fuel cell.
The new fuel cell system uses two innovative core technologies.
One of the technologies is implemented into a reformer called a “cool flame reformer”. The reformer reforms regular or biodiesel fuel into hydrogen. The regular diesel fuel is available at oil stations by anyone. This fact implies that there is no need of building the infrastructure for hydrogen filling stations.
The implications of “no need of building the infrastructure” are very significant.
The other technology is the solid-acid fuel cell technology. The solid-acid fuel cell uses a solid acid electrolyte of CsHSO4, for example, and operates in the intermediate temperature region (100 to 300 degrees C) under a non-humidity condition. Caltech (USA) developed the solid-acid fuel cell and has the patent right of it. The fuel cell is featured by low price and robustness. Currently, SAFCell (USA) is developing and manufacturing the solid-acid fuel cell.
If all goes according to plan, the unit being developed with Marshall will be ready for market launch by mid-2011, while the solid-acid fuel cell will be phased in somewhat later. An assembly plant in Høyanger, Norway, is scheduled to open in early 2012.
>> More
