China's first hydrogen refueling station goes into operation
9/11/2006 15:43
China's first hydrogen refueling station went into operation yesterday at
a suburban high-tech industrial base on the outskirts of Beijing.
The
station, in the Beijing Hydrogen Park opened the same day, is the largest
hydrogen station operated by world energy giant BP.
Covering an area of 4,000
square meters, the BP-branded hydrogen refueling station will produce hydrogen
from renewable energies.
BP has invested a total of US$3.5 million in the
Sino-British joint venture. The Chinese partner, SinoHytec, an enterprise linked
to Tsinghua University, provided the land required for the project.
Fuel
cells that generate electricity from hydrogen are an alternative to petroleum
for the world's vehicles.
Instead of belching out greenhouse gases, fuel
cells generate clean water and so are a much more ecological form of energy than
petrol. For a city like Beijing, where vehicle emissions are a major cause of
airborne pollution, fuel cells offer hope of cleaner transport and a cleaner
environment.
But the cost of producing hydrogen is two or three times the
cost of producing gasoline and fuel cell vehicles ten times more expensive than
conventional gasoline fuelled vehicles, said Bill Fitzharris, general manager of
BP hydrogen transport technology.
Fitzharris predicted that mass production
of fuel cell vehicles and the development of commercial hydrogen refueling
stations would not happen before 2015 or 2020.
The Chinese station, which
currently uses transported hydrogen, will be able to turn natural gas into
hydrogen on site next year, said Bill.
Fitzharris said that instead of using
natural gas, which is relatively costly, the Beijing station will produce
hydrogen from synthesis gas -- a combination of coal, oxygen and steam. This
technology offers great prospects for China, the world largest coal
producer.
China has been endeavoring to develop alternatives to gasoline to
ensure that its craze for vehicle ownership does not seriously damage city air.
1000 new vehicles take to the streets every day in the nation's capital
alone.
The Beijing Hydrogen Park is China's first demonstration project for
new energy vehicles.
The park, which comprises a research and development
center, a hydrogen refueling station, a fuel cell vehicle garage and a
maintenance workshop, will provide critical experience in the infrastructure
needed to operate hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. It will handle several
international trial programs and also fuel the hydrogen vehicle fleet for the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Three Daimler-Chrysler made fuel cell buses went
into trial operation in Beijing in June and five vehicles made by Tsinghua
University are currently being tested.
xinhua
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