Recent Research on Producing Hydrogen from Seawater Could Help Boost Hydrogen Drone Tech
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Ian J. McNabb
As drone developers and consumers seek drones with longer ranges and better payloads, the constraints of the lithium-ion batteries that power the grand majority of business UAVs have turn into ever more clear. While exciting development continues on battery-swapping technology designed to extend range, (read here), one possible solution to the continued challenge may very well be drones powered via hydrogen fuel cells as a substitute. Fuel cells have been used in all places from consumer cars to space rockets, so it’s easy to grasp the appeal of hydrogen fuel in industrial or public-sector drone operations. As Bentzion Levinson, CEO of Heven Drones, highlighted in his May Op-Ed (read here), hydrogen’s low weight, power efficiency, and zero-emission operation make it a compelling selection to exchange lithium-ion batteries, which also require large global supply chains to fabricate. Hydrogen-powered drones could have significantly higher payloads and ranges than battery-powered units, all while being easier to fabricate.
Despite these undeniable benefits, hydrogen adoption has been fairly slow because of a comparatively high fuel cost and poor existing infrastructure. Equatic, a California-based startup, has an modern latest approach to producing clean hydrogen fuel by processing the carbon dioxide from seawater, a crucial type of carbon capture that also creates hydrogen fuel as a byproduct. The corporate, which was recently spun out of UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management, is converting the carbon in aquatic CO² right into a seashell-like material that they consider will probably be harmless to ocean life. While some experts are concerned in regards to the technology’s effect on ocean chemistry, the corporate says that its technology is secure and environmentally sound and that the water produced by their process is comparable to that released from desalination plants.
Recently, Boeing announced a $50 million take care of Equatic for each carbon credits and clean hydrogen fuel to be processed in its upcoming industrial facility, a first-of-its-kind investment that signals increased investment in hydrogen infrastructure for the aerospace industry. The US Department of Energy has released a Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap that clearly lays out the importance of hydro威而鋼
gen infrastructure to America’s energy future, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act included $9.5 billion in funds for clean hydrogen energy that will definitely speed up the event of hydrogen technology, each in UAVs and elsewhere. As hydrogen technology continues to see investment and development, expect to see more fuel cell-powered drones taking to the skies, flying longer and carrying more.
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