Technology:

Hydrogen Vehicles Powered by Geothermal (Stars and Stripes)

The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute is working to bring hydrogen to Hawaii island. HNEI is in negotiations with the state's only geothermal energy facility to use excess power from the plant to make hydrogen through electrolysis.

The hydrogen would be used to power three fuel cell shuttle buses being built by a contractor for the federally funded Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies on Oahu. HCATT is retrofitting gas-powered 19-passenger ElDorado buses with hydrogen fuel cells that power electric motors. Two of the buses will be used at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, while the third will join the Hawaii County Transit Agency's bus fleet, said Edward Russell, HCATT proj­ect manager. HCATT buys the buses for about $100,000 and spends another $300,000 to retrofit them with hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.

The HNEI is negotiating with Ormat, the owners of Puna Geothermal Ventures to buy "wasted" power that it can't sell to Hawaii Electric Light Co., said James "Mitch" Ewan, the HNEI's hydrogen systems program manager. The institute also is looking at other sources of renewable energy to provide the power for the electrolysis process if a deal can't be reached with Puna Geothermal, Ewan said.

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