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Hydrogen: Saviour or Destroyer?

Members of the ISP-Tech list argue about the future of fuel cell generators in data centers. Availability is not a problem—hydrogen is sold almost everywhere, deliverable in propane tanks.

[December 20, 2002]

On the ISP-Tech list in December, JM asked:

I just read about a shipping fuel cell generator from Coleman. I believe this stuff will make a huge inroad into the data center market, amongst other things. What's everybody else think, even though it is a first generation product?

[PC noted] "Interesting idea, but I'd have to develop a level of comfort with having compressed hydrogen on prem. That stuff blows up real good. It would be nice if there was a unit that could serve more than 8 amps, but I guess if the base model takes off, more options will exist in the future."

Recalling the Hindenburg, JJ said:

"Oh the humanity..."

[DP replied] "Considering all the welding shops that are using hydrogen these days, I'm pretty comfortable with it."

[DD added] "When they get the price down to a reasonable level I'll be the first customer. I don't think hydrogen is any more dangerous than the liquid propane gas my present generators use."

[GG cautioned] "We have been interested in these fuel cells for several years now. You can buy 19" rack mount models or larger redundant models from Avista labs for about $7,000. Each cell lasts about one year and costs a few hundred dollars to replace. The rack keeps producing power as long as one cell is in place. The downside is that these things use a welding bottle of hydrogen every two days and no one has made a fuel reformer smaller than a Volkswagen to change propane or natural gas to hydrogen."

[DP asked] "Hydrogen isn't that expensive. It's far less costly than attempting to extract the hydrogen molecules from propane. Hydrogen runs about $30 a bottle and it would be far cheaper to just add a high capacity cylinder, wouldn't it?"

[GG responded] "We want to power remote mountaintop sites that are snowed in six months of the year, so 15 bottles a month is not an option. A hydrogen bottle the size of a propane tank would remove the top 1,000 feet off the mountain with one match, not to mention what would happen if someone crashed into the delivery truck. The technology to reform the fuel is being developed but the systems are huge and complicated."

—End