Hydrogen - it's the way forward, says prof

Sep 21 2007 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

"WATER is the coal of the future" - This bold prediction was made almost 30 years ago by a Birmingham university researcher as he unveiled a hydrogen-powered moped.

And, although hydrogen has yet to replace coal and oil as the world's major energy source, researcher-turned-professor Rex Harris is still confident.

Which is why the University of Birmingham academic today unveiled the first ever zero-emission hydrogen hybrid canal boat at The Mailbox.

As this edition of the Mail from June 27, 1979 shows, the-then Dr Harris revealed his modified Honda moped powered by hydrogen.

Predicting that "water will be the coal of the future", he and his team also forecast that hydrogen gas may one day replace car fuel.

Nearly three decades on, Prof Harris, project leader from the School of Engineering's Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, sticks to his belief.

"We are getting nearer to that prediction, and what will tip the balance is how serious is global warming.

"When that newspaper article was produced, it was during the oil crisis and no-one really knew about global warming or that oil would be a finite resource."

The problem in mass-producing hydrogen cars is the size and weight of the metal storage tank.

As Prof Harris added: "It's a viable technology for boats, but the challenge is to reduce the weight and volume of these stores.

"We have developed a hydrogen-powered boat because I felt we needed a demonstrator. It demonstrates the science of the subject that we are working on.

"It is widely recognised that the world has no more than 20 years to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and oil depletion. The canal boat project represents one step in the journey towards a hydrogen society."

The canal boat, donated to the university by British Waterways, is named The Ross Barlow after a research student who died.

Ross was a postgraduate student who worked on the hydrogen project before he was killed in a hang-gliding accident in March 2005, aged 25.

A spokesman said: "Ross was an enthusiastic supporter of sustainable energy. He also helped out with many community projects in the area."