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Penn State hosted its second annual Hydrogen
Day on October 25, featuring noted speakers, poster
sessions, hydrogen vehicles, and a tour of the
construction site for the University’s hydrogen
fueling station.
More than 250 faculty, staff and students, along
with industry representatives from 40 companies,
attended the October 25 event at the University
Park Campus that showcased advances in hydrogen
and fuel cell research and demonstrated the depth
of Penn State’s – and Pennsylvania’s
– involvement in research into this important
technology.
The day started with tours of the prototype hydrogen
fueling station on the north end of campus near
Beaver Stadium. According to University officials,
the fueling station will serve as a cold weather
test site, since most other hydrogen stations
are located in milder climate zones. The station
is co-sponsored by Penn State and Air Products
and Chemicals, Inc. and is funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy. The tour also included a
ride in a Toyota hybrid fuel cell vehicle and
looks under the hoods at Ford, Honda, and Lexus
hybrids.
More than 30 poster presentations were on display
throughout the event featuring some of the latest
research into fuel cell analysis and technologies,
hydrogen storage and generation, as well as a
host of other hydrogen topics. Attendees also
enjoyed two afternoon panel discussions.
“You can’t turn anywhere these days
without mention of hydrogen,” said Eva
Pell, vice president for research and dean
of the Graduate School, shortly before introducing
the lunchtime keynote speaker, Kathleen McGinty,
head of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection.
“Clean energy is our future as energy has
been our past,” McGinty said, referring to
our nation’s first oil wells in Pennsylvania.
“It’s not just talk, it’s not just
research. Penn State is putting this research
to work.”
She also stressed the state’s commitment
to developing clean energy sources, and praised
the growing collaboration of academic and industry
partners through the Pennsylvania Hydrogen and
Fuel Cell Consortium coordinated by her office.
“Pennsylvania’s efforts to promote clean
energy are being noticed nationally,” she
said.
Tom Mallouk, DuPont professor of materials
chemistry, also addressed the gathering, saying
that there is still more work to be done. “There’s
some daunting technology problems to deploying
hydrogen,” he said. “This is not a simple
problem and will require a significant effort,
especially in hydrogen storage and generation.”
The first afternoon panel discussion, moderated
by Mallouk, featured Bruce Logan, Kappe
professor of environmental engineering and director
of the H2E Center, which he founded five years
ago as a mechanism for drawing together a wide
range of Penn State hydrogen research; Peter
Eklund from physics, Digby Macdonald
from materials science and engineering; and Matthew
Mench from mechanical engineering. The discussion
focused on hydrogen and fuel cell research as
well as the obstacles to making hydrogen a mainstream
fuel, like gasoline or other energy sources.
“It’s ultimately got to be better in
some way for people to buy it,” Mench stated.
Some of the challenges to bringing hydrogen to
the masses include cost, durability, how to “cold
start” a hydrogen engine, dynamic control,
nascent technology, and system integration, manufacturing,
and optimization.
Logan also argued that researchers need to think
about different ways of producing hydrogen. “If
we’re going to embark on a hydrogen economy,
we need to think about where we’re going
to produce it. Not all hydrogen will be produced
in one way.”
Logan said hydrogen could potentially be produced
with biomass, wastewater, or wind. “The kinds
of technology we’re pursing is not totally
science fiction,” he said.
The second panel session focused on hydrogen infrastructure
and the national labs. Moderated by Logan, the
meeting featured Ed Kiczek, product development
manager for Air Products and Chemicals; George
Parks, senior principle scientist at ConocoPhillips;
George Sverdrup, technology manager for the National
Renewable Energy Lab; and Matt Younkins, research
engineer for Ford.
These panelists discussed the logistics behind
the hydrogen economy and enticing people to consider
hydrogen-powered cars. “Something is going
to make the consumer want this vehicle,”
Parks asserted. “To justify the current research
and work, the payout has to be huge.”
The evening ended with a dinner and a speech by
U.S. Congressman John Peterson (R-PA), who said,
“The most important issue facing our country
is energy. The need for hydrogen energy has never
been greater.”
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