December 6, 2002
Proposed APS - SHEC Labs Joint Venture
Energy Prospects
Susan Whittington
Saskatoon-based Solar Hydrogen Energy Company has a date in the Arizona
desert to test its process to use sunlight to produce hydrogen from
water. Arizona Public Service is eager to help discover whether SHEC
labs' "secret recipe" could be the one that holds the key to the
hydrogen economy of the future.
SHEC's thermochemical process can split water into hydrogen and oxygen
at 750 degrees Celsius or lower. Focused sunlight provides enough heat
for this reaction to occur. While thermal water splitting typically has
required temperatures around 3,000 degrees Celsius, SHEC's process
requires less energy input, which reduces costs and increases
efficiencies, said Ray Fehr, vice president of marketing for SHEC. It
also means that standard materials such as stainless steel and ceramics
can be used for the reactor.
In the field test at its Solar Test and Research (STAR) Center, APS will
pair up its solar concentrating dish mirrors with SHEC's prototype
generator. APS expects it will take about a year to come up with good
test results.
Studies of using the sun's heat directly to separate water have been
conducted in a number of countries, Herb Hayden, senior engineer in
technology development at APS, told Prospects. If someone can figure
out the "secret recipe," that method promises to be much more
economical and efficient, he said.
SHEC labs' goal is to commercialize the technology, and the field test
at STAR is a key first step in proving that the process works,
according to Fehr. While potential markets for SHEC's process include
internal combustion retrofit and fuel cell cars, he said "the quickest
way to a revenue stream" for the company lies with electrical power
generation. [Susan Whittington]
More Information:
SHEC labs (The Solar Hydrogen Energy Company)
(www.shec-labs.com)
Arizona Public Service
(www.aps.com)
This article originally appeared in Energy Prospects
Issue 1, October 18, 2002 Page 3, and is posted here by permission
of Energy Prospects. For more information see
www.energyprospects.com
