(H2) Fuel Cell to Light Holiday Tree at State Capitol (CA)

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_46995.shtml

In a ceremony today at the California State Capitol, Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver will light the nation's first official State holiday tree display powered by a fuel cell. The 6,500 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs on the tree will be powered by a clean, reliable fuel cell system.

California Air Resources Board Chairman and Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative Co-Chair, Dr. Robert F. Sawyer said, "California has always been a leader in innovative clean air technologies. Providing clean, alternative energy for this holiday celebration underscores the viability of fuel cell technology in a variety of applications."

The LED bulbs used on the State holiday tree consume 98 percent less electricity than traditional decoration lights. The tree is lit by an electricity-generating hydrogen fuel cell system, manufactured in California by Altergy Systems, based in Folsom, California. Last year, the holiday display at the California Environmental Protection Agency successfully used the same fuel cell system to light redwood trees in the building's courtyard.

Fuel cells are highly efficient - two to three times more efficient than internal combustion engines - and emit no toxics, only pure water. Fuel cell systems are also quiet, reliable and simple to operate, with few moving parts. These systems can be used in a variety of commercial and residential applications and offer off-the-grid, decentralized power.

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and has proven far more reliable at keeping electric vehicles perennially "two years away".

Hydrogen highway opens station here

http://www.vicnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=36&cat=23&id=785860&more=

Victoria rolled onto the hydrogen highway Friday with the official opening of the hydrogen fuelling station at the BC Transit depot in Langford.

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“Building a small amount of infrastructure is linked to the rollout of hydrogen-based internal combustion,” Setton said. “What’s challenging is the ‘chicken and the egg.’ We are trying to break that cycle by investing wisely and building up a vehicle line.”

With the station in place, as it has been for at least six months, BC Transit is moving toward operating a hydrogen fuel cell bus fleet by the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler.

In November, transit issued a worldwide request for proposal or 20 hydrogen fuel buses. The provincial government has committed $10 million toward the fleet.

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"The $1-million station is the third of seven proposed for the province. The fuel is compressed hydrogen gas pumped through a hose and nozzle not unlike at a standard gas station.

Not that drivers will be lining up at the pump – the station only has one customer, a hydrogen fuel-cell prototype Ford Focus, one of five in B.C. That car is in the third year of a five-year test cycle, due to finish March 2008."

So fuel cells are three years away. I guess it's worth waiting that extra year for the petrochemical industry to retool--they would have absolutely NO way of making astronomical profits from more efficent, less expensive electric vehicles, which are practical for only 90% of the population right now.

"Isn’t hydrogen the solution?
No. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are 4X less eff cient than battery EVs if the hydrogen is produced from electricity. It’s 1.4X less efficient if made from natural gas. Where and how will the hydrogen be stored? Who will pay the billions required for this new infrastructure? (Hint - us taxpayers.) With plug-in cars, the infrastructure is already in place - the electric grid."

http://www.pluginamerica.com/faq.shtml

How's that Hummer running Arnold? Have you ever driven it other than for the publicity stunt? Not likely. All of this is designed to get to get Detroit off the hook for not producing electric cars. All electric cars could be made tomorrow using existing technology. If small trailers with generators were available at dealerships or U-Haul that would fit 95% of peoples driving needs.