Nevertheless, many automakers continue to research fuel cells, giving hope to the promoters of a hydrogen economy see, for example, “ The Automotive Future Belongs to Fuel Cells,” IEEE Spectrum, February 2017. auto industry’s attempt in the early 2000s to position the fuel cell as the ultimate power source for electric vehicles fizzled when it became clear that the technology was far from ready. Meanwhile, commercial applications have been slow to materialize. Costly materials, durability problems, and the difficulty of securing a steady supply of hydrogen have derailed many a fuel cell project. The technology, though, has proved extraordinarily difficult to perfect.
Ever since, researchers, industrialists, and environmentalists have been captivated by the hydrogen fuel cell’s potential as a clean, efficient source of power. In 1839, the British lawyer and amateur scientist William Robert Grove demonstrated that platinum foil could catalyze a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen that yielded electricity and a little water. It’s also a showcase for fuel cells, which have struggled to reach commercial readiness despite 180 years of R&D and countless false starts. The project is intended to demonstrate how newer, more efficient approaches to carbon capture could allow countries that rely heavily on fossil fuels for electricity-most of the world, in other words-to meet their targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The technology comes from the Danbury, Conn., firm FuelCell Energy, which is partnering with oil-and-gas heavyweight ExxonMobil, as well as Southern Co., whose subsidiary owns and operates the Barry plant. If implemented at scale, that level of carbon capture would give the Barry plant an emissions profile more like a geothermal plant’s and without the intermittency of wind and solar power. The containers house a novel type of fuel cell, designed not only to generate power but also to capture and concentrate up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide coming from the main plant, which burns coal as well as natural gas. This year, technicians and engineers will begin installing a pair of boxy white containers in the shadow of the main power plant. Barry Electric Generating Plant, in Bucks, Ala., an experiment is under way that could one day usher in a new era of nearly emissions-free fossil-fuel-powered electricity. TerraPower’s Nuclear Reactor Could Power the 21st CenturyĪt the 2.7-gigawatt James M.
Cement, Steel, and Natural Gas Are Major Greenhouse Gas Emitters, Too.
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