ERMUSR Misc Issues 08-22-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MO EntE brought aga A newway to catch the wind • Trying t0 tum breeze _ into brawn, Xcel Energy Iowa-based Hydrogen SOOn Wlll experiment F Energy Cen- with Ways to transform ~ "~ ' ,~.,q ter made a wind energy into a ~' ~ ~ ~ ~-- ,•.., • ~"° . ,, 5o-kilowatt fuel that can be stored ~ ~ ~' fueled - hydrogen. ~i j k ~ ~ ~'~"~ generator ~" ~ ~ x ~c~ ~ ~ , `r ~ for Xcel By ~ ME~tts k~ ~ Ener that gY soon will Meyers@startribune.com ~; ,- ` ~ ~V i~ ~1~~ ~ be shipped Harnessing wind to make ~ ~ ~ ~ ~t ~®, ~ ~~~tii~' a~'.' to the Na- tional Wind electricity is one challenge. i Technology Hanging onto the energy Center in once it's created is another. ~ i~ x ~ Boulder, Xeel Energy. is about to f ~ Colo embark: on a $2 million ex- ' '~~~, y a" ~F . periment to seewhether hy- ~ ~~ , ~ 7~ ~ xydrogen drogenrtzight be an answer •t .. ~ ~ - -,~ for stockpiling the power ~~,,.„.„ „, ~~"~~"'"°~- ~ ~n'~ Energy ` generated by windmills. _ ,~,~ center ,~ "Hydrogen can be com- ,* pressed and.. stored," said Renewable Energy Labora- into hydrogen -enough to - show that windmills and hy- Paul Adelmann, an Xcel Gory in the research, hopes. power buses in almost every drogen have a future, many spokesman.: "You can use to have'the project running U.S. city, Lewis said... problems will remain. How it when the wind isn't blow- ' in October. But many questions re- to store hydrogen? How to mg~ "Think about the surplus main on how to make, store create a network for distrib- Xcel . has committed energy. from nuclear, {hy- and distribute hydrogen. uting the fuel? How to over- . $L3 mullion to the project, droelectric] and wind gen- One potential answer will come public fears -call it with .taxpayers putting up erators from ll p.m. to S a.m. be tested at the Boulder test the Hindenburg effect - $~~>Q~d• when everybody's sleeping," site `- driving. electricity that hydrogen is too vola- Xcelbought a 50-kilowatt said joe Lewis, vice_presi- through water to split water tale to use in everyday envi- hydrogen-fueled generator dent of engine sales at Hy- into its components - oxy- ronments? -this month that soon will drogen Energy Center, the gen and hydrogen. The. pro- Still, Xcel officials seem be shipped to the National Algona, Iowa,. maker of the cess is called electrolysis. confident that when those Wind Technology Center in generator that Xcel will use Much of the hydrogen questions are answered the Boulder, Colo. Xcel, which has joined the U.S. Depart- in Boulder. That `surplus energy one made today comes from a chemical. process that , results could be a `winner far tl~e company and con- meat of Energy's National day .could be .transformed strips the element from fos- sumers. <C EV ~ = R ~ ONE EES sIl fuels, releasing unwanted h B "Everyone sees hydro- w7 green ouse gases.. y elimi- gen as the Holy Grail of the / ~: HYDROGEN AS THE HOLY Hating the creation of waste ;'.future of energy sources," rr~~ ~~ rr** ~+ ~+*~ ** . Vi~a~iJ ~i' THE T RE ~~ .byproducts, Xcel officials h l l i wi Adelmannsaid."We'relook- .. r V V ope e ectro ys s ll be a ; ing at ways to link renewable ENERGY SO~JRCES. ~~ more economical .and less wind energy with this per- Paul Adelmann, Xcel spokesman hazardous way to produce hydrogen. feet fuel -hydrogen." Even 1f the experiments Mike Meyers • 612-673-1746