A big week for the greenies in Japan sees renewable energy technology get equal billing
The launch this year of the world's first production fuel-cell car, the Toyota Mirai, has driven the accelerated growth of hydrogen refuelling station infrastructure development across Japan. And the introduction of Toyota's fuel-cell passenger vehicle to the Japanese market has also served to focus unprecedented attention on this year's International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Expo at the Big Site complex on Tokyo Bay..
...Regarded as the planet's biggest expo of its type, the fuel cell expo drew some 1580 companies from around the world, participating in five days of lectures, demonstrations of future and existing technologies and test drives of fuel cell cars including the Mirai and Honda Clarity.
Senior engineers from Daimler, Volkswagen, General Motors, Toyota, Iwatani Corporation (energy co) and JX Nippon Oil and Energy updated the gathered industry types and media on the latest developments in fuel cells, hydrogen production and delivery systems and battery technology...
Gas company Taiyo Nippon Sanso Ltd revealed a world-first with its compact portable hydrogen station mounted onto the back of a 10-ton truck. H2 to go- anywhere.
...The question begs. Why is Japan so aggressive in its adoption and development of hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars and the infrastructure to support it? Japanese car companies including Toyota, Nissan and Honda have been developing fuel cell cars for well over 10 years. But it was the earthquake, tsunami wave and resulting nuclear disaster in March 2011 that forced the government to shut down its 54 nuclear reactors and look for alternative forms of energy that stimulated car and energy companies to accelerate hydrogen-based technologies.
The Honda Smart Hydrogen Station- Home fueling of Hydrogen Vehicles
...Up until early 2011, Japan's energy needs were split up into 20 per cent nuclear, 30 per cent coal and the remainder in oil and natural gas. To fill the gap created by the loss of nuclear energy, Japan started importing more oil which has led to higher energy (electricity) prices and higher C02 levels.
So the car industry, energy companies and government came to a collective realisation in late 2011 that diversifying its energy needs, and steering towards hydrogen, gives the country a way out of the higher energy costs and environmental issues. The recent launch of the world's first hydrogen-powered fuel cell car in Japan, the Toyota Mirai has given added impetus and urgency to hydrogen infrastructure development. That is why the country is pushing ahead with plans to build at least 100 hydrogen refueling stations nationwide by the end of 2016...
A Hydrogen Station can be built anywhere there is water and electricity.
With mass production, the cost will nosedive
Tech always gets better and cheaper-that's a 5 megabyte hard drive from 1956 - being loaded via forklift onto plane.
The only exhaust from a Hydrogen Electric Vehicle is water.
Thanks to Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, gasoline is no longer required to get from point a to points b, c and d. It's too bad that Obama cut R&D fuel cell funding when he took office. The US could have led this revolution.
It's too bad that Obama cut R&D fuel cell funding when he took office. The US could have led this revolution.
Hydrogen fuel cells don't really reduce fossil fuel consumption. They merely shift direct consumption from the automobile to the power plant needed to produce the electricity that generates the hydrogen.
Hydrogen is NOT an alternative energy source... it is merely a method to store energy, similar to a rechargeable battery...
Now if Japan was increasing it's solar, hydro, geothermal or wind generating capacity to generate hydrogen, THEN there would potentially be a reduction in fossil fuel dependency.
Too bad the GOP/Tea Party enabled the Chicoms to illegally dump solar cells on the US Market below cost... Solyndra could've provided the solar cells needed to generate hydrogen.
Hydrogen fuel cells don't really reduce fossil fuel consumption. They merely shift direct consumption from the automobile to the power plant needed to produce the electricity that generates the hydrogen