Application of Fuel Cell System to Railway

초록

Alternative energy is one of the main issues that must be solved to assure the development of nation's economy in the future. There is no domestic oil production and energy import costs are increasing rapidly. We will build the railway transportation system using hybrid equipment with fuel cells and either battery or super capacity storage. We have studied and developed a propulsion system using lithium polymer batteries and super capacitors. In Korea, the study of fuel cell systems is popular but its application to passenger cars is not easy due to the high price, unsatisfactory durability and lack hydrogen stations nationwide. I think commercial use of the fuel cell system for the transportation should begin with public transportation uses such as railways, where the construction cost is supported by the government and the infrastructure for the hydrogen supply is simple. There is a demonstration program in Korea for a hydrogen bus but it's a just demonstration. It's not important just to put fuel cell system on a vehicle. What is important is to build a hydrogen transportation town, including the hydrogen supply, flow and railway vehicles, which will make it possible to realize the deployment of hydrogen transportation early.