An innovative hydrogen production and vehicle fueling station jointly developed by the military and the state of Hawaii over the past six years is ready for prime time.

The concept, proved successful during a demonstration project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, will be emulated in projects planned in the coming months for Schofield Barracks and Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

The Hickam fueling station is powered by photovoltaic panels and produces enough hydrogen to support a fleet of 30 fuel cell vehicles, including an aircraft tug used to tow F-22 fighter jets to and from the flight line.

The hydrogen is extracted from water using electrolysis and then stored in tanks. The hydrogen is pumped into the vehicles under pressure. The fuel cell then converts the hydrogen into electricity to power the vehicle’s electric motor.

The Hickam project is overseen by the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies, an arm of the state-run High Technology Development Corp. It is the largest hydrogen production and vehicle fueling program in the Department of Defense, said Tom Quinn, HCATT director.

The prototype facility, which can be stored in three shipping containers, is designed to be modular and deployable, Quinn said.

"If you can make fuel on site and not have to deal with the logistics burden, that’s a tremendous cost savings," he said. "Conceptually that’s what we’re demonstrating here."

The original facility, built in 2006 at a cost of $1.1 million, used two electrolyzers capable of producing 50 kilograms of hydrogen a day. HCATT later installed a single electrolyzer with a maximum output of 65 kilograms a day.

The General Motors Equinox hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles being used by the military on Oahu hold 4.2 kilograms of pressurized hydrogen and can travel up to 200 miles on a single tank.

The military is building a similar facility at Schofield Barracks with a 65-kilogram production capacity. The project planned for Marine Corps Base Hawaii will have a 12-kilogram capacity. Both projects are scheduled to be completed before year’s end, Quinn said.

"Someday they will be able to take it anywhere in the world," Quinn said. "Go to the Middle East, go to the desert. Envision dropping this equipment out, laying it out on the sand. You throw a hose in the Persian Gulf and you start sucking up water and making fuel. I’m really simplifying it, but conceptually that’s what we’re talking about," Quinn said.

The major cost at this point in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology is the fuel cell stack that converts the hydrogen into electricity, he added. One of the hydrogen fuel cell buses that ferry airplane passengers to and from the flight line costs $1 million, almost as much as the hydrogen production facility itself, Quinn said.

"Having said that, most of the major car manufacturers by 2015 will be producing hundreds if not thousands of vehicles for the average consumer," he said. "It’s extremely encouraging to me when I know that fuel cells are stepping out of development and are ready for production."

Some private industry players in Hawaii also are preparing for the eventual arrival of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Officials at The Gas Co. say the company plans to be a major supplier of hydrogen, which it generates as part of its production of synthetic natural gas.

The utility could deliver hydrogen to fueling stations on Oahu via the company’s network of 1,000 miles of underground pipelines. Hydrogen could be delivered to the neighbor islands in tanks.

Jeff Kissel, president and chief executive officer of The Gas Co., has said the company would be able to produce enough hydrogen to power the equivalent of up to 10,000 vehicles annually.