Industrial gases and engineering firm BOC has launched a long-lasting, low emissions temporary lighting package powered by hydrogen fuel-cell.
Aimed at applications, such as outside maintenance areas, that cannot connect to grid electricity, it uses high-efficiency, low-wattage lamps with an output equivalent to two 300W halogens.
BOC says it has significant advantages over both battery-powered or diesel/petrol generator alternatives.
Compared with generators for example, the 'Hymera' emits no CO2, NOx or particulates – instead producing only water vapour. It's also a lot more efficient , given that generators are notoriously inefficient at part-loads.
As for batteries, the main limitation there is run-time – usually limited to a few hours. By contrast, a single cylinder of hydrogen, weighing 10kg, will keep these lights running for nearly 24 hours.
