Upcoming Events
July Public Meeting
4:00-5:30 PM, July 13
Location: Conference Call or Greater Portland Council of Governments (Directions)
On May 20th at the Wishcamper Center inventor-developer Ronny Bar-Gada described his radio-wave technique for exciting vaporized water molecules in a plasma field to separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen using roughly 25% less power than electrolysis. He emphasized his ability to use untreated water, even salt water, for this process. His company, Genesys, calls the process "RET" for Radiant Energy Transfer. Phase I of his proposed project at Yarmouth's waste water treatment plant will prove these assertions "in the field" at a very small scale. It may also lead to a step that would prove the economic viability of this technique for generating hydrogen in commercial quantities.
Phase I is a small research and development step designed to prove the electricity consumption and gas output volumes of the entire RET process and to show that even partially treated wastewater isn’t too dirty for RET. Genesys would like to earn Yarmouth’s trust in Phase I and then assess the economic viability of the use of oxygen in a typical waste water treatment process and eventually field test its use on-site in Yarmouth. If a post-Phase I, pre-Phase II step were to prove that small amounts of oxygen converted on-site into ozone can treat the water properly and economically, then Genesys will have demonstrated a replicable commercially viable pathway to the larger-scale production of both oxygen and hydrogen, with the hydrogen then being made available for other commercial uses (but that gets us to Phase II).
At the Genesys Wishcamper Center event, many attendees had questions that were not reached because of time. The Hydrogen Energy Center has arranged a follow up Q & A session with Ronny Bar-Gada on Tuesday July 13 at 4:30. This will be a call-in conference call event, so you will not need to travel to participate. However, many of us will be participating together at the Greater Portland Council of Governments office on Marginal Way in Portland. We’ll get together starting at 4:00 and initiate the call at 4:30. The call will last one hour. We’ll be sending call-in instructions in a separate e-mail next Monday.
GENESYS HAS ASKED THAT WE SEND QUESTIONS IN WRITING IN ADVANCE TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF OUR CONFERENCE CALL TIME. Please send your questions to the HEC as soon as you can. We’ll consolidate any duplicates and send them along to Genesys.
We do not need a precise headcount for the call but if you think you might be calling in or coming to Portland, please let us know by email.
Past Events
May Public Meeting
6:00-8:00 PM, May 18 Please note this is one week later than usual!
Location: McLellan Building,
Bowdoin College (Directions)
Perhaps the most “energizing” event on the annual hydrogen
calendar is the National Hydrogen Association’s Annual Meeting and
Conference. This year’s meeting took place during the first week of May
in Long Beach, CA.. HEC’s own Ken Winship was there as were former HEC
directors Tomlin Coggeshall; and Brad Bradshaw to say nothing of Arnold
Schwarzenegger. A major highlight of this year’s event was Proton
Energy’s announcement of a $100,000 college scholarship for Falmouth
High School Senior Ryan Gao. At this month’s meeting, Ken will lead a
discussion of the presentations and discussions caught his eye and ear
while at the conference. To appreciate the quality and sheer quantity of
the material at the NHA’s annual event, review the agenda at this link,
http://www.hydrogenconference.org/program.asp Ken won’t be able to
cover everything (!) but this month’s meeting promises to touch on
nearly every topic of interest to HEC members. Please join us and bring a
friend.
April Public Meeting - HEC Annual Meeting
6:00-8:00 PM, April 13
Location: McLellan Building,
Bowdoin College (Directions)
The 2010 Annual Meeting will feature three presentations by members of our own board:
- Rick
Smith’s “Hydrogen Goes Public” will analyze recent news coverage on the
Bloom Box, the east coast hydrogen highway and a hydrogen proposal for
the Town of Yarmouth;
- Steve Linnell with bring us up to date on Clean Communities alternative fuel programs in Maine, and
- Jack
Bash will present “Game Changing Energy Developments” a round up of the
most provocative alternative energy ideas of the last year, not all of
which involve hydrogen.
The April 13, 2010 Hydrogen
Energy Center (HEC) meeting is special. This is the annual HEC
Membership and Board of Directors meeting including election of Board
Members. All interested persons are invited to attend. Other issues
will be discussed in addition to the choosing of Board Members.
However, only HEC members can be involved in Board member selection -
either through attendance at the meeting or by proxy. If you are not
currently an HEC member, and you want to take part in HEC decisions,
bring to the meeting or send us your $35 annual membership fee so we
can include you in our membership. Full details here: 2010-04-13 HEC Meeting Announcement & Agenda
February Public Meeting
6:00-8:00 PM, February 9
Special Presentation: Liquid Flouride Thorium Reactors (LFTR)
by Lloyd D Brace
Freeport Public Library (Directions)
Some of recommended reading from Mr. Brace:
January Public Meeting
6:00-8:00 PM, January 12
Special Presentation: Ammonia
- A Carbon Free Fuel, Storage and Transportation Medium by Laurenz Schmidt, Chief Technology Officer (retired), Fairchild Semiconductor
Freeport Public Library
Mr. Schmidt's presentation and references
are available online for HEC members only. If you are a current member
and are not sure how to log in, contact Club Express (who hosts our
website) 1-866-HLP-CLUB (457-2582).
The
challenge with renewable energy from Solar, Wind and Tidal sources is
that they are intermittent, variable and localized. In order to feed
energy from these sources into a stable and manageable grid in the
traditional manner transmissio n lines to the point of use are needed,
as well as buffer capacity from either hydroelectric sources, or
traditional sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear. The presentation
will illustrate a path that will enable a Hydrogen based economy
without the major shortcomings of Hydrogen (Low specific energy density
per volume, risk of explosion, high diffusivity, special materials
requirement, difficult storage -either very high pressure or very low
temperature). The presented technology concept will show how the
technology could be used for storage, transportation of the energy to
point of use, fuel for transportation and local cogeneration or even
trigeneration. Q&A and discussion will follow.
Laurenz Schmidt was the Chief Technology Officer of Fairchild
Semiconductor International Inc. from May 2008 until his retirement
from Fairchild in November 2008. Mr. Schmidt served as Executive Vice
President of Global Operations of Fairchild Semiconductor from February
2004 to May 2008 and Senior Vice President of Global Operations from
October 2001 to February 2004. Mr. Schmidt has over 25 years of
experience in the semiconductor industry.
Mr. Schmidt is now researching the field of renewable energy for both
commercial and residential applications. For commercial alternative
energy he is working on finding economically competitive solutions for
conversion, transmission and storage of electrical energy from wind
farms, solar plants and tidal plants. For residential applications he
is interested in lowering ”cost of ownership” to a point where the
alternative energy is fully competitive with traditional fossil fuel
based energy and as convenient to use (grid equivalent).
2009
November Public Meeting
Special Presentation: Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Technology in
Iceland:
History, Progress and Leadership
Nov 10, 6:00-8:00 PM
Agenda
This month's meeting will feature a presentation by Dr. S. David Dvorak, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at the University of Maine, Orono and Coordinator, Fuel Cell Systems and Hydrogen, School for Renewable Energy Sciences (RES), Akureyri, Iceland.
The Icelandic people have transformed their energy economy from a reliance on fossil fuels to effective utilization of renewable energy, and have pioneered the use of hydrogen as a transportation fuel. Icelandic projects and companies offer world leadership for hydrogen infrastructure and geothermal power generation. Iceland also leads in renewable energy education through their School for Renewable Energy Sciences (RES) where students from around the world develop alternative approaches to energy in an intensive one year graduate program. Graduates from the program are working worldwide creating a brighter energy future for all of us.
October Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Minutes
September Board Meeting
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
August Board Meeting
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
June Board Meeting
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
August Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
April Public Meeting
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
6:00 PM - John Mitchell Center, USM Gorham
Open to the public. Annual meeting with elections for board and officers. Presentation about Maine Hydrogen Codes by board member Calen Colby.
National Hydrogen Association
Annual Conference
Columbia, SC
HEC Founder Rick Smith was involved in two presentations and one poster session.
www.hydrogenconference.org
RETECH 2009
(HEC Members received a $100 discount)
February 25-27, 2009. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Speaking In Maine on Maine Public Radio
November 14, 2008. 1:00-2:00 P.M.
HEC President Paul Faulstich spoke about "Hydrogen Energy for Maine and the World." This is a recording of a presentation Paul gave at Bates College on October 3, 2008. We have the slides and audio on our presentations page. Audio-only format is available from the MPBN website.
Hydrogen Stations and Vehicles: The Next Phase
A National Hydrogen Association Webinar
(Open to the public, $29.99 registration fee required. HEC Members receive a second webinar free.)
November 14, 2008, 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Today, hydrogen vehicle production is not yet at commercial scale and there is a vigorous dialogue on what is most critical to the development of a national hydrogen infrastructure. So what's the next step? Catherine Dunwoody, Executive Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership and
Britta Gross, Manager of Hydrogen and Electrical Infrastructure Commercialization at
General Motors will discuss plans to advance this infrastructure. If you're a member of the HEC, be sure to indicate "Hydrogen Energy Center" for the company and you'll get a future webinar for free. (Your membership needs to be current!) More information and Registration
The Future of Hydrogen: An Alternative Transportation Analysis for the 21st Century
(Open to the public, registration fee required. HEC Members receive a second webinar free.)
October 23, 2008. ONLINE WEBINAR - 12:00-1:00 P.M. EST
This webinar, hosted by the National Hydrogen Association, will feature the analysis and models of Comparison of Transportation Options in a Carbon Constrained World: Hydrogen, Plug-In Hybrids and Biofuels, a report recently heard in briefings on Capitol Hill and conferences across the globe. Details...
Hydrogen Off the Alternator (aka HHO or Brown's Gas) Panel Discussion. October 14, 2008. BRUNSWICK, MAINE. HEC President Paul Faulstich moderated a panel discussion to separate hype from reality regarding systems that generate hydrogen off an automobile's alternator and inject it into the combustion chamber. The panelists were:
- Paul Maguire – With Dion Linkell, Paul installed an HHO unit and is working with an auto company to investigate another. They are also inventors of the Kuzwe Circle 18 multifuel engine .
- Dr. Jay H Vreeland – Jay is a Physical Chemist (BS UMaine, PhD MIT) from Scarborough. He retired in 1995 as research for Director SD Warren (SAPPI) and now is active in environmental modeling.
- Linwood Farmer – Linwood is the Vice-President of Automotive Testing and Development Services, Inc. (ADTS) in Ontario, CA. His company performs environmental, performance, and endurance testing for all the major automakers and other clients. In the course of their work they have tested HHO units for several clients.
We hope to get a summary in the members-only section of the website and in our newsletter soon.
National Hydrogen Association's Hydrogen from Renewables Forum. September 22 - 24, 2008. GOLDEN, CO. HEC Board member Gary Higginbottom participated in a panel discussion around using renewable resources to generate hydrogen.
Hydrogen Vehicles Come to Maine. August 10 & 11, 2008. On Sunday, Aug. 10, the Hydrogen Energy Center (HEC) and Maine Clean Communities (MC2) hosted a fleet of hydrogen vehicles at Portland Head Light (Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth) from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Visitors were able to see the cars, talk with manufacturers, and learn about how the cars work. Members of the HEC and MC2 demonstrated and explained the fundamentals of hydrogen energy and fuel cells.
On Monday morning, the vehicles gathered in Portland's East End to launch the Hydrogen Road Tour 2008, a two-week journey across the US from Maine to California. Portland Mayor Edward Suslovic, Senator Olympia Snowe, and Representative Tom Allen joined DOE Administrator Paul Brubaker and California Fuel Cell Partnership Executive Director Catherine Dunwoody to see the cars off.
Full details, photos, and links to press coverage
Hydrogen Energy Industry: Present and Future. May 13, 2008. BRUNSWICK, MAINE. Brad Bradshaw, an HEC board member and president of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition, brought us the latest news from Massachussets, updating us on the Coalition's activities and progress its members are making.
Update from 2008 NHA Conference. April 8, 2008. BRUNSWICK, MAINE. The Hydrogen Energy Center's Paul Faulstich and Chris Dillman reported on their findings from attending the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference in Sacramento the previous week. Their presentation is available here. This also was our annual meeting, and we held annual board elections.
March 30 - April 4, 2008
National Hydrogen Association Conference
Maine Funding Opportunities: February 12, 2008. BRUNSWICK, MAINE -
John Richardson, Commissioner for the Maine Department of Economic and Community
Development and Betsy Biemann, President of the Maine Technology Institute.
Commissioner Richardson spoke about the new R&D bond program initiative and other DECD opportunities for fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. Ms. Biemann spoke about MTI's programs that support the development of new environmental technologies in Maine.
Energy Matters in Washington: January 9, 2008. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Congressman Tom Allen. Hosted in partnership with our non-profit colleagues The Chewonki Foundation, CleanAir-CoolPlanet, Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech), Maine Clean Communities, Maine Energy Investment Corporation, and Maine Interfaith Power and Light.
Creating a Renewable Energy Center at the Brunswick Naval Air Station: October 9, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Steve Levesque, the Executive Director of the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) for the Naval Air Station at Brunswick discussed potential renewable energy uses for BNAS property after its slated close in September 2011. Download the presentation.
The Future of Hydrogen in Maine and Renewable Energy in Iceland: Achievements and Opportunities: August 14, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Richard Smith (Chair of the Governor's Maine Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Partnership) talked about where hydrogen stands today, where it is heading, and what role Maine can play in our nation's evolving energy future. David Dvorak (Director of the UMaine School of Engineering Technology and professor of mechanical engineering technology) recently received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and conduct alternative energy research at the University of Akureyri in Iceland during the upcoming academic year. He discussed the new graduate program in the context of the progress Iceland has made in terms of adopting renewable energy and how Iceland plays a part in broader European efforts to build a stronger renewable energy sector.
Warp Drive Engines: On Tuesday, July 10th, HEC members attending the open monthly meeting in Brunswick were privileged to have 3 principals from Warp Drive Engines (WDE) in Harpswell, Maine, explain the development of a hydrogen combustion engine that WDE is working on. According to Paul Maguire, Dion Linkel, and Chase Saunders, WDE is working to produce a new internal combustion engine that is simple, powerful, and more efficient than conventional designs. When run off of hydrogen, this engine will have the added benefit of producing little or no pollution. This low-speed, high-torque engine can run on multiple fuels, however the company is focusing on hydrogen combustion. Their mission is to offer the world an engine that makes clean energy commercially attractive. UPDATE APRIL 2, 2008: Warp Drive Engines is now Kuzwe, and their engine is the Circle18. You can check out their website at kuzwe.com.
National H2 Legislative Spotlight Turns to Maine and the HEC: June 15, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - The HEC and its members spoke for hydrogen and fuel cell interests across the country this past month, communicating the importance of a key Hydrogen Tax Credit program that was being considered by the Senate Finance Committee (chaired by Olympia Snowe of Maine). "The HEC is very impressed with and proud of our member's response....we can't thank them enough for their participation on this critical issue. There will be more to come!" Matthew Burks (President, Hydrogen Energy Center).
HEC Provides Guidance to DOE on '08 RFP: June 10. 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - The Hydrogen Energy Center was one of several key non-profit organizations identified to provide feedback on a Department of Energy
Brunswick Land Use Redevelopment Authority Energy Meeting: May 22, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - The Hydrogen Energy Center was one of several presenters that discussed the potential for using the Brunswick Naval Air Station for an Alternative Energy Park. 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Open to the public. More Information...
Chewonki Sustainable Energy Conference: May 14, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - HEC Vice President Paul Faulstich presented an Introduction to Hydrogen at the Chewonki Sustainable Energy Conference.
Maine Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Partnership: May, 2007. PORTLAND, MAINE - HEC Director, Sue Jones, and former HEC President, Rick Smith, participated in the third meeting of the Maine Hydrogen And Fuel Cell Partnership. The partnership is working with various state and regional stakeholders to bring hydrogen and fuel cell research and technology to Maine.
Earth Day Speakers Event: April 22, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Executive Director, Jack Bash, and Communications Director, Kay Mann spoke at a recent Earth Day event in Brunswick, ME on environmental issues and energy.
HEC Votes In New Board: April, 2007. BRUNSWICK, MAINE - The Hydrogen Energy Center elected a new slate of board members. See the new list of Board of Director on this website...coming soon.
More previous events...
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