GREEN PROMISE

Challenges
Until now the major obstacles to using hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels in cars and trucks have been the size and weight of the tank, as well as safety issues related to the infusion, transfer and release of the hydrogen.

Solution
C.En Ltd. has developed an innovative technology based on capillary arrays that ensures the safe infusion, storage and controlled release of hydrogen gas. The company's technology enables the storage of a significantly greater amount of hydrogen than other approaches.

Evaluation
Experiments have proven that C.En's system has already surpassed the US Department of Energy's (DOE) 2010 target for hydrogen storage technologies. Calculations (of capillary structures, pressure durability etc) indicate that the technology will meet the DOE's 2015 targets in the near future. According to the Air Resource Board (ARB) Independent Panel of Experts, (advising the State of California), no other technology is expected to meet these goals.

U.S. Dept of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Storage Status 2009*

*J. Milliken, “Hydrogen Program Response to GAO Comment on Targets” HTAC Meeting, February 2009

Additional testing of C.En's patent pending system- for storage and release of hydrogen from capillary arrays takes place at BAM, Germany's highly-respected Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, In September 2008 BAM issued a progress report stating thatC.En’s approach to hydrogen storage "…is of a trendsetting nature which will be very useful in broad fields of energy related applications". In November 2009, after lengthily testing and development, at a specially built state-of-the-art laboratory, BAM was able to demonstrate that “… C.En's technology has a gravimetric storage capacity of 33 wt% and a volumetric capacity of 45 g/L." BAM further reported that: “The principles of hydrogen storage in glass capillaries have now been determined… the system can be optimized in many ways to achieve the economically best system for different applications.” Further prototype testing and development is currently being conducted at the BAM Institute.

BAM Progress Reports will be updated on this page regularly.

A greener future for all
C.En estimates that its breakthrough technology will usher-in a revolution in transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing and electronics, and a transition to mass production of hydrogen cars.