Today we had a chance to ride and drive in GM’s latest fuel cell Equinox.  GM was nice enough to bring the new car to the Smithsonian Institute’s National Science Resource Center’s Energy: Past, Present and Future Academy. We’ve been working with our friends at the NSRC and GM for several years now and have the routine down pat - on the last day of the week-long, hands-on program, the attendees (teachers from around the country) put together a fuel cell car kit.  Then someone from Fuel Cells 2000 gives a presentation on fuel cells, how they work, applications, etc. and after that, the teachers get to drive a real fuel cell car.

This Equinox has a new exterior design and also incorporates a battery for the intial start-up of the vehicle (the previous version had the the fuel cell running from the get-go).  The fuel cell kicks in when the vehicle hits around 25-30 miles and helps extend the range of the vehicle.

We posted some videos on our Facebook page and on YouTube, so check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/FuelCellInsider

360 State Street, an innovative new apartment building in New Haven, Connecticut, opens to residents next week, marking the opening of the largest fuel cell installation in a residential application. This mixed-use building was developed by Becker+Becker, a combined architecture and development firm based in Connecticut, and it is filling a startling need for apartments in the city of New Haven. The fuel cell is a 400 kW model from UTC Power, and it is expected to provide all of the heating needs for the entire, 500-unit apartment building in addition to its primary function of electricity generation. Utility bills for 360 State Street are expected to be half of the amount of those for standard apartments. Bruce Becker, president of Becker+Becker, is optimistic about the future of fuel cells in this type of application. “I think fuel cells will be an increasingly important technology for the multifamily housing industry, as building owners, investors and tenants realize the economic and environmental benefits they offer.”

The building has been awarded Connecticut’s first LEED-ND Platinum certification, and it has many additional energy-saving features including high-efficiency lighting, EnergyStar appliances, and recycled construction materials. High-performance windows and low-VOC paints and finishes were used to further curb the building’s impact on the environment. Residents will also be able to track their energy consumption online.

This project brings green living to the city with its on-site generation and efficient design. The chic, modern, and luxurious apartments prove that style and comfort do not have to be sacrificed in order to live in a more environmentally-responsible manner. The building has several amenities, such as a rooftop terrace, fitness center, library, screening room, and clubhouse. Additionally, retail space has been set aside on the first floor of the building for a bike shop and a grocery store. The building also inspires greener living through its proximity to public transit, and it is within walking distance to many shops and restaurants.

For more information on these cutting-edge apartments, please visit the 360 State Street website here.

Becker+Becker also developed The Octagon apartment building on Roosevelt Island, New York, and another fuel cell system is expected to be installed there in the near future. A video about The Octagon’s history and energy consumption can be viewed here.

The House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin introduced a draft of an energy tax bill yesterday. The Domestic Manufacturing and Energy Jobs Act of 2010 includes several important fuel cell provisions, including tax credits for fuel cell manufacturing and hydrogen vehicle refueling property. These provisions would advance the hydrogen and fuel cell infrastructure while creating clean energy jobs here in the US.

However, a couple important fuel cell provisions were not included in Levin’s draft, such as a restored tax credit for fuel cell vehicles. Luckily there’s still time to voice your opinion and influence the bill, so please write to your representative today!

To see a summary of Levin’s draft, click here. Or for the full draft text, click here.

A panel presentation this morning sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and the EESI discussed various tangible ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil to negligible levels in the coming years.

Senator Merkley was the keynote speaker at the panel and began his presentation explaining that we are spending $1 billion dollars for foreign oil everyday and are projected to purchase 6 billion barrels of overseas oil a day by 2030; this is causing a reduced American economy and lost jobs. To solve this problem, Merkley has introduced a bill Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act (S. 3601), co-sponsored by Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Michael Bennet (D-CO). This bill will create a National Energy Security Council, a cabinet level position in the White House. This new Council will implement a wide array of policies designed to reduce our consumption of oil to levels where by 2030 we will no longer be purchasing any oil overseas.

Merkley’s main policy initiative to be implemented by the Council is a bill he has co-sponsored, the Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010 (S. 3495). This bill will implement deployment communities of plug-in electric vehicles to demonstrate their feasibility. Future phase of the deployment communities have the possibility of including other electric vehicles, including fuel cells.

Other policy initiatives to be enacted will include a transition to making more efficient heavy and medium-duty trucks, to create smarter infrastructure and more alternatives to personal transportation, a focus on alternative fuels, and creating more energy efficient homes and buildings.

Senator Merkley’s bill has not been posted online yet, but stay posted as we will update you as events develop.

Wärtsilä has installed a Wärtsilä Fuel Cell (WFC) 20 unit on board the Undine, a car carrier owned by Swedish maritime transport company Wallenius Lines, with the aim of testing a fuel cell in a marine environment.  The Undine, with the WFC 20 unit installed, sailed from the Port of Bremerhaven, in Germany, on May 1. The ship’s destination is the UK and, after stopping in the US and Sweden, and will dock on October 31, says Wärtsilä director of fuel cells Erkko Fontell.

The fuel unit will, during the test period, provide auxiliary power to the vessel, while producing almost no emissions. “This project is an important step towards more environment-friendly shipping and cleaner seaborne transportation,” Wärtsilä reports.

Experts and other trained personnel are on board the vessel to operate the system. The company has also established data transfer between the vessel and a technical team to follow the operation of the unit. The company says that the validation process on the journey will provide feedback and information for the future development of technology for marine environment applications.

The fuel cell is an SOFC, with a nominal output of 20 kW, and is fueled by methanol.

“We want to further develop fuel cell technology and introduce it to the commercial markets in the next few years. We also want to increase the power output of the units, and the next step is a 50-kW power range and later a 250-kW range,” says Fontell.

The full story can be found here.

In a Perspective published in ACS’s Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, researchers from the Electrochemical Energy Research Laboratory (EERL), General Motors Research & Development, suggest that given the strong societal need for full vehicle electrification and the respective technical challenges and commercial risk entailed, both Li-ion batteries and fuel cell systems for powering electric vehicles warrant continued strong development investment.

The authors suggest that given the specific energy characteristics of the technologies, full battery electric vehicles could be more suited for shorter range applications, with fuel cells used for longer distance vehicles.

For more information see the full story here.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Towne gave a presentation on his paper this week titled “Energy Dependence: The $1.4 Trillion Addiction Threatening National Security.” Towne’s paper addresses America’s addiction to oil in terms of national security.

LTC Towne conducted a strategy research project on this topic because he sees the energy supply as a critical vulnerability to economic stability and the long-term security of the nation. He argues in his paper that the lack of an alternative to oil has had a $1.4 Trillion drag on the U.S. economy over the last five years. Demand for oil as a fuel source for ground transportation will cause the nation’s wealth to continue hemorrhaging for the foreseeable future, weakening America’s domestic and international power.

As a solution to this undeniable problem, LTC Towne suggests we institute bold policy and a comprehensive energy strategy. This must involve partnerships between the public and private sector to introduce technologies to the market that will decrease oil use and still meet consumers’ transportation requirements. LTC Towne argues increasingly for a portfolio of innovative vehicle and alternative fuel solutions, most notably the development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel programs.

Towne’s conclusion is that we need to implement a bill similar to the Consumer Vehicle Choice Act, only one that includes hydrogen and fuel cells as the benefactor. Ultimately, Towne calls for a  15-year, $55 billion long-term investment into fuel cell development and infrastructure. While this number may seem high, the cost of not turning away from oil will be much, much worse.

Towne’s paper can be found online here and his presentation is available here.

*disclaimer* LTC Towne’s paper is a strategy research project conducted to satisfy the degree requirements of the Army War College and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, U.S. Army, Army War College.

The House Ways and Means Committee is currently putting together a Green Jobs Energy Package and plans to complete work on the bill soon.  Decisions on the content of the bill are being made within the next two days.  It is imperative that we weigh in on our priorities NOW!

It is particularly important to weigh in today.  If your Rep. is on the House Ways and Means Committee you can go to our advocacy page to contact them. It would also be helpful to contact your Rep. even if he is not on the committee to lend his support. Please let your Representative know that our tax priorities are essential to our industry and invaluable in advancing clean technology and green workforce.

If you are unsure whether your Rep. is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, you can check here.

Fuel Cell Insider has officially joined Facebook.  Check out our Facebook page for blog posts, discussions, tweets, and more.

The Americans Making Power Act (H.R. 5692), sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, allows Americans to feed self-generated power back into the grid, including fuel cells. This new bill, if passed, will remove barriers to net-metering, the process of measuring the difference between electricity supplied by the grid and consumer generated power. Americans will be able to feed renewable and self-generated energy back into the grid from home, work, and even places of worship. This will increase the reliability of the grid, a first step on the way to a true Smart Grid. In addition, this bill will stimulate the alternative energy market, as well as America’s overall economic situation, through increased investment and job creation.

A number of electricity generation units are qualified under the proposed legislation, including units that use renewable energy, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, and waste heat to electricity systems. Fuel cells are covered under the act as both CHP and as renewable energy, as the bill includes fuel cells under the renewable energy definition.

For more information on H.R. 5692, the full text of the bill is posted online here.