Second hydrogen fueling station opens
lkgeo1
By Katherine Fernelius
The Las Vegas Valley Water District and UNLV's College of Engineering
and Center for Energy Research celebrated the grand opening of the
Hydrogen Fueling Station Friday at the Las Vegas Valley Water
District.
The theme of the opening centered on what this station means to the
community and the nation and the partnerships that made this station
possible.
"This project is just one example of the Water District's commitment
to becoming a leader in incorporating sustainable practices into all
aspects of its operations," said Richard Wimmer, LVVWD deputy general
manager. "Our goal is to become a 100 percent alternative fueled fleet
by 2015."
There are now two hydrogen fueling stations in the Las Vegas area, but
this station is the first one of its kind. The LVVWD's hydrogen
fueling station manufactures its own hydrogen, whereas the other
station cannot produce its own, so it must have the hydrogen shipped
in.
In order to manufacture hydrogen, the LVVWD's fueling station uses
solar panels to collect energy from the sun. Then, through
electrolysis, hydrogen is removed from water that is then stored and
used as fuel.
The partnerships LVVWD has worked with throughout this project have
made the opening of this fueling station possible, and this was
greatly emphasized at the opening.
A grant from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) funded a
large part of the fueling station. However, 13 public and private
agencies also contributed.
Both Wimmer and Dr. Robert Boehm, director of the mechanical
engineering department and head of the Center for Energy Research,
thanked many of their partners, including, Proton Energy, Nevada
Power, Hydrogen Solar Air and the DOE with special thanks to Senator
Harry Reid.
The opening was very exciting for the staff and students of UNLV's
College of Engineering. There were about 10 students who have worked
on this project, ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students, Dr.
Boehm said.
The staff and students have not only been working on opening the
LVVWD's hydrogen fueling station, they have also worked on modifying
vehicles which were showcased at the opening and will now be able to
use the fueling station.
The UNLV students and staff have now produced two fully working
vehicles. The first one, which was completed about six months ago, is
a cart, [much like the ones driving around UNLV] that was modified
into a fuel cell vehicle. The second vehicle the students and staff
finished mid-January looks like a dune buggy and was modified to have
an internal combustion engine.
Fuel cell vehicles create power through converting hydrogen and oxygen
into water, which produces electricity. Whereas internal combustion
vehicles trap gasoline and air in a confined chamber, which produces
pressure and again creates water to produce electricity.
"Both types of vehicles are very positive for our environment," Boehm
said. The vehicles that use hydrogen to power them emit only water
vapors into the air, which is one reason why "[hydrogen] is an area of
great potential for the future."
Because of the positive effects of hydrogen-powered vehicles, the
LVVWD and UNLV are not done working yet. They are now starting a
modification of a full-size, V-8 Ford pickup which is projected to be
finished by the end of 2007, and plans to modify a standard car in
2008 are in the works.
Wimmer hopes that in the next eight years he will see more hydrogen
fueling stations on street corners instead of gas stations and hopes
the LVVWD's fueling station will serve as a model for the future.
"Two fueling stations are not enough for the entire community," Wimmer
said. "We still have more work to do."
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