Water falling will lead to hydrogen rising at Niagara Falls in western New York State. Governor George E. Pataki is expected to announce a $21 million state initiative to build hydrogen generating stations and buy hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has approved the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston, New York to commence with the hydropower-to-hydrogen demonstration project. The hydrogen generation project will redirect less than one-tenth of one percent of Niagara Falls’ current electrical generation capabilities providing 700 kilowatts of electricity to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority for the electrolysis of water into hydrogen gas.
The hydrogen generating stations will cost $7.5 million, which includes storage capabilities. The State will also spend $13.5 million on hydrogen-powered vehicles under the same demonstration project. Hydrogen production will begin sometime in 2007. The NYPA has partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute from Palo Alto, California for the feasibility study on this project.
The idea behind to project is the prove that New York can be a major player in the production of hydrogen from renewable resources. The project will also prove that hydrogen can be produced from renewable resources to power hydrogen vehicles at costs that are competitive with gasoline.
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