HEC Iowa, REI, and ITM teaming in 2008 ?
ITM and Hydrogen Engine Center ll have an MOU going back to Nov 2006 MOU
There is a hint in HEC`s latest update that this MOU shpuld be bearing fruit in 2008 aand it may well include Mike Strizki of Renewable Energy International
Heres the story
From HEC Press Release 14 Aug 2008
“We believe that our third quarter results will improve on those of the comparable periods last year, and that 2008 will be our strongest performance since inception. We plan to be more involved in the distributed generation market as governmentally imposed emission standards tighten and the clean-energy solutions offered by our intellectual property develop and become accepted in the market place. We also plan to aggressively market our carbon-reduced and carbon-free products during the remainder of 2008.
The key comments here impacting ITM and REI are
“ distributed generation market” and " We also plan to aggressively market our carbon-reduced and carbon-free products during the remainder of 2008.”
These commnets all include market sectors where HEC are partnering ITM
Let me explain
“ distributed generation market”
ITM provide the electrolyzer to rescue stranded green energy and HEC provide a low cost hydrogen fuelled engine and generator to provide power when the sun isn`t shining and the wind isn’t blowing
Given that the market is huge it hardly matters that ITM are partnering a relatively inefficient genset method of converting stored energy to power
Indeed the HEC gen set will be cheaper to buy and a lot more reliable than say the fuel cells supplied by Plug Power, Hydrogenics and Proton Energy
It could well be that HEC are going to be involved in Hydrogen Homes across the US and Caribbean as a partner to both ITM and Mike Strizki at REI
The second reference is to
“carbon reduced”
ITM can provide a low cost electrolyzer driven off the vehicle alternator to provide hydrogen on demandThis enables combustion of otherwise unburnt diesel thus both reducing amissions and increasing mpg at a stroke
HEC have trialled an ITM OB to provide the 5% hydrogen needed in an ammonia burning engine They also overhaul old diesel engines originally supplied by Ford who got out of the refurbishment engine business a few years ago
Most of these engines are older designs that do not have a common rail system. Hence they would benefit from an OB supplied by ITM and included as a reduced carbon /higher mpg option in the overhaul
We also know from the Bi Fuel trials that hydrogen can be substituted for 20% to 30% diesel thus reducing emissions in common rail engines
So HEC can call on the ITM “OB in a tank” concept to provide this 20% to 30% reduced emission option for otherwise
Indeed the OB in a tank concept would be a distinct advantage to HEC in selling their hydrogen engines both in road transport and especially in static situations where the engine could be replenished with hydrogen from stranded
green energy
“carbon free”
HEC have two carbon free products both of which involve ITM
Hydrogen fuelled engines require a means of providing hydrogen so the ITM electrolyzer would be an essential part of any fleet wishing to convert to hydrogen power. This is especially beneficial in areas where solar and wind energy is abundant and includes HEC`s home state of Iowa
