1 Solar Powered Hydrogen Gas for Household Cooking Project ...

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Solar Powered Hydrogen Gas for Household Cooking Project

Progresses into Second Year: Demonstrable Model Created

The Jamaican energy landscape is characterized by a significant

dependence on imported fossil fuels to meet energy needs. Of course,

this does not augur well for the nation’s sustainability and security.

Consequently, there is a major drive to guarantee diversification of the

energy mix. This includes incorporating and harnessing the abundant

natural resource.

As it is in life and science, only change is constant. In 2012 a new evolution started in the

domestic fuels industry. The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining partnering with the

University of Technology (UTech), the University of the West Indies (UWI), Brunel University (United

Kingdom) and the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) combined efforts, time and skill to undertake a

project dubbed, “The Application Of Solar Powered Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM)

Electrolysers For The Sustainable Production Of Hydrogen Gas As Fuel For Domestic

Cooking,” also known as the use of solar powered hydrogen gas for domestic cooking. The project

which is funded by the European Union (EU) to the tune of EUR495,344.36 for three (3) years, ends

in July 2015 and seeks to reduce Jamaica’s spend on imported fuel, to incorporate the use of

renewable energy in the production of cooking gas, and to reduce deforestation and the use of

charcoal in rural communities where access to LPG is not readily available.

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Notable Achievements to Date

The project, though still in its developmental phase, has tremendous

potential for use in the wider Jamaican landscape. Jamaica has some

of the best researchers working on this project, who have so far

managed to create a successful working model. This model was tested

and demonstrated to members of the public during Research Day 2014

activities at the University of Technology. The testing of solar photovoltaic panels is also being carried

out at UWI, Brunel and UTech and there is active collaboration with the MSTEM and Bureau of

Standards Jamaica so that the project meets the stipulated and required standards.

In addition to acquiring panels, an inverter and PEM electrolyzers were successfully procured for

the project and later installed at the specially designed laboratory created for this project at UTech.

For safety, extractor air ways and an emergency exit were installed as precautionary measures in the

lab. The facility was also outfitted with a small cylinder for storing the gas.

Implications of this project

The researchers have covered huge ground with this project. This

proves that the use of solar hydrogen gas for cooking is possible. The

nation is set to benefit greatly from this project and it has widened the

technical capacity and expertise of the institutions involved. It continues

to improve Jamaica’s and the United Kingdom’s research capacity in

academia while creating opportunities for the development of specific products which may suit the

needs of emerging markets.

It has brought to the fore concrete evidence that the incorporation of renewable energy can go a

far way in the production of fuel sources.

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Other Considerations

It must be noted that through this project, Jamaica has joined the ranks of many developed

countries particularly in North America, Europe and East Asia that have adapted the use of hydrogen

as a fuel source. These countries have utilized hydrogen gas in transportation (hybrid vehicles),

military vehicles (army trucks) and material handling vehicles such as forklifts.

Even though the aim of this project is to provide householders with a viable alternative fuel for

cooking, several long term possibilities exist for the adaptation and use of hydrogen at both the

domestic and industrial levels.

Going Forward

The next step for this project is to ascertain its viability and its level of

competitiveness in the Jamaican marketplace. The team is also

currently focusing on its appeal to residential users. All the associated

costs ranging from the purchasing of solar equipment to stove

modifications will be taken into account especially when compared to

LPG which is already widely used.

Despite the accomplishments over the period, there is still much work left to be done. The team

of researchers continues to make adjustments to guarantee public safety and reliability. For instance,

hydrogen gas has no distinct smell and the flame has no colour. To correct this, the gas will be

odourized and the flame made visible.

Traditional LPG stoves will be modified to accommodate hydrogen gas. Guidelines for

retrofitting and building stoves and cylinders will be crucial for small manufacturing enterprises which

may seek to pursue the opportunity to satisfy a new market for these items.

Additionally, it is anticipated that at the policy level, the use of hydrogen gas as a fuel for

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cooking will be incorporated into Jamaica’s energy supply mix supported by adequately developed

technologies and national standards.

It is clear to us the project proves that the versatility of renewable energy holds no limits and

can be utilized in any area once it is feasible to do so. The project also shows the importance of

partnership and collaboration in making things happen. The partnership with energy experts, business

leaders, all sectors and members of the public is integral in ensuring that we utilize our indigenous

resources to their fullest potential thereby creating a sustainable environment where we can live,

work, raise families and do business.

More information about this project can be found on the project website: http://www.solarhydrogen.utechsapna.com/

“This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and can under no circumstance be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.”

UTech and Partners Developing Hydrogen Gas from Solar Powered Electrolysis for Household Cooking The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining has joined other stakeholders in a research project that is aimed at developing a commercially viable hydrogen gas to be used as cooking gas by householders across the island. The project is being implemented by the University of Technology (UTech) and is sponsored by the European Union to the tune of 421,000 Euros. With a total value of 495,344.36 Euros, the partnering entities in the project are the University of Technology, Bureau of Standards Jamaica, Brunel University in the United Kingdom, the University of the West Indies along with the. Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, “The Solar Powered Hydrogen Gas Project research focuses on the production of hydrogen gas from water. The hydrogen will be used for cooking. The idea is to provide an affordable substitute to LPG cooking gas, to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels,” Project Manager, Dr. Ruth Potopsingh, explained at the launch held at the Courtleigh Hotel in Kingston. Dr. Potopsingh also informed that the project, which is a renewable and sustainable energy intervention, will last for 3 years. “There are some areas which need to be perfected, like reducing the energy cost of splitting the atoms in the water to produce the hydrogen, hence the use of optimized solar panels. Safety is another area, especially the materials used to make the containers to store the gas,” Dr. Potopsingh explained. The grant project is titled ‘The Application of Solar-Powered Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Electrolysers for the Sustainable Production of Hydrogen Gas as Fuel for Domestic Cooking’. The Project Manager noted that the successful outcomes of this research are expected to contribute to the reduction in the energy import bill for Jamaica, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states which embrace the technology; make more resources available to meet other basic socio-economic needs; increase the use of renewable energy resources; reduce deforestation caused by the cutting of trees; and reduce firewood and charcoal burning for cooking. In the meantime, keynote speaker at the October 18, 2012 project launch, Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minster, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, said the project is the first of its nature to be undertaken in Jamaica, and comes at a time when initiatives like these are needed and can have a meaningful impact on the society. “When we consider that in Jamaica, 84 per cent of households use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is distributed in cylinders for cooking, we can see immediately that developing the ability to produce hydrogen gas in a sustainable manner, as a fuel for cooking, could contribute significantly to reducing the national import bill for petroleum products,” the Minister

said. He also noted that the main beneficiaries of the project will be the end-users of the product - Jamaican householders. “There is also the prospect of commercialization, because this product has the potential to provide opportunities for the development of small manufacturing enterprises,” the Minister pointed out. In his opening remarks, UTech President, Professor the Hon. Errol Morrison, said “we are not only going to develop a pilot or do research to do the doable, we shall take this into the realm of entrepreneurship, so that having demonstrated, we will develop the industry and create jobs for our graduates and jobs for the people.” In the future, interested entrepreneurs in this new niche market would be involved in manufacturing parts for retrofitting existing stoves and cylinders while other possibilities exists for building hydrogen-stoves or cylinders for storing the gas. Professor Morrison also noted that this represents a “win-win situation” for the University, the government and the people of Jamaica. The project represents the first time that UTech is the lead researcher in an EU project. In addition, UTech won the grant from a competitive field of universities in the Caribbean, Pacific Region and Africa. Principal Investigator and Technical Manager of the project, Dr. Earle Wilson, said the key areas to be investigated include: power characterization of the photo-voltaic system (converting sunlight into electricity); colouring the flame of the burning hydrogen gas so that it can be seen; giving a scent to the hydrogen gas in case of leakage; preventing gas flame blow back; gas storage medium and gas stove modifications.

“This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and can under no circumstance be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.”

Some research focus areas of the University are :

Energy

ICT Applications & Information Systems

Sport, Food, Hospitality

Health

Technical /Vocational Education

Land and the Built Environment

Entrepreneurship

Forensics

Waste Management & Alternative Use of Natural Re-sources

COLLEGES AND FACULTIES

College of Health Sciences Caribbean School of Nursing School of Allied Health & Wellness School of Pharmacy College of Business and Management School of Business Administration School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership UTech/JIM School of Advanced Management Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies School of Technical & Vocational Education School of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of the Built Environment School of Building & Land Management Caribbean School of Architecture Faculty of Engineering and Computing School of Engineering School of Computing and Information Technology Faculty of Law Faculty of Science and Sport School of Natural & Applied Sciences School of Mathematics & Statistics Caribbean School of Sport Sciences Centre for Science-based Research, Entrepreneurship & Continuing Studies Joint Colleges of Medicine & Public Health, Oral Health & Veterinary Sciences Public Health & Health Technology Oral Health Sciences

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,

JAMAICA

SOLAR HYDROGEN

COOKING GAS PROJECT

“Excellence Through Knowledge”

Funded by the European Union

Project Partners

Brunel University

Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (Jamaica)

University of West Indies

Bureau of Standards, Jamaica

UNIVERSITY OF

TECHNOLOGY,

JAMAICA

The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), is owned and supported by the Government of Jamaica. It currently contributes to Jamaica’s human resource and socio-economic development needs, and to an increasing extent those of the wider English–speaking Caribbean. The insti-tution was established in 1958, originally under the name, the Jamaica Institute of Technology and was accorded University status in 1995 under its current name. The Uni-versity is committed to excellence in all aspects of its pro-gramme offerings. UTech is registered with the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), the national accreditation body for tertiary education. By submitting its programmes to accrediting bodies for review and accreditation, the Univer-sity ensures that its programmes are of high quality and international standard.

The University has a student population of over 12,000 pursuing over 50 programmes at certificate, diploma, un-dergraduate and graduate degree levels; the staff comple-ment is 1411.

UTech has a growing portfolio of consultancies, grants,

and research projects and is currently Lead Partner (Grant

Beneficiary) on the EU-ACP Caribbean and Pacific Re-

search Programme for Sustainable Development (Call for

Proposals EuropeAid/130381) funded project titled

“Application of Solar-Powered Polymer Electrolyte Mem-

brane Electrolysers for Sustainable Production of Hydro-

gen Gas as Fuel for Domestic Cooking.

As Jamaica’s national university, the University of Technol-ogy, Jamaica, is focused on high-impact inter-disciplinary and applied research relevant to economic and social prob-lems by aligning research activities with national goals and priorities for national development. At UTECH, structured research management is facilitated by the School of Graduate Studies, Research & Entrepreneurship (SGSRE) to support our researchers. The Caribbean Sustainable Energy and Innovation Institute working across faculties focuses on energy and climate change.

www.utech.edu.jm www.utech.edu.jm

PROJECT FACT SHEET Challenge Developing Caribbean states like Jamaica depend heavily on

imported petroleum fuels to meet their energy needs. The high

import bills for petroleum products have adversely impacted

economic and social development in the Caribbean. Energy

security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability are key

issues which these countries face even as climate change

impacts continue to hinder growth. Liquefied Petroleum Gas

(LPG), wood and charcoal are predominantly used as fuel for

cooking. The growth trend for petroleum prices and the contin-

ued use of wood and charcoal produced by cutting and burn-

ing trees are of great economic and environmental concern.

Deforestation is of particular concern in combination with the

frequency of extreme climate-related events like droughts,

flooding, tropical storms and hurricanes. These events cause

environmental impacts such as loss of soil in agricultural ar-

eas, silting of the oceans and loss of biodiversity. The region is

endowed with many renewable energy resources such as

sunlight, wind and water, all of which are underutilised.

Focus The project contributes to reducing Jamaica’s energy prob-

lems by sustainably producing hydrogen as an alternative to

LPG for household cooking. Hydrogen will be produced from

water through electrolysis using a solar-powered Polymer

Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolyser. To ensure con-

sumer safety, the gas will be odourised and the flame made

visible.

Rationale Fuel for cooking is an important sub-sector of energy con-

sumption in which renewable energy use is largely ignored.

Jamaica spends approximately 1.5% (USD 30M) of its annual

oil bill on LPG which is used for cooking. Hydrogen gas for

cooking will be produced in a sustainable manner, which is in

line with Jamaica’s National Energy Policy to increase the use

of natural resources to offset its near complete dependence on

imported fuel. Scientific research has shown that sunlight

(solar energy) can be harnessed with photovoltaic modules to

power the process of splitting water to produce hydrogen gas.

Sunlight and water, which are natural, renewable resources,

are abundant in the Caribbean region. Prior research con-

ducted by the University of Technology (Jamaica) in collabora-

tion with Brunel University (United Kingdom) has demon-

strated that solar-powered Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

(PEM) electrolyser plants can be used to produce hydrogen

gas which, along with a modified stove, can be used for cook-

ing.

accommodate hydrogen gas. Guidelines for retrofitting

and building stoves and cylinders will be crucial for small

manufacturing enterprises which may seek to avail

themselves of the opportunity to satisfy a new market to

be developed for these items. In addition, it is envisaged

that, at policy level, the use of hydrogen gas as a fuel for

cooking will be incorporated into Jamaica’s energy sup-

ply mix when supported by adequately developed tech-

nologies and national standards.

Representatives from academia and government policy makers from different areas of the energy sector and regulatory bodies will be involved, together with other stakeholders like households, stove and cylinder manu-facturers and students.

In order for hydrogen to realise its potential as a replace-ment for LPG, it must be supported by valid research and a regulatory framework with policies governing its production, storage, distribution and use.

Method The project consists of four sequential phases to de-

velop a solar-powered hydrogen production plant.

Design and development of a prototype solar-powered PEM electrolyser system for producing hydrogen gas:

Selection of a suitable photovoltaic brand based on

the power characterization of modules;

Design of a hydrogen gas production plant utilising a

solar-powered PEM electrolyser;

Modification of conventional gas stoves and cylinders;

Testing of laboratory system (prototype) components.

Testing and analysis of the prototype:

Field tests at selected households and the UTech

Hospitality Training Centre;

Field deployment of modified stoves and cylinders;

Assessment / survey of modified stoves and cylinders.

Documentation, to compile and analyse the test results of the prototype: Production of safety, operational and modification manu-als for stoves and cylinders for domestic cooking;

Cost-benefit analysis of hydrogen gas compared with

LPG as a fuel for cooking. Recommendation for future development:

Determination of the requirements to build a solar

powered PEM electrolyser hydrogen gas production plant at a scale suitable for commercial production, storage, and distribution of the hydrogen gas to household consumers.

Results

Sustainable production of hydrogen gas as a renewable

source of cooking fuel;

Existing LPG stoves modified to use hydrogen gas safely

and efficiently for domestic cooking;

Suitable cylinders for hydrogen gas storage for use in

homes;

Suitable methodology to colour flame and odourise hy-

drogen gas for cooking;

Recommendations for the development of the commer-

cial use of hydrogen-gas-cooking systems;

Safety, operational and modification manuals for stoves

and cylinders for domestic cooking;

Households in Jamaica and across the Caribbean will

have an alternative to imported LPG, wood and charcoal as a fuel for cooking.

Demonstration of modified stove burning hydrogen gas by Lead Researcher,

Dr. Earle Wilson (right) and Laboratory Technician Steve Baker (left)

Project Title: The application of solar-powered Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolysers for the sustain-able production of hydrogen gas as fuel for domestic cooking Grant: FED/2011/281-135

Coordinator: University of Technology, Jamaica

Project Duration: 36 months (From 01/08/2012 - 31/07/2015)

EC co-funding: EUR 421,042.70,

Total Budget: EUR 495,344.36

ACP countries and regions involved: Caribbean – Jamaica,

Programme theme: Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Sector: Power generation / renewable sources, Solar energy, Energy research, Gas distribution

Keywords: Hydrogen gas, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM), solar energy, sustainable development Contact the project: Mr. Earle Wilson

Faculty of Engineering and Computing

University of Technology, Jamaica

235-237 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6, Jamaica

Tel: +876-927-1680 Ext. 3675

E-mail: [email protected], http://fenc-utech.net/