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Hydrogen-Assisted Sailboat |
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Written by Alex Morton
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 The Jim D may look like a traditional sailboat, but its auxiliary power is run by hydrogen and emits only pure water.
To perform this miracle, hydrogen is consumed by a pollution-free chemical reaction in a battery-like object, called a fuel cell, which combines hydrogen and oxygen chemically to produce electricity, water and waste heat. Unlike with petroleum-based fuels, there is no spillage of gas at the dock, no polluting emissions and no diminishing supply of hydrogen. It is produced from water and exhausts only pure water.
For years, scientists have been experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells to power electric motors on cars, trucks, buses and even bicycles. Now, a team on Vancouver Island is working with hydrogen to power auxiliary engines for sailboats, replacing the gas engine of an outboard with an electric motor that draws power from a fuel cell attached to a tank of hydrogen. The test boat is an 18' bilge-keeled vessel called the Jim D, which has already performed several 20-mile test runs.
Veteran boaters Jim Harrington and Ian Soutar, both longtime pioneers in the field of alternative energy solutions, are the driving force behind the hydrogen-assisted sailboat. They’ve succeeded in equipping the Jim D with a motor so noise-free that it’s actually quieter to run under power than sail.
Hydrogen is obtained from water by the process of electrolysis, which uses electricity to split water molecules. Jim D’s tanks of hydrogen are produced using solar power by the National Research Council in its fuel cell research centre near the University of British Columbia. The tanks of hydrogen are brought to the boat and attached to a fuel cell “stack,” which comprises a series of individual fuel cells, each producing 0.9 volts of electricity. The fuel cell stack on the Jim D runs a 2.6-horsepower electric motor, which is the equivalent of a 5-hp gasoline-powered engine since electric motors are twice as efficient. Fuel cells are even recyclable.
 Currently, fuel cells are available commercially through several sources, including Ian Soutar’s own company, Microsec. Hydrogen can be purchased at any welding supply shop. However, for this system to be commercially feasible, a realistic distribution system to get the gas to boaters is required. Currently, a B.C. Hydrogen Highway initiative to provide a network of hydrogen stations for land-based vehicles is in the works; a marine equivalent would need to be developed. As well, marina operators may eventually be able to produce hydrogen on their own premises, using arrays of solar cells.
See the Jim D at the Victoria Tall Ships Festival in June at Esquimalt’s Westbay Marina dock. More info is at www.microsec.net and www.agoenvironmental.com.
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