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 I am researching the use of H2 as a motor fuel. Can you supply me with the following information:-

1) Capital cost of equipment to produce H2 from electricity at night and store same.
2) Maintenance and depreciation cost of same.
3) Efficiency of the H2 electrolysis production process.
4) Cost and availability of conversion kits for existing vehicles
5) Eqivalent motive output of H2 versus petrol or diesel.

My research is investigating ways to facilitate renewable penetration onto the electrical grid by consuming excess electrical energy at certain times for the production of H2.

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I am really upset with BMW. I just watched John Doerr’s talk on www.TED.com about climate change to find that BMW sponsored the video and put an advetisement for a V8 motor car at the end.

My last car was a 320D. My current car is a Prius. In our home we want a small electric car for short runs and a plug in hybrid for longer family trips. My family will not buy another car until we can buy what we deem to be eco friendly enough. As time passes people that think like me will become less of an anomaly.

This message and any reply you send me will be shown on my blog, www.synergymodule.com.

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BMW contacted me on Monday, by email, to ask for my postal address. I received the following message from them on Thursday.

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Dear Mr Sweeney

Thank you for making us aware of your thoughts in relation to the current threats to our planet. BMW sponsorship of the talk given by John Doerr is significant in that it confirms BMW’s support of the power of ideas and underwriting the distribution of talks on the TED website.

Please be assured that BMW are very aware of the current need for saving the planet.  The research BMW are developing is along the lines of hydrogen fuel because this is an infinitely renewable resource and, although 100 BMW Hydrogen 7 series have been built and are currently being tested, there are as yet no hydrogen filling stations to provide this fuel. The BMW Group has been committed to hydrogen technology as a means of reducing car emissions, in particular CO2 emissions, for over 20 years.  When running in the hydrogen mode, the BMW Hydrogen 7 emits nothing but water vapour.  Unlike fossil fuels and traditional petrol, hydrogen is available in virtually infinite supply when renewable energies such as solar, wind and wave power are used to produce the liquid hydrogen.  Stored in a hi-tech tank which keeps the fuel at a pressure of 3-5 bar and a consistent temperature of -250C, liquid hydrogen offers significant advantages in energy density compared to other possible alternative fuel sources to enhance the cruising range of the car.
Additionally, there are Company publications confirming the BMW Group’s commitment to sustainability, energy strategy for the future and recycling of end-of-life vehicles at www.bmweducation.co.uk/publications/ which you may find of interest.  The publications reflect the research and development that BMW are devoting to the search for alternatives not only for the future but also for the environmentally focussed disposal of vehicles that are no longer required or fit for purpose.

BMW are committed to improving the consumption of fossil fuels by reducing the level of consumption of petrol and diesel, by improving the mileage range per tank of fuel, by introducing technical developments such as the stop/start function as well as brake regeneration.  If you would like further guidance on any of these aspects, they are more fully described on the EfficientDynamics website which can be accessed via the following link:

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/efficient_dynamics/

We very much hope that this guidance reassures you that BMW do take the influences on the earth very seriously and would suggest that on-going research and development by the Company is committed to constantly improving current levels of consumption as well as focussing on future developments which will offer the use of not only cleaner fuels but also those which are finite - such as oil and bio-diesel.

If you wish to discuss any of these aspects further, please do contact me as I would be very glad to have the opportunity to talk to you about any or all of these issues.

Yours sincerely

Elfriede McNeal

Customer Service Executive
BMW Ireland
Tel: +353 1 890719420
Email: customerinformation (at) bmw.ie

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I am impressed by the way BMW responsed. I am sceptical about their comittment to the ‘Hydrogen’ economy but I accept that it is their opinion and I acknowledge that BMW has a lot of clever people.

I did some more research. They have produced 100 units of 7 Series BMWs that are dual fuel, petrol and H2. You can’t buy these 300BHP vehiccles. They are lending them to key decision makers. The problem is of course having H2 stations where you can go to refuel the car. There is a website, www.h2stations.org , that lists H2 stations but it is offline today.

The following TED conference speech, addressing what we need to do to avoid climate change, is unusual in that at the end we see the depth of emotion in the speaker regarding climate change.

If the above video addresses the fear of climate change then the following video, of Congressman Bartlett, speaks to the fear of the economic fallout of peak oil. This is the first in a sequence on YouTube. The entire set takes an hour to watch. It is worth taking the time.

The key challenge facing the development of a commercial DR project in Ireland is to create a market reward for consumers who modify their electricity consumption to match available supply. There is an active wholesale, but not retail, market for electricity in Ireland. This market is bid in by the Generator Units (market name for companies that operate generation plant) on the day prior to production based on expected demand. Computer software optimises for lowest cost the various bids and publishes the run schedule.

A projected system marginal price for one day during the past week is shown above. On that day the highest price was three times the lowest price. The X axis is one day divided into 48 hour segments and the Y axis is Euros per MWh.

If retail electricity prices varied by the same amount as wholesale prices then demand would start to match supply as users availed of cheaper electricity.

The objective of DR is to get retail electricity prices to vary in real time (Smart Meters) and to give consumers the tools (Synergy Module and Synergy Service) to manage their demand to minimise price.

 This week I had my first face to face meeting with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and although the challenges were obvious the people I met could clearly see the benefits of implementing DR. I remain hopeful that we can find a mechanism to monetise DR on the Ireland of Ireland to make it attractive for consumers to sign up.

If real time DR is not developed in Ireland then we have no hope of achieving the targetted 30% renewables that our government is aiming for.

http://www.ibm.com/podcasts/howitworks/20060731_hiw_no1.mp3

Please take seven minutes to listen to it….

This article relates to the same project if you prefer to read.

http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/utilities/doc/content/news/pressrelease/1586103119.html

In the 1970s, IBM’s position in the computer industry was akin to Microsoft’s position today. Over the last week I heard a news bullitin that IBM are now larger the the combined capitalisation of the Irish stock Exchange. Its interesting that such a large company are in the EDM space. This is an IT vertical market that could be very large. The effect will be to create a supergrid of smart electrical devices and smart electricity meters that offer consumers enhanced functionality while delivering energy savings, lower cost and enhanced renewables penetration. 

I believe that this advertisement sets out to create a misleading impression regarding the effects of (burning) gas on our planet. Gas is a fossil fuel and, as with every other fossil fuel, if you burn it you release CO2. Gas therefore contributes to global warming.

Obviously, I have no problem with a company selling gas. It will take us a while either to replace fossil fuels or find ways to sequestrate the carbon after we burn the fuel. My problem is that this advetrisment creates the impression that burning gas has no negative effect. I think that in fifty years from now this advertisement will apprear to our grand-children as ridiculous as the advertisements of fifty years ago extolling the health benefits of cigarettes.

I have lodged a formal complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland.