Pakistan is a country blessed with unlimited
natural resources. Energy demand is on a sharp increase,
due to several factors, massive development being one
of the indicators. It also indicates, on the contrary,
that usage of energy is developing on a much faster pace
then it is produced. There is a sharp increase in the
oil imports that is due to transport explosion that in
turn is a pretty good development sign as long as the
auto industry is concerned. But at the same time the large
cities of our motherland are engulfing with the fumes
of poisonous smoke emitted by the vehicles, and the thick
green trees are constantly being replaced by cement, roads,
hazardous air particulates and metal vehicles.
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The
political stability of Middle East is continuously depleting,
dependency, just on the imported fossil fuel may become
catastrophic in the coming future. |
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is a time when we should sit together, plan and
organize our self to think what have to be done
in making the cities green again, and to make a
policy of vehicle use in cities and to develop a
strategy for alternative, self-sustaining and non-pollutant
energy corridor. It is the only solution to subdue
the dependency on external oil imports, to introduce
clean vehicles in our cities where more then 40%
of the population lives. It is merely to make an
in time change in the mind sets of think tanks governing
the state and to encourage the industrialists to
invest in the everlasting technologies of renewable
resources. |
It is for the
first time that Alternative Energy Development Board
(AEDB), being a public sector organization and having
limited number of resources, thereby, has taken
a tremendous initiative in propagation and development
of hydrogen fuel cell technology in Pakistan. |
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Prototype:
Technical Perspective |
The project
was started in May’2006, the prototype was
developed by December same year, it is the smallest
period of time that any project of such a technical
magnitude has been completed; it is now in the testing
phase. One Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
of 1.2 KW capacity is used to drive a 4 KW dc motor
through a battery bank.
The specifications of are tabulated in the following
table:
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| Fig:
Pakistan‘s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Integrated
Prototype |
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It was a mini
R&D project of this sort as long as capital
investment is concerned. Following are the key benefits
of this technology: |
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Introducing
a New dimension in transport sector |
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Clean
and powerful |
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Non
Contaminating |
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Zero
Emissions |
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Easy
installations |
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Independent
of the fossil fuel market |
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Introduction
of a new pumping industry of hydrogen dispensers |
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A small
but attractive gesture of Pakistan in the
field of hydrogen technology |
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Excellent
alternative for power industry as mini and
small power source |
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Training
of technical manpower in the Emerging world
of hydrogen technology |
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It is not only
non-contaminating for the green environment but
it also reduces the dependency on external conventional
fuel imports. This small but technically astonishing
project is aimed to bring Pakistan at par with the
developments of advanced countries. The commercial
prospects of the project are most promising as the
private industry is inclined for development and
production of the technology. |
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