First published in Cleantech magazine Fuel Cell Special Sept/Oct 2010
This entire issue, which has been compiled jointly with Fuel Cell Today, is dedicated exclusively to fuel cells and their potential. There is a lot to discuss and one of the biggest challenges has been deciding what to exclude in the limited space we have available – so not much room for cars!
I’ve never actually driven a fuel cell car, but I recently got close with a ride in the back of a fuel cell-powered London black taxi. The cab, a hybrid fuel cell electric prototype which has been developed jointly by Intelligent Energy, Lotus Engineering, TRW Conekt and LTI, with funding from the Technology Strategy Board, reached a speed of 92 mph. Luckily for pedestrians, this wasn’t on the streets of London: I was a passenger for a test drive at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, during the LCV 2010 event organised by CENEX. One of the Millbrook tracks is designed for speed testing and the cab performed well. Energy sources, as we reached 92 mph, were hovering at around 60% from the fuel cell and 40% from the battery, according to the display on a specially designed monitor in the passenger compartment of the cab.
Cars may be high profile, but they are only a small part of the fuel cell story. The diverse range of applications for fuel cells covered in this issue reflects the diversity of the industry. Mining company AngloPlat (profiled on page 20) has demonstrated the potential for fuel cells in mining applications, utilising available resources such as coal mine methane. Military uses are numerous (see feature on page 37), as are stationary generation applications and forklift trucks.
Early stage fuel cell companies are attracting some serious venture capital stage investment. Intelligent Energy, the company behind the black cab, ranked amongst the top ten cleantech venture capital investments in Europe last year (see feature on page 41) - all the more impressive in a recessionary environment! And Bloom Energy, backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, in Silicon Valley has recently emerged from ‘stealth mode’ and is rumoured to be gearing up for an IPO.
As the fuel cell industry matures, we should see enormous economies of scale, catalysts of which will include greater standardisation (see feature by Ruth Cox and Sanderson Hull of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council). Investment opportunities abound in an industry at this stage of development and, as Dr Kerry-Ann Adamson of Fuel Cell Today (our guest editor for this issue) points out, technology is no longer a barrier to the adoption of fuel cells.
This industry has in many respects been a ‘long time coming’, but it is now clear that fuel cells will be an important part of our future. Most of those fuel cells will be hidden from view in data centres or remote off-grid locations – but I also expect to be hailing virtually silent, zero emission, fuel cell cabs on the streets of London before too long!
Anne McIvor
September 2010
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