By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Columnist

You've probably heard a lot about fuel cells in the past few years, but the technology may not yet be as useful as a lot of the hype suggests.

A new fuel cell test facility in a Hawaiian Electric warehouse in Kaka'ako hopes to change that.

"A lot of people have been overly optimistic about how quickly they can get commercial viability. Fuel cells look very good compared to a few years ago, but they still have a ways to go," said Rick Rocheleau, director of the University of Hawai'i's Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute.

At the new Hawai'i Fuel Cell Test Facility, researchers hope to take the next few steps — figuring out how to make them more efficient, cheaper and longer-lasting, he said.

There are lots of different kinds of fuel cells, but much of the advancement has come from the development of one kind, the proton exchange membrane technology.

"That is the most promising technology," Rocheleau said.

He explained how they work:

The cells have a special plastic membrane, coated on both sides with a catalyst. You pump hydrogen into one side of the cell. The catalyst breaks the hydrogen molecule apart and separates the hydrogen of its electrons.

The hydrogen ions can get through the special plastic. The electrons can't, and are directed into a wire that leads to the other side of the cell.

On the other side, oxygen is added. There, the added oxygen, the hydrogen ions that came through the membrane and the electrons from the wire combine, forming water.

While the electrons are moving through the wire, they can be used to do work, such as running a motor or lighting a light bulb. In that way, they're similar to batteries.

The partners in the test facility are Hawaii Natural Energy Lab, the Office of Naval Research, Hawaiian Electric and the fuel cell manufacturer United Technologies Corp. Initially, the lab is testing UTC fuel cells, but it expects to test others as well.

The lab has several high-tech fuel cell test stands. They will be able to operate the fuel cells over time, testing their capabilities, and determining how long they last. Eventually, the goal is to develop better and better units, and to find ways to make them cheaper.

Fuel cell manufacturing companies will gather important information about improving their technology. The Navy likes the idea because it has lots of potential uses for fuel cells, in submarines and elsewhere. Hawaiian Electric "gets first-hand knowledge of the technology. Having it on our property gives us an opportunity to be in a front row seat," said Gary Hashiro, the firm's director of integrated resource planning.

Jan TenBruggencate is The Advertiser's Kaua'i bureau chief and its science and environment writer. Reach him at (808) 245-3074 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.