| Author (Person) | Carstens, Karen |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.5, 12.2.04 |
| Publication Date | 12/02/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Karen Carstens Date: 12/02/04 THE EU has pledged to promote fuel cells, but it may be going about it in the wrong way. Marcus Nurdin, the president of the Frankfurt-based International Platinum Association (IPA), warns that the European Commission is not focusing enough on bringing fuel cells to market. Platinum is an essential material for fuel cells and commercial production of the latter could hugely increase platinum demand. Nurdin is also head of Fuel Cell Europe, a coalition of leading players in the industry who banded together three years ago amid mutual concerns that the EU would not be ready for the commercial introduction of fuel cells, expected to be a worldwide phenomenon by next year. "We are very pleased that Europe has finally got its act together, because for some time it has been lagging badly behind the US and Japan," he told this paper in the wake of last month's inaugural meeting of the "European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform". Composed of 35 members, mostly executives of carmakers, energy producers and other companies, the platform aims to support an EU goal of shifting gradually to a fully integrated "hydrogen economy" based on renewable energy sources by 2050. "But only nine [of the 35] are involved as producers of fuel cells and fuel-cell products," Nurdin lamented. Even worse, he added, none are from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). "There is an extraordinary absence of small companies," he said, citing one Dutch SME that claims it could "build the biggest fuel-cell power plant in the world". NedStack, an Arnhem-based producer of fuel-cell stacks, has secured some funding from the Dutch government, but it will need a helping hand from Brussels to turn its vision into reality, Nurdin said. But he fears such entrepreneurial spirit in the budding sector may be overlooked because the platform's advisory board is comprised only of executives from major companies such as BP, RoyalDutchShell and NörskHydro. While all are helping to develop alternative energy and fuel sources and laying the groundwork for a hydrogen economy, they are "not companies working on [fuel cell] applications", Nurdin said. "When it comes to all-new technologies, it's usually not the established industries that adopt them first. It's often the smaller guy, but they don't have the time or the resources to go and sit on the [EU fuel cells] advisory group." Moreover, he added, the EU's current focus "is too much on transport applications". He argues that stationary uses should receive just as much support - especially since the two areas could intersect in many cases. Patrick Trezona, Fuel Cell Europe's London-based secretary-general, says policymakers should not lose sight of just how revolutionary stationary applications are: "In the same way the PC took computer power to the home, fuel cells will take [this new type of power] into the home", he predicts. Although this "will not happen all of a sudden", it is conceivable that within 50 years "half of all energy conversion systems will be based on fuel cells". But, as Nurdin notes, while "cars are sexy, little boxes that sit in cellars are not". At the same time, he is irked that everyone is abuzz about the ingredient needed to power fuel cells. "People are concentrating on issues of hydrogen production and distribution. This will not be the problem. We make enough hydrogen in Europe at this time to power five million vehicles. "You might have fuel cells without a hydrogen economy, but you won't have a hydrogen economy without fuel cells." While there is nothing wrong with stepping up funding of research into fuel cells, as the Commission has done, this should not overshadow efforts to bring them to market. It is high time, he argues "to move out of the research ghetto". Setting up the right regulatory framework is another issue. "We are surrounded by regulations designed for conventional equipment, not for fuel cells and hydrogen. "The fuel-cell industry is globalizing before it is commercializing, so it is important to develop the right codes and standards as soon as possible." If the EU fails to get it right now, he warned, "investment will leave Europe, and Japan and the US will have a nice big market". Targets and commitments are especially ambitious in Japan, which is extremely dependent on oil from other countries. Platinum, a rare durable metal, is used in the central electrocatalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells - the type used in hydrogen-powered cars. According to the IPA, "no other material has been shown to be as effective as platinum in this application". It is also widely used in catalytic converters to clean exhaust fumes. First introduced in the 1970s, these are now used in up to 90% of new cars worldwide. Dubbed "pixie dust" in high-tech applications, platinum is also used as a layer on computer hard drives to increase memory and in mobile phones. "It's an unsung hero of technology and development," said Nurdin. |
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