Canada's first ever hydrogen fuel cell sailboat has been unveiled to
the world, a completely green sailing machine that completed its first
successful voyage late this summer.


The prototype's creator, Jim Harrington, equipped the sailboat with a
300-watt Horizon fuel cell system with the hydrogen supplied by NRC in
Vancouver and the only by-products of the operating fuel cell being
heat and water.


"This is history being made. It is that significant," commented
Harrington.


Noting that Canadians are on the brink of a hydrogen revolution,
Harrington said, "Every so often in history, there's a convergence of
where technology and the supply of parts necessary to start a new age
occurs."


Harrington's early calculations suggested the sailboat could reach 6
knots under fuel cell power, but his tests revealed a top speed of
just 1.5 knots. Future tests will incorporate larger fuel cells.


Harrington is working with iGreen Technologies to develop more fuel
cell technology products and it is thought that one of their plans is
to put together fuel cell kits priced at $4,500.

Joe wrote in news:1190122674.465569.282800
@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

Harrington's early calculations suggested the sailboat could reach 6
knots under fuel cell power, but his tests revealed a top speed of
just 1.5 knots. Future tests will incorporate larger fuel cells.




Just like cars....there's no place to STORE super-high-pressure hydrogen
gas bottles that weigh too much, is there? If you took out the diesel
fuel tank from your sailboat, the little one that runs the diesel, and
replaced it with hydrogen cylinders, how far would it travel on gas
stored in the same space? Will it go 20 miles? at 1.5 knots that's over
13 hours. Will it produce full power for 13 hours on cylinders that take
the same space as the diesel tank in a sailboat?

No, it won't, and never will, no matter how greenie feeley good it is.

Then there's this other problem:
http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/n...92h2future.asp
"At $4/gallon for gasoline, hydrogen’s break-even cost is $8/kg."
"Renewably produced hydrogen and oxygen would be cost competitive with
gasoline at about $6 per gallon."

http://local.google.com/answers/threadview?id=704915
"The price of hydrogen gas in steel cylinders costs about $100/kg."

At $100/kg, you could run a sailboat 1.5 knots for about the same price
as buying diesel for a SHIP! The ship has bigger heads and lot more
creature comforts.

Can you say "crazy" without laughing?


Larry
--
Search youtube for "Depleted Uranium"
The ultimate dirty bomb......

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:37:54 -0700, Joe
wrote:

The prototype's creator, Jim Harrington, equipped the sailboat with a
300-watt Horizon fuel cell system with the hydrogen supplied by NRC in
Vancouver and the only by-products of the operating fuel cell being
heat and water.

300 watts is less than 1/2 hp. No wonder they didn't reach their goal
of 6.5 kts. They need at least 20x more power, and then there is the
hydrogen generation or storage problem to be solved.

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Joe wrote in
news:1190122674.465569.282800

At $100/kg, you could run a sailboat 1.5 knots for about
the same price
as buying diesel for a SHIP!

put your sails up and you can do 5kts all day for FREE!

Scotty

Scotty wrote:
"Larry" wrote in message
...

Joe wrote in

news:1190122674.465569.282800

At $100/kg, you could run a sailboat 1.5 knots for about

the same price

as buying diesel for a SHIP!


put your sails up and you can do 5kts all day for FREE!

Scotty


If there's wind, but I doubt you ever have the lack of on your
boat...toot toot...

Larry wrote:


Just like cars....there's no place to STORE super-high-pressure hydrogen
gas bottles that weigh too much, is there? If you took out the diesel
fuel tank from your sailboat, the little one that runs the diesel, and
replaced it with hydrogen cylinders, how far would it travel on gas
stored in the same space? Will it go 20 miles? at 1.5 knots that's over
13 hours. Will it produce full power for 13 hours on cylinders that take
the same space as the diesel tank in a sailboat?

No, it won't, and never will, no matter how greenie feeley good it is.

Then there's this other problem:
http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/n...92h2future.asp
"At $4/gallon for gasoline, hydrogen’s break-even cost is $8/kg."
"Renewably produced hydrogen and oxygen would be cost competitive with
gasoline at about $6 per gallon."

http://local.google.com/answers/threadview?id=704915
"The price of hydrogen gas in steel cylinders costs about $100/kg."

At $100/kg, you could run a sailboat 1.5 knots for about the same price
as buying diesel for a SHIP! The ship has bigger heads and lot more
creature comforts.

Can you say "crazy" without laughing?


Larry


No - it was jut to get attention of the news media.

15 minutes of fame sysdrome.

Richard

wrote:

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:02:47 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:


On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:37:54 -0700, Joe
wrote:


The prototype's creator, Jim Harrington, equipped the sailboat with a
300-watt Horizon fuel cell system with the hydrogen supplied by NRC in
Vancouver and the only by-products of the operating fuel cell being
heat and water.

300 watts is less than 1/2 hp. No wonder they didn't reach their goal
of 6.5 kts. They need at least 20x more power, and then there is the
hydrogen generation or storage problem to be solved.


I recall the Wright Brothers first flight wasn't quite ready for
commercial success, either. This is a start. Give it time to develop.


I disagree.

Fuel cell technology started with the Gemini space program amd developed
rapidly.

It is mature stuff - not emerging new tech.

300 watts?
My daughter's stereo uses more power than that.

Richard

wrote:

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:50:44 -0500, cavelamb himself
wrote:


wrote:


On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:02:47 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:



On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:37:54 -0700, Joe
wrote:



The prototype's creator, Jim Harrington, equipped the sailboat with a
300-watt Horizon fuel cell system with the hydrogen supplied by NRC in
Vancouver and the only by-products of the operating fuel cell being
heat and water.

300 watts is less than 1/2 hp. No wonder they didn't reach their goal
of 6.5 kts. They need at least 20x more power, and then there is the
hydrogen generation or storage problem to be solved.


I recall the Wright Brothers first flight wasn't quite ready for
commercial success, either. This is a start. Give it time to develop.


I disagree.

Fuel cell technology started with the Gemini space program amd developed
rapidly.

It is mature stuff - not emerging new tech.



Not for recreational boats, it's not. In my state, they have a couple
of schools that are now powered by fuel cells. Just a couple. They
consider it "experimental".


300 watts?
My daughter's stereo uses more power than that.



If this was truly a developed and mature technology, Your daughter's
stereo might be powered by it, along with your whole house.



It is not appropriate technology for those kind of applications.

No more so than a nuclear powered house.

Maybe (MAYBE!) the Liquid Hydrogen storage would be safer than a
reactor.

Maybe Not...

"Wayne.B" wrote
and then there is the
hydrogen generation or storage problem to be solved.

Couple or three years ago, I read an article about a fuel cell powered Duffy
launch with an experimental system that produced hydrogen from seawater as
needed, through some kind of chemical process. I wonder what became of that?

Ernest Scribbler brought forth on stone tablets:
"Wayne.B" wrote

and then there is the
hydrogen generation or storage problem to be solved.


Couple or three years ago, I read an article about a fuel cell powered Duffy
launch with an experimental system that produced hydrogen from seawater as
needed, through some kind of chemical process. I wonder what became of that?



Ran out of fuel? Seriously, if a chemical has to be carried onboard and
is transformed thru some process (perhaps even using seawater) to
produce the hydrogen to be consumed in the fuel cell, then what is that
chemical, other than a fuel? Some examples of such a fuel come to mind:
sodium, potassium, calcium.

As with anything associated with the "hydrogen economy", spend some time
researching how these substances are produced.


bob
s/v Eolian
Seattle