Home Energy Station
Encyclopedia
Home Energy Station is the name of Honda
's upcoming heat and electricity generator for the home as well as fuel for hydrogen
-powered fuel cell
vehicles. HES IV is able to supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen to power a fuel cell vehicle, such as the Honda FCX
, for daily operation while providing electricity for an average-sized household.
The system reforms
natural gas
to extract up to 3 normal cubic meters per hour (Nm3/hr) of hydrogen, which is stored in an inbuilt storage tank
. This hydrogen is stored for later use by the vehicle, and can also be supplied to hydrogen appliances or fuel cells within the home. The heat generated by the reforming process can also provide hot water to the home.
In addition to providing as much as 5 kilowatts of electrical power to the home, the Home Energy Station is also able to function as a backup power generation system during power outages.
2005 - The Home Energy Station III underwent testing at Honda R&D Americas
Torrance, California
.
2007 - The Home Energy Station IV underwent testing for use with the Honda FCX Clarity.
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
's upcoming heat and electricity generator for the home as well as fuel for hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
-powered fuel cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
vehicles. HES IV is able to supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen to power a fuel cell vehicle, such as the Honda FCX
Honda FCX
The Honda FCX Clarity is a hydrogen fuel cell automobile manufactured by Honda. The design is based on the 2006 Honda FCX Concept. The FCX Clarity demonstrates electric car qualities such as zero emissions while offering 5 minute refueling times and long range in a full function large sedan...
, for daily operation while providing electricity for an average-sized household.
The system reforms
Steam reforming
Fossil fuel reforming is a method of producing hydrogen or other useful products from fossil fuels such as natural gas. This is achieved in a processing device called a reformer which reacts steam at high temperature with the fossil fuel. The steam methane reformer is widely used in industry to...
natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
to extract up to 3 normal cubic meters per hour (Nm3/hr) of hydrogen, which is stored in an inbuilt storage tank
Hydrogen tank
A Hydrogen tank is used for hydrogen storage. The first type IV hydrogen tanks for compressed hydrogen at 700 Bar were demonstrated in 2001, the first fuel cell vehicles on the road with type IV tanks are the Toyota FCHV, Mercedes-Benz F-Cell and the HydroGen4.At the hydrogen station Hamburg...
. This hydrogen is stored for later use by the vehicle, and can also be supplied to hydrogen appliances or fuel cells within the home. The heat generated by the reforming process can also provide hot water to the home.
In addition to providing as much as 5 kilowatts of electrical power to the home, the Home Energy Station is also able to function as a backup power generation system during power outages.
2005 - The Home Energy Station III underwent testing at Honda R&D Americas
Honda R&D Americas
Honda R&D Americas, Inc. is an automobile, motorcycle, ATV, and Jet airplane developer located in North America. It develops vehicles for Honda and Acura sales....
Torrance, California
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
.
2007 - The Home Energy Station IV underwent testing for use with the Honda FCX Clarity.
See also
- Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies HydroFILL
- ITM Power Green-box
- Hydrogen stationHydrogen stationA hydrogen station is a storage or filling station for hydrogen, usually located along a road or hydrogen highway, or at home as part of the distributed generation resources concept. The stations are usually intended to power vehicles, but can also be used to power small devices. Vehicles use...
- Hydrogen economyHydrogen economyThe hydrogen economy is a proposed system of delivering energy using hydrogen. The term hydrogen economy was coined by John Bockris during a talk he gave in 1970 at General Motors Technical Center....
- Plug PowerPlug Power-History:Plug Power was founded as a joint venture between DTE Energy and Mechanical Technology Inc. in 1997....