Green Energy News | May 16, 1999

May 16, 1999 – Vol.4 No.7

ENERGIES... week of May 16, 1999

STAR WARS: THE FANTASY MENACE. How can we think of skipping effortlessly about the galaxy when we have yet to develop a mass-market pollution-free car to get us to the grocery store? Here’s another technology beyond hydrogen fuel cells and rechargeable batteries that could power the next generation of cars.

Metallic Power’s zinc/air “fuel cell” (the company’s description) is like a battery but is refueled by replacing zinc pellets within the cell. The 1 mm pellets combine with oxygen from the air to make zinc oxide and release electricity. Oxidized pellets are recycled and reused.

According to the company, specific energy output is now 160 watt hours per kilogram but could reach 220. Energy density is 200 watt hours per liter. Time to remove and refill the zinc pellets, or “recharging,” is five minutes.

Electric Fuel Corporation has demonstrated a similar technology; however their’s involves removing a zinc/air “cassette” from the vehicle and recycling it in a large facility. Metallic Power would use a kind of “vending machine” for sealed zinc pellet cartriges. Visit Electric Fuel at http://www.electric-fuel.com/ , and the much-hyped movie at your local theater - in the US anyway.

FUEL CELL FUELS. Ethanol, methanol, hydrogen - which fuel would be the preferred choice for fuel cells in automoblies? Each fuel has points and problems, but the only infrastructure currently available to refuel automobiles is built for gasoline.

Plug Power has recently demonstrated a highly efficient fuel cell which operates on reformed gasoline. The integrated system used Plug Power’s fuel cell stack and a multi-fuel processor from Epyx. The test demonstrated that many fuels could be used with fuel cells - renewable or not. Visit Plug Power at http://www.plugpower.com/ .

BATTERIES FOR CHINA. Power Technology Inc. has signed an agreement with Aniche Inc. to manufacture, sell and distribute Power Tech’s battery technology in China. Batteries will be marketed to the automotive and electric bike market with the electric vehicle market in mind.

The company claims its technology is environmentally friendly since it utilizes a non-toxic alloy and acid-free electrolyte. The batteries are half the weight of a similar lead-acid battery.

If only one percent in a nation of 1.2 billion bought electric vehicles, a big market would be created for companies like Power Technology.

FIRST GREEN POWER CITY. The City of Santa Monica, California will become the first city in the United States to purchase 100% renewable energy to power its own facilities. Until May 2000, electricity with a peak load of 5 megawatts, will come from geothermal plants in Northern California. After that, renewable power will come from Cal Energy’s Salton Sea geothermal plant.

The City buys approximately $2.2 million in electricity each year to feed to facilities like the Santa Monica Pier, City Hall and the airport. Commonwealth Energy won the contract to supply the green power.