HyperSolar shows off its hydrogen fuel production prototype in new video
November 17, 2016Video highlights the efficiency of hydrogen fuel production technology
HyperSolar, a leading developer of renewable hydrogen fuel production technology, has launched a new video to demonstrate its prototype production solution. The company has a long history of developing innovative technology and has produced many promising prototypes that could, one day, make hydrogen fuel production much more environmentally friendly. The new video showcases how the company’s new prototype system can be used nearly anywhere, as long as there is access to water.
Video shows how water and sunlight can be used to generate hydrogen
In the video, HyperSolar shows that water collected from the Iowa River, which is located outside of the University of Iowa, where the company conducts much of its research and development, can be used to efficiently generate hydrogen. The water is injected into a device that contains HyperSolar’s production technology. The system is equipped with high-voltage photovoltaic cells, which are coated in a proprietary catalytic material. The device is exposed to natural sunlight, triggering a chemical reaction that powers the hydrogen fuel production process.
Simplicity of new system could be very beneficial for clean transportation space
According to HyperSolar, the new prototype represents the simplicity of its hydrogen fuel production technology. Using this technology, hydrogen can be generated at or near the point of distribution for fueling stations. HyperSolar believes that the technology can be scaled up for commercial use, which may be a major boon for the clean transportation sector.
Renewable energy could help establish a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure
The auto industry has been growing more interested in clean transportation in recent years and some companies have begun developing and launching vehicles equipped with fuel cells. Automakers have been slow to produce such vehicles, however, due to the lack of a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure. HyperSolar is one company that could help solve this problem with its innovative hydrogen fuel production technology. Since conventional hydrogen production is heavily reliant on fossil-fuels, hydrogen is often considered less viable than batteries for clean transportation. HyperSolar has shown, however, that renewable power, particularly solar energy, can be used to efficiently power the hydrogen fuel production process.
There is no question regarding the need to stop burning hydrocarbons and going directly to hydrogen. Using renewable energy sources like solar and wind for the electrolysis of water to obtain the hydrogen is certainly a clean methodology. Unfortunately the caveat is this; it takes more energy to obtain the hydrogen off of the oxygen in water than the energy you get back by remaking water in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Regardless of that limitation it is a far superior and cost effective source of hydrogen relative to depending on the hydrocarbon industry’s method. They have to heat water up to 1000 degrees centigrade in order to get the oxygen hydrogen bond to break leaving hydrogen along with other gases that have to be separated out to leave hydrogen. BIO-H2-GEN Inc. has a patent pending on the proprietary electro-chemical process that targets hydrogen sulphide (H2S) to obtain hydrogen. That hydrogen is “zero-carbon” infinitely sustainable and readily available from the ubiquitous H2S that permeates (in significant quantities) in all world-wide communities that have wastewater treatment infrastructure. There are two distinct advantages with our process by targeting H2S. It takes less energy to remove the hydrogen from the sulphur than to remove the hydrogen from oxygen plus the advantage whereby our proprietary process increases the yield of hydrogen relative to a control. When we secure CapEx and OpEx support we will successfully complete our next phase 2 and generate essential engineering scale-up data for full production facilities. Each participating community will enjoy 24/7 operation and permanent employment shifts for the 24 hour operation. We anticipate a community of 150K could be producing 2 to 5 million kilograms of hydrogen annually; that is weight not volume.
William C. Knapp
President & C.E.O.
BIO-H2-GEN Inc.