Hydrogen Fuel: Exploring the possibilities

Four students and their teacher from St. Peter’s College in Auckland report on their experience at the International Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Student Forum in Brisbane, Australia.

The St. Peter's team of Mark Segedin, Laurence Carey, Jonathan Miranda, and Stallone D'Souza represented New Zealand at the Student Forum.

For Jonathan Miranda, the trip to Brisbane can be summed up in one word: “Amazing!”

Held on 17-18 June 2008, the Forum was organised to get students talking about hydrogen and fuel cells as a renewable energy source. It consisted of lectures from international experts, discussions with students from Australia and the USA, experiments with materials such as fuel cells, electrolysers, and solar panels, and the opportunity to see exhibits of different approaches to energy.

The St. Peter’s team did a lot of research before attending the Forum, and they were intrigued by the possibilities of hydrogen fuel. However, they were also concerned about potential drawbacks, and they were eager to hear what top scientists had to say about it.

Problems and solutions

“We learned that one of the biggest problems with this energy source is getting the correct materials for storing it, distributing it, and changing its state,” says Laurence Carey. “Certain materials allow the hydrogen to leak out, and others are extremely rare and expensive.”

“The main set-back is cost,” Mark Segedin says. “To power a car, we need a medium-sized fuel cell stack, which would cost around $11,000 NZD. It also costs quite a bit to use an electrolyser to produce the hydrogen.”

Some of their concerns ended up being misconceptions, as Stallone D’Souza discovered during a lecture from the president of the American National Hydrogen Association. “One important point he made is that hydrogen can be made from any fuel,” says Stallone. “It caught my attention, because my initial hypothesis was that hydrogen could be created from only a few sources.”

Despite the difficulties, Laurence believes that hydrogen fuel sources are well worth the challenge. “Hydrogen fuel emits no harmful waste products, it’s a secure resource, and it can run at almost 100% efficiency,” he says. “Being a country that prides itself on being ‘green,’ New Zealand could really benefit from such an environmentally-friendly fuel.”

Moving forward

Overall, the Forum was a fun and educational experience. “We had a great time,” says teacher Tristan O’Hanlon. “The resources we received and the contacts we made will help for future education.”

“This really was worthwhile,” agrees Jonathan. “It gave us a new perspective on science and engineering. There is an answer – we just have to work for it.”

 

 

 

Futureintech is grateful to the Ministry of Economic Development for supporting four students and an accompanying teacher (all from one school) to represent New Zealand at the forum. MED are the lead advisor to Government on energy policy. For further information see www.med.govt.nz

 

 

For more information please contact Futureintech at clinnell@futureintech.org.nz or call 04 473 2026.