Orange County residents are helping power
hydrogen cars each time they flush the toilet with the launch of a new
fueling station that takes advantage of an endless supply of human
waste.
Residents of California can take a trip to Orange County and find the
world’s first sewage-powered refueling station. Located just off the
405 freeway, the station is located next to the Orange
County waste-water treatment plant in Fountain Valley. The hydrogen fuel
offers about 70 miles per gallon and the station can fuel up to 50
automobiles per day with the daily 120 kilograms of hydrogen gas
produced at the plant. In order to produce the hydrogen gas, sewage
is processed to collect methane. This methane is converted into hydrogen
and sent into a fuel cell to power the entire plant with 250 kilowatts
of electricity.
The
remaining hydrogen is converted into fuel grade hydrogen and sent to
the fueling station for consumer use. The people behind the conversion
technology, AirPower, are looking at other sources for methane capture
such as animal waste and landfill gas to potentially power millions of
automobiles. This project was spearheaded by the U.S. Department of
Energy in combination with the Orange County Sanitation District
and California Air Resources Board. In addition to automobiles, hydrogen
fuel can be used to power small machinery as well as structures such as
cell towers.
BMW is working on similar technology at its U.S. based plant in
Spartanburg, South Carolina. By capturing methane gas at a local
landfill, BMW wants to convert the gas to hydrogen fuel to power a new
line of automobiles. While hydrogen fueling stations are still difficult
to locate in comparison to regular gas stations, prices of hydrogen
fuel are somewhat cheaper than the gasoline alternative. For instance,
hydrogen gas sells for about $2.25 a kilogram (equivalent to a gallon)
in Palm Springs, California compared to an average of about $3.70 a
gallon in the same area. Prices on hydrogen powered vehicles are still
high though. The Honda FCX Clarity, for instance, can only be leased at a
price of $600 a month over three years. |