The Northern H fuels network would offer biofuels and hydrogen from up to 12 flexible Energy Stations linking urban centers along key trade corridors across the Northern Plains.

The stations would be placed approximately 200 km (155 miles apart) to support the range of a hydrogen-powered vehicle.
Northern H Energy Stations plan to support the progression of clean-fuel vehicles.

The stations are planned to offer conventional gasoline, E85, biodiesel, hydrogen from renewable or carbon-neutral sources, electricity, and on-site heating and cooling.

Each Northern H Energy Station would strive to develop and demonstrate a different renewable or carbon-neutral hydrogen production option and vehicle type, tailored to each area’s strengths and economic goals.

The Great Plains Institute is suggesting six initial Energy Station concepts:

• Ethanol-to-hydrogen. This station would use on-site ethanol reforming. “While the most efficient vehicle application maybe to run ethanol directly in hybrid vehicles, converting ethanol to hydrogen and using it in hybrid vehicles could help build early market demand for hydrogen and its infrastructure, introduce people to hydrogen as a transportation fuel and reduce local air pollution form motor vehicles.”

• Wind-to-hydrogen. This station would co-locate at a wind facility, and use on-site electrolysis using wind power directly; alternatively, it could use certified wind power from the grid. This might include testing of high-pressure electrolysis (5,000 psi) that eliminates the need for a compressor.

• Methane-to-hydrogen. This station would use hydrogen produced form methane derived from anaerobic digestion of organic wastes.

• Coal-to-hydrogen (with sequestration of CO2. The partnership has a specific location in mind as a source for the hydrogen: the Dakota Gasification facility in Beulah, ND.

• By-product hydrogen. This station would tap the hydrogen already being produced as part of an existing industrial process. The main purpose of this station would be to familiarize users with hydrogen as a transportation fuel at lower cost than other hydrogen production options, the production of the by-product hydrogen likely not being renewable or carbon-neutral.

• Ammonia-to-hydrogen. The partnership envisions reforming ammonia on-demand at the energy stations for the production of hydrogen, and perhaps the testing of direct on-board reforming of ammonia on vehicles.

Currently, the partnership is shooting for the development of the first 3 energy stations by the end of 2007.