As their fossil fuel reserves begin to run out, European Union countries are launching a number of research programs to develop alternative power generation technology based on hydrogen and fuel cells. One such program is the Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform.

Set up in January 2005, the Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform is one of the most technologically advanced research undertakings in Poland. It is coordinated by the Ignacy Mościcki Industrial Chemical Research Institute in Warsaw. The institute's director, Prof. Jacek Kijeński, represents Poland in the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform.

Among those taking part in the program are Poland's largest energy and industrial companies, centers for advanced technology, small privately-owned technological businesses, research institutes, universities, and centers of excellence. The platform is working on eight research projects that are part of a National Framework Program. They are aimed to forecast demand for hydrogen and its consumption in Poland, assess the potential use of hydrogen for industrial purposes, and work out strategies for the development of hydrogen-based technologies for electricity production and industrial applications. Other projects focus on hydrogen production processes, including the production of hydrogen from coal, natural gas, biomass and industrial waste, as well as hydrogen purification, storage and transmission. There are also programs dealing with the development of fuel cells to be used as chemical reactors and sources of clean energy, as well as the development and optimization of materials for high- and low-temperature fuel cells. Other projects aim to design prototype IT-SOFC fuel cells to be used for the production of distributed energy, and low-temperature polymer cells powered by either hydrogen (H2-PEFC) or methanol (DMFC). Researchers are also working on technologies to produce hydrogen via electrolysis with the use of unconventional energy sources.

European liquid fuel reserves have almost run out. It is estimated that the natural gas reserves of Britain, Norway and other Scandinavian countries will last for 22-25 years. The gas reserves of Russia, the largest supplier of this raw material to Europe, are expected to last no longer than 60 years. But if demand for Russian gas among rapidly developing Far Eastern countries such as India and China increases considerably, the country's reserves may last only 40 years and the price of Russian gas may rise sharply after 2025.

Of course, there are also coal and lignite deposits, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. These reserves, estimated to last for 400 years, will have to meet the needs of Europe's rapidly growing chemical and medical industries.

A power and fuel sector based on hydrogen and fuel cells is a good alternative. Hydrogen-based energy technologies are gaining importance internationally as they involve the use of cross-border gas pipelines and terminals, and the construction of special transmission networks and tanks made of carbon composites. Hydrogen can be produced from wind power, solar energy, coal, biofuels, natural gas and nuclear power. Hydrogen usage may be optimized through the use of local sources. Hydrogen technologies are highly efficient: a system comprising a gas turbine and a fuel cell can reach an efficiency rate of 80 percent and remain environment friendly.

How much does it cost?
Producing 1 kilogram of hydrogen in an installation with a capacity of 50 metric tons of hydrogen per hour costs around $1, regardless of whether coal or natural gas are used as an energy source. The cost of the raw material accounts for 20 percent of the total cost of producing hydrogen if coal is used and for 75 percent of the total cost if natural gas is used. Roughly, the cost of producing 1 kilogram of hydrogen is equivalent to the cost of producing 0.75 gallons (3.75 liters) of gasoline. This relationship has improved considerably in recent years. Three years ago in the United States, the cost of producing 1 kilogram of hydrogen was equivalent to the cost of producing 1 gallon of gasoline.

As oil prices rise, this proportion is expected to fall to around 0.66 gallons of gasoline by the end of 2008 and 2 liters of gasoline after 2010.

In Europe, production costs are similar. The European Commission assumes that in 2015 the cost of producing 1 kilogram of hydrogen will reach a ratio of 1 to 1, which means it will be equivalent to producing 1 liter of gasoline, including extraction and transportation costs.
One interesting project of this kind is a plant operated by Italian energy group Enel in Venice's industrial area of Marghera. A prototype coal gasification unit with full carbon dioxide sequestration (meaning its capture and storage) has been installed in the plant to produce heat, electricity and hydrogen. Its capacity is 8,000 metric tons of hydrogen per day. All carbon dioxide emitted in the process is captured and used to produce polyethylene. The goal is to create a virtually closed cycle without any emissions.

Hycom and Hypogen
The European Commission has set aside considerable funds to reach the target ratio of 1 to 1 in hydrogen production. By 2015 more than 3 billion euros will be spent on the Hycom and Hypogen projects.

Hycom is designed to develop prototype technologies for communities that fully rely on hydrogen for their heat, electricity and transportation needs. Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia want the Hycom concept to be tested in a border area near the city of Cieszyn.

The aim of Hypogen is to build a large industrial plant to produce hydrogen for powering gas turbines and high-temperature industrial fuel cells.

The Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform is one of the European technology platforms set up as part of the EU's 7th Framework Program for research and technological development to deal with problems related to the use of hydrogen and fuel cells. Its main task is to transfer fuel cell manufacture and hydrogen production technologies from small prototype facilities to industry with the help of EU funds.

Hot coals
The Central Mining Institute (GIG) has conducted research into coal processing since the late 1960s. The institute is now taking part in two large European projects. The first one concerns carbon dioxide sequestration in underground coal fields. The other project involves developing a technology for converting coal to hydrogen in a "steam reforming process." GIG also deals with oxygen production and separating and cleaning mixtures containing hydrogen.

Pilot coal gasification installations have been developed by the Institute of Power Engineering. The installations will include units designed to clean hydrogen obtained in the gasification process. The Institute of Power Engineering, in conjunction with the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, is also involved in developing prototype fuel cells working at a temperature of 600 degrees Celsius. The Military University of Technology (WAT) has worked for 12 years now on technologies to develop fuel cells for producing electricity from natural gas, and on nanostructured alloys and layered nanostructures that could be used in the future as materials for the construction of hydrogen tanks and fuel cells. WAT's programs also include research on applying hydrogen to power MCFC and SOFC high-temperature fuel cells with a capacity range of 250KW to 5MW, and on hydrogen-based transport and security systems. WAT is also developing hydrogen production installations based on catalytic electrolysis and photolysis reactions.

Południowy Koncern Energetyczny (PKE) is thinking of applying fuel cells in practice. The energy group is carrying out a project that involves the use of biomass to generate electricity in power plants. PKE has chosen biomass because of the high efficiency of bioreactors based on this fuel, its large resources and relatively easy transport. The group wants to build a hydrogen production facility based on biomass. First, a reactor will be constructed to produce biocarbon, then a gasification line will be built with the use of a steam reforming process. It would be the first low-pressure system in which hydrogen would be produced for the needs of electricity generation.

Marek Mejssner


Working groups operating as part of the Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform:

1. Processes to convert coal to hydrogen
Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Jan Rogut, DSc (Eng)
2. Processes to convert natural gas to hydrogen
Coordinator: Prof. Maria Ciechanowska, DSc (Eng)
3. High-temperature fuel cells
Coordinator: Prof. Janina Molenda, DSc (Eng)
4. Low-temperature and hydride fuel cells
Coordinator: Prof. Andrzej Czerwiński, DSc
5. Strategy for the development of hydrogen-based technologies for electricity generation and industrial applications
Coordinator: Prof. Jacek Kijeński, DSc (Eng)
6. Mass production and transmission of hydrogen
Coordinator: Bohdan M. Żakiewicz, DSc (Eng)


Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform member institutions:

1. Prof. I. Mościcki Industrial Chemistry Research Institute
2. Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen SA
3. Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne SA
4. Central Mining Institute
5. Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry
6. Seven Rocks Mining Sp. z o.o.
7. Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal
8. Południowy Koncern Energetyczny SA
9. Kompania Węglowa SA
10. Katowicki Holding Węglowy SA
11. Oil and Gas Institute
12. Zakłady Azotowe w Tarnowie-Mościcach SA
13. Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn SA
14. Zakłady Azotowe Puławy SA
15. Zakłady Chemiczne Zachem SA
16. Polimex-Mostostal Siedlce SA
17. AGH University of Science and Technology
18. Institute of Power Engineering
19. Warsaw University of Technology-School of Engineering and Social Sciences in Płock
20. Warsaw University of Technology
21. Poznań University of Technology-Faculty of Chemical Technology
22. Gdańsk University of Technology-Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics
23. Mennica-Metale Szlachetne Sp. z o.o.
24. Silesian University of Technology- Faculty of Chemistry
25. Instytut Elektrotechniki electrical engineering institute
26. Institute of Molecular Physics/Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
27. Medical Research Center/Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
28. CZT Chemcat Center for Advanced Technologies
29. Energy-Environment-Health Center for Advanced Technologies
30. NafCells Center of Excellence at INTiBS PAN
31. Polish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association
32. Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA
33. IPPT PAN-National Contact Point for EU Research Programs
34. Center for Advanced Raw Material Technologies, Hydrocarbon Fuels and Renewable Energy
35. Central Petroleum Laboratory
36. Adam Mickiewicz University, Department of Kinetics and Catalysis
37. University of Warsaw, Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources
38. Military University of Technology
39. Lower Silesia Center for Advanced Technologies
40. Institute of Chemical Engineering/Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)