A Houston-based company is working on a briefcase-sized portable generator that runs on water… or more accurately, hydrogen.
Trulite’s KH4 takes water and turns it into hydrogen to put out 150-200 watts of power. Not quite enough for a house, but as this article on C/Net.com points out, it’s enough to recharge power tools or a laptop or even run a small appliance.
A target audience for the device will be contractors, particularly ones who work on downtown skyscrapers. Power tools regularly sap their batteries.
To get around the problem, contractors either carry spare batteries, which can be expensive, or recharge them with gas generators. The fumes and noise of the gas generators, however, are often incompatible with downtown building requirements. Thus, Trulite hopes that contractors will opt to carry its unit instead.
Another handy application might be taking it along in the great outdoors to run a portable TV, so your generator doesn’t drown out the sounds of nature… just the sound of your TV will!
The fuel cell uses sodium hydride to seperate the hydrogen from the oxygen and then the sodium hydride stores the hydrogen safely.
Test units will be available soon, and the company plans to start selling them on the market in the spring of next year. They’re a little pricey at about $2,000 each (a lot more than a gas generator), but it could be the first big step into making them more mainstream… and eventually, less expensive.
An ethanol plant in Kansas is the first in the nation to win a U.S. government award for a safe working environment. The White Energy ethanol plant just outside of Russell, Kansas won the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) SHARP award for “upholding high standards for workplace safety and health.”
“I’m proud that the first ethanol plant in the nation to receive the SHARP award is a Kansas business,” Sebelius said. “Congratulations to White Energy and its employees on creating a safe work environment for this outstanding recognition. The award reinforces our state’s dedication to workplace safety and the future of ethanol and other renewable fuels production.”
Companies worried about the quality level of biodiesel they’re selling… or buying… can now use a biodiesel testing kit that fits into a brief case. In fact, the Kittiwake Biodiesel test kit comes in a sturdy, aluminum case to make it easier to take anywhere.
The ethanol industry is starting to get fed up with being blamed for higher food prices.
Ethanol has also been blamed for rising prices of everything from popcorn to milk recently, but the facts indicate weather and high energy costs should be taking the brunt of the blame, with an early freeze, low worldwide supplies of wheat, low milk production and rising energy costs being the driver, according to a 
The American Wind Energy Association says wind power is not getting the government incentives that solar power enjoys… and that’s keeping wind energy from enjoying the same level of private home and business growth that photovoltaic systems now have.
US Steel is expanding its use of biodiesel, first at its Gary, Indiana plant and then at other US Steel facilities across the country.
The Renewable Fuels Association has released a video to help first responders in case they have to fight an ethanol-fueled fire. The educational video, titled “Responding to Ethanol Incidents,” gives firefighters and ethanol plant operators important information on proper materials needed to fight potential ethanol incidents.
“A dedication to safety has always been the foremost concern of the U.S. ethanol industry,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “With the industry growing at such a rapid rate, it is imperative that our nations’ first responders have the proper education and training to assist in an emergency at a moment’s notice. By making the video available to view on our website, we hope to communicate this message to first responders who have ethanol plants in their communities. On behalf of the RFA, I am confident that the availability of this DVD will help to combat any ethanol-related emergencies in the future.”