Further details can be reached by clicking on any of our following R&D areas: Biocarbons, Biomass, Biotechnology, Battery and Vehicle Testing, Fuel Cells, Hawaii Hydrogen Power Park, Hydrogen, Ocean Resources, and Solar-Hydrogen, Photovoltaics and Imaging. For overviews of these areas, see the paragraphs below.

Fuel Cells

The Hawaii Energy and Environmental Technology Initiative (HEET), funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), involves the research and testing of fuel cells for commercial and military applications and the assessment and characterization of methane hydrates as a potential future energy resource. Under HEET, a multi-million-dollar partnership with the Naval Research Laboratory, HNEI constructed and then began operation of the Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility (HFCTF) in April 2003 while simultaneously initiating its fuel cell technology development efforts. The Hawaiian Electric Company and UTC Fuel Cells have joined HNEI and ONR in establishing this state-of-the-art test facility to characterize fuel cell performance and reliability. UTC Fuel Cells, one of the world's largest manufacturers of fuel cells, has provided technical and management support toward the development of the facility while also providing some of the state-of-the-art test stands. This facility is located on HECO property in downtown Honolulu. It now houses eight test stands, including five for up to 100cm² single cells and three able to handle full size (up to 600 cm²) single cells or small stacks. One of the smaller stands is a test station for high-speed hardware-in-loop (HiL) testing to characterize dynamic performance of small fuel cell systems for autonomous vehicle applications. The facility also has a host of equipment in support of the test stand activity.

Future work at the HFCTF is anticipated to encompass stack testing, transient measurements, and testing and development of complete fuel cell systems. Other fuel cell efforts include development of novel fuel cells and fuel cell components, and forming industrial Hawaii Hydrogen Partnerships for the field-testing of fuel cells and integrated systems.

Hydrogen

HNEI is a pioneer in the hydrogen field, with hydrogen research being conducted at HNEI since 1983. The originating element at the institute was the Hawaii Hydrogen from Renewable Resources Program. From that beginning work, HNEI continues to conduct research aimed at developing technologies for renewable hydrogen production through direct solar splitting of water, biological techniques and gasification of biomass. These efforts were recognized by DOE when HNEI was designated a University Center of Excellence for Hydrogen Research and Education, and continues to be funded today.

In later developments, HNEI has been intimately involved in developing public-private partnerships to accelerate the large-scale use of hydrogen in Hawaii. Initiated with a feasibility study funded by the Hawaii State Energy Office to develop a roadmap for development of hydrogen infrastructure in the state, HNEI then became the implementing partner for development of the Hawaii Hydrogen Power Park. This project involves the deployment and demonstration of an integrated hydrogen system with electrolytic hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, and use of hydrogen in a grid-connected fuel cell. With the recent award from DOE for the Hawaii Hydrogen Center for the Deployment and Demonstration of Distributed Energy Systems, HNEI is continuing its efforts to develop large-scale hydrogen and distributed energy demonstration projects. Much of this work is focused at the recently constructed Hawaii Gateway Energy Center on the Big Island of Hawaii. Separately, with funding from ONR and other sources, HNEI has a significant program focused on the development and testing of PEM fuel cells. In 2003, the Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility (HFCTF) began operations. Current activities at the HFCTF include characterization of the effect of trace impurities on PEM fuel cell performance, characterization of alternative membrane technologies, and Hardware-in-the-Loop and dynamic testing of fuel cell stacks for undersea vehicle applications.

Biocarbons (charcoal)

The biocarbons program at HNEI is concerned with cost-effective technologies for manufacturing biocarbon materials from biomass, including agricultural and forestry residues, and most green wastes. In addition to finding new commercial products, this program will create environmentally benign uses for Hawaii's agricultural residues and green wastes from a variety of sources. Specific products include commercial-grade charcoal and materials for use in fuel cells.

In the Renewable Resources Research Laboratory, Professor Michael J. Antal, Jr. is optimizing reaction conditions for using the Flash Carbonization™ process with biomass and is testing biocarbon fuel cell concepts. Across campus he is supervising the construction of a Flash Carbonization™ Demonstration Reactor that will soon be used to convert green waste from the UH Manoa campus into commercial-grade charcoal. The UH Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development (OTTED) is actively licensing UH patents on high-yield charcoal production and on the Flash Carbonization™ process, and invites inquiries from interested companies.

Biomass

The Institute's biomass program is seeking to develop cost-effective technologies to produce fuels and chemicals efficiently from biomass, particularly agricultural crops and residues. This goal has the added benefit of creating productive, environmentally sound uses for Hawaii's agricultural lands. The following summarizes ongoing research initiatives within the Institute.

To find out more about what's going on in the Biomass and Fuel Processing Laboratory click here.

The Renewable Resources Research Laboratory, directed by Professor Michael J. Antal Jr., is a center for research concerning the production and utilization of biocarbons (charcoal). This laboratory has also been a leader in the development of processes for the production of hydrogen and ethanol from biomass.

Ocean Resources

Rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could profoundly affect global climate. Researchers at HNEI have a long history of investigating technology solutions, such as renewable energy systems and carbon sequestration, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1989, HNEI has been a major participant in an international effort to study the feasibility of sequestering carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. Laboratory studies conducted in a novel large deep ocean simulator designed and built by HNEI have provided extensive data on the break-up of liquid carbon dioxide jets and fundamental information on carbon dioxide hydrate formation. These data have been applied to the design of a landmark field experiment to assess chemical and biological impacts on the ocean environment associated with ocean sequestration. HNEI is also working with Physical Sciences, Inc., and Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to investigate the use of microalgae strains to extract carbon dioxide from flue gas mixtures and produce high value products.

Methane is another potent greenhouse gas which has about twenty times the heat trapping potential as carbon dioxide. It has recently been determined that enormous quantities of methane exist as solid hydrates in deep ocean sediment on continental margins throughout the world. Since the energy content of these methane hydrates exceed that of all know coal, oil, and natural gas, they have been proposed as a possible future energy resource that could supply energy demand for generations. Leveraging its expertise and facilities developed over the past decade to study marine hydrates for carbon sequestration, HNEI is pursuing a research program to investigate the energy and environmental aspects of seabed methane hydrates. International collaborations have been established with researchers in Japan, Korea, Norway, and Chile. With funding provided by HEET, a new laboratory to conduct fundamental and applied studies of methane hydrates has been constructed within the Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility. This laboratory includes a hydrate synthesis system, Calvet calorimeter, and numerous pressure chambers that replicate conditions at the sediment-water column interface at ocean depths to 1,000 meters.

Battery and Vehicle Testing

HNEI has developed the Electrochemical Power Systems Laboratory to study advanced electrochemical power systems, including advanced batteries, ultracapacitors, and fuel cells. The laboratory is equipped to conduct fundamental studies of solid-state ionics and solid-state electrochemistry. It also develops instrumentation and computer simulations and controls to support power systems for energy storage and conversion. Current projects include the development of quick and reliable tools to measure, analyze, and model battery life; research on battery deterioration and failure processes; electric vehicle field trip data collection; and analyses to assist the understanding of how driving and usage patterns affect vehicle and power source performance, with much of the data involving field tests of 15 Santa Fe e-SUVs from Hyundai Motor Company of South Korea.

Solar-Hydrogen, Photovoltaics and Imaging

HNEI has developed a state-of-the-art laboratory that is used for the fabrication and characterization of thin film semiconductor devices for solar hydrogen production, thin film photovoltaics, and imaging applications. Current projects include the development and demonstration of novel multijunction hybrid photoelectrodes (UH patented technology) for direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion utilizing low-cost metal-oxide and amorphous silicon thin-film materials, the development of high specific power Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin film solar cells for satellite power and related applications, and the development of amorphous silicon alloy films for visible and near-IR digital imaging. These federally and industrially funded projects have near-term applications in both the commercial and military sectors.

Biotechnology

The Biotechnology group is focused upon the engineering of microbial systems (e.g., bacteria, algae, yeast, fungi) and enzymes for bioenergy, and the design and optimization of bioprocesses (e.g., production of value-added bioproducts and remediation of wastes). The collective expertise and research focus comprises three levels: genes, enzymes and cells.

The Biotechnology group holds over 2700 square feet of laboratory space supporting molecular biology through Class II fermentation. The group is dedicated to working with local and mainland industry either through managing sponsored research, co-writing research and business development grants such as SBIR's, process modeling, design, and optimization, or providing relevant short courses.