HNEI finding alternative energy solutions

HNEI's new fuel testing equipment that arrived in October. Photo couresty of Hawai`i Natural Energy Institute

By Jarrett Keohokalole

The solution to Hawaii's energy future may lie here at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. 

The Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) at the School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology (SOEST) has been working for 30 years to reduce Hawaii's dependence on oil. HNEI currently has several state and federally funded research projects underway to develop renewable energy resources and technologies to help wean the islands off petroleum dependence.

The Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) headquarters in downtown Honolulu is home to the HNEI's Hawai'i Fuel Cell Test Facility. A fuel cell is a device similar to a battery that uses a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. 

A report by the US Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency stated that fuel cells produce dramatically less to no pollution compared to the fuel burning internal combustion engine. Though the production of usable hydrogen for the process may cause some pollution, the US Fuel Cell Council said that fuel cells are two to three times more efficient than engines that are used in cars today.

Milton Staackmann, an assistant specialist at the HNEI, said that the key to fuel cell development is hydrogen. Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it is very hard to find in its natural state.

Besides fuel cell testing, Staackmann said that HNEI is also pursuing hydrogen research. A number of programs at HNEI are dedicated to finding better ways to produce higher quality hydrogen blends to use in fuel cells.

One method is processing fuel from biomass. Biomass is plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used as a fuel or energy source. In the Midwest, the development of ethanol, an organic gas alternative made from corn, has led to the production of E85, a petroleum blend that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. 

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition claims that E85 burns cleaner than regular gasoline and reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to 46 percent compared to gasoline.

The Legislature has approved a measure that will require Hawai‘i gasoline to be mixed with ethanol by April of 2006.

Staackmann said that another method HNEI researchers are using to develop better hydrogen sources is biotechnology. Certain living organisms, such as bacteria, actually produce hydrogen when subjected to certain conditions, such as being placed in anaerobic (no air) settings or being given special food sources.

Perhaps the most accessible source of hydrogen on earth is water. UH scientists are exploring ways to split water molecules through photoelectric cell research and actually take the H out of H2O.

HNEI scientists have found that untapped resources from the ocean may provide more energy than is currently available on earth. Further research is underway to study massive hydrocarbon deposits in the deep sea, called methane hydrates. HNEI researchers said that a conservative estimate of energy available from these deposits exceeds all known reserves of coal, oil and natural gas on earth.

HNEI has also developed a flash carbonization technique that can actually transform biomass into bio carbon, or charcoal. This means that UH scientists can turn green waste into charcoal. HNEI scientists have constructed a full-scale flash carbonization reactor that could eventually turn all of UHM's lawn clippings into hibachi fuel.

HNEI's new invention may actually be a major breakthrough for the commercial charcoal industry. "It's cheaper than the present method of making charcoal," Staackmann said.

Charcoal companies are already lining up to convert their operations to this new UH patented technology.

Staackmann said that once the reactor becomes fully operational, it will have immediate benefits to the university. "Once this thing gets going, this will be handling all of the green waste of the university," he said. "Grass clippings, tree trimmings, coconut shells, you name it."

He added, "Instead of spending $10,000 a year to haul away the green waste from the university, we'll be making enough charcoal that could be worth up to $100,000 a year."    

Though the benefits for Hawai'i residents fed up with rising energy costs may seem far off, the HNEI seems to be on the threshold of major breakthroughs that could usher a new energy era for Hawai'i and the world. 

For more information on reseach being conducted at HNEI, visit www.hnei.hawaii.edu.