Learning the Alternative Way | Green Energy News

May 18 2003 – Vol.8 No.8

LEARNING THE ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Our years in school are meant to prepare us for future careers or just the challenges of life. Learn that there are alternatives to conventional energy in those years and we may use use them ourselves in the future, help bring those alternatives to business and industry, or perhaps even develop new alternative energy technologies ourselves.

Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, New York are getting first hand experience in a variety of new energy sources with the school’s Solar and Wind Sourced Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Electric Boat and Vehicle System - better known by them as the KP Hydrogen Project.

The Academy believes the demonstration project is the only one the world that combines all of the primary alternative energy technologies (with the exception of biomass derived fuels) in one integrated system.

With the recent addition of a 10-kilowatt solar system, provided with a $60,000 grant from the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), the KP Hydrogen project now includes an older 1400 watt solar system, a 900 watt wind generator and a hydrogen generator and storage system. Soon to be added will be two 5- kilowatt fuel cells provided by Plug Power. One will provide shore power, the other will be installed in a boat. Other projects underway are a charging station for battery electric delivery vehicles and the possible conversion of a larger truck to fuel cell or battery power.

When all is working solar and wind energy will be used to power buildings, charge batteries and generate hydrogen from water for use in the fuel cells - a complete system that could be duplicated elsewhere, possibly developed later in life by these students. Visit U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at http://www.usmma.edu/ .