A tractor able
to run on two renewable fuels — hydrogen and ammonia — was demonstrated Monday
by its developers, who cited sustainability and zero carbon emissions.
Schmuecker, a
former member of Caltech’s NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said around $1
million of his retirement fund and six years of development went into making the
first model of the tractor. Schaub said it would cost half as much to make a
second model.
Schmuecker said
he doesn’t expect to see the technology in widespread use during his lifetime,
but he wanted to demonstrate it is possible to make the switch to renewable
energy sources.
“Fossil fuels
are not available indefinitely,” he said. “At some point and time in the future,
fossil fuels are going to be very, very expensive for use as a farm fuel and
basis for farm fertilizers.”
While Schmuecker
had farming in mind when working on the technology, his solar-hydrogen system
could have far-reaching implications for renewable energy.
With the
technology available, he believes renewable energy could become easier to
harness across the board. Schmuecker and Jerry Schaub of Hydrogen Engine Center,
the Algona company responsible for the engine design, said the tractor’s power
is created by the combination of hydrogen and ammonia, as opposed to being
purely hydrogen.
Both fuels are
collected and stored at Schmuecker’s Pinehurst Farm in Blairstown.
Schmuecker,
developer and owner of the nine subsystems called the Raphael Schmuecker
Memorial Solar Hydrogen System, said ammonia originally was intended as a backup
fuel.
Once the
development team realized the added power it provided, they looked into
generating ammonia on the farm. They are able to make ammonia by harnessing
solar energy for gas compression.
The tractor is
outfitted with a 150-horsepower engine and operates at full power for up to four
hours, or across approximately 45 to 50 acres, according to developer and owner
Jay Schmuecker.
“We have to go
about figuring out what we’re going to leave for (the younger generation) to use
as fuels and energy sources in future years,” Schmuecker said.
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