![]() But the demand for hydrogen generation will increase in the next decade, said Rinebold. ![]() To commercialize hydrogen generators, he said, “we must make it cost-efficient.”īecause there isn’t a high demand for hydrogen generation technology due to cost inefficiencies, Proton isn’t able to mass produce. Technologies initially built by the military and aerospace industries are expensive because cost isn’t a concern, Torrance said. But to do so, larger hydrogen generators need to be produced for less money. Proton is looking to enter the hydrogen storage market, Schiller said. Hydrogen, easily and efficiently stored in a gas or liquid state, can be used in fuel cells to create electricity when the need arises. Instead, during off-peak periods, this energy can be used to create hydrogen through electrolysis. Solar and wind power is so prevalent in Europe, there often isn’t enough need on the electric grid, he said. Next year the company plans to launch a new hydrogen generator that is slightly larger than the current model and has five times the output, Schiller said.īesides being safe and abundant, hydrogen could also prove to be a major resource in the renewable energy field, said Joel Rinebold, director of energy initiatives for the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. “We’re working on scaling that up to the next level,” he said. Proton sells these models in units that together, can fuel about 200 cars per day, Torrance said. These models are also used at Proton’s own public hydrogen refueling station - the state’s first - built in 2010. Proton recently sold hydrogen generation equipment that will be used at a refueling station in Germany. The company’s largest product on the market can fuel about 12 cars per day, and retails for about $500,000, Torrance said. The issue for Proton, Schiller said, is the need for a bigger, more efficient product that can compete with other hydrogen providers. But Proton’s products allow for the constant generation of hydrogen on-site. Hydrogen vehicle refueling stations can have hydrogen delivered and stored in tanks. Proton is working to develop a generator that is powerful yet cost-effective enough to enter the fuel cell market dominated by multibillion-dollar natural gas companies, Schiller said. Hydrogen generation plays an important role in the emergence of fuel cell vehicles. The weather balloon business is booming as environmental concerns increase, Torrance said. On-site generation of oxygen reduces the need to carry holding tanks on submarines.Īcross the globe, Torrance said, Proton also provides nitrogen to laboratories and hydrogen to fill weather balloons and cool nuclear reactors. Proton is the sole provider of breathable oxygen to naval submarines in the United States and United Kingdom, Torrance said. The company is also able to produce oxygen and nitrogen generators at relatively low cost. Generators are assembled at Proton’s facility by hand. The company does not mass produce at this point, Torrance said. Proton builds hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen generators of various sizes for commercial and industrial applications. The byproduct is pure hydrogen and oxygen gas. Inside the generator, a chemical reaction splits water molecules, which are each made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. “This model would be the size that would provide fuel in your garage,” Torrance said. While passing through the company’s assembly area, Torrance pointed out a hydrogen generator about the size of a washing machine. To produce hydrogen, Proton uses a process known as electrolysis, a proven technology that dates back to NASA’s Apollo space program, John Torrance, Proton’s director of manufacturing, said during a recent tour of the company’s 100,000-square-foot facility at 10 Technology Drive. It would allow people to power their home or vehicles by simply combining water and electricity, creating hydrogen to feed fuel cells. The ability to create cost-effective hydrogen power at home could be likened to finding the “holy grail” of the renewable energy field, he said. The technology already exists it’s just “not at a consumer price point,” according to Mark Schiller, Proton’s vice president of business development. It’s not far-fetched, though, according to Proton OnSite, a local company that specializes in hydrogen generation. WALLINGFORD - The ability to create energy in your garage and end reliance on outside sources seems like fictional technology.
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