U. of Regina Builds Hydrogen Plant

The University of Regina is building a $3.5-million hydrogen-production plant to demonstrate the viability of the gas as a fuel, Gasworld reports. The plant will produce two kilograms of hydrogen every hour. Officials at Regina believe that the plant, scheduled to open in 2008, is the first of its kind in the world.

The hydrogen will be used to power some university vehicles and the building in which the plant is located, says Raphael Idem, a professor of industrial engineering there.

The viability of hydrogen as a fuel has long been debated. It is a clean energy source that can be used in fuel cells. But critics have contended that hydrogen is expensive to produce and difficult to transport and store. Additionally, they say, using it on a mass scale would require a whole new energy infrastructure.

An article in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix notes that hydrogen has other applications aside from being used as an energy source. It can be used in manufacturing and to help bring up oil from the ground.

On a related note, students at North Dakota State University are experimenting with hydrogen — refitting diesel tractors to run on the clean gas.