- Email: [email protected]
AFC, De Nora boost joint development deal after electrode success
NEWS nearby Aalborg University, to strengthen its R&D activities [June 2019, p14]. Blue World’s methanol fuel cell system is applicable to a variety of industries, although the initial focus is on transportation. Methanol is CO2-neutral when produced from renewable sources, and as a liquid fuel it can easily be stored and transported using the existing infrastructure, with only minor adjustments and low investment costs. Earlier this year, Danish Power Systems celebrated its 25th anniversary working on the development and manufacturing of MEA components based on HT-PEM technology. In addition to its MEA production expertise, DPS has a skilled R&D team that is working in close collaboration with experts from some of the world’s leading universities and research institutes to optimise the technology and reduce costs. The company recently signed a cooperation agreement with Chemistry Consulting, to provide enhanced chemical consulting services for Danish industry [June 2019, p12]. Blue World Technologies: www.blue.world Danish Power Systems: www.daposy.com
Nel agrees location for large-scale electrolyser manufacturing facility
N
orwegian-based Nel ASA has secured a new location for its planned expansion of manufacturing capacity for alkaline electrolysers, in Herøya Industrial Park, about 110 km (70 miles) southwest of the capital Oslo. The new, 15 000 m2 (160 000 ft2) location provides a number of benefits, including the potential to further expand production capacity in the future. The initial target production capacity at Herøya will be 360 MW per annum, but the current, planned setup anticipates the new premises achieving a capacity of more than 1 GW per annum. Nel is also examining opportunities to implement an even more advanced production line and manufacturing process, which will have the potential to increase capacity significantly beyond 1 GW per annum. The other functions related to alkaline electrolyser operations will continue from the company’s site in Notodden, 55 km (33 miles) northwest of Herøya. ‘We have been working closely with partners and stakeholders during 2019 with the expansion plans, and have finally concluded that the location of the new manufacturing plant will be Herøya, a world-leading industrial complex with state-of-the-art infrastructure already in place at
September 2019
competitive prices,’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel [see also pages 8 and 9, and the In Brief item on page 15]. ‘Herøya brings proximity to important partners, holds decades of industrial heritage, and is an attractive industrial hub for current and future colleagues. The available facility at Herøya also provides significant opportunities for scaling up the production.’ Nel Hydrogen – Electrolysers: www.nelhydrogen.com
and architecture, developed by De Nora for exclusive use in AFC Energy’s fuel cell, and positions AFC’s product offering to be one of the lowest-cost fuel cells in the market [see the AFC feature in December 2015]. Since the 12-month test began De Nora and AFC Energy have continued to further enhance electrode performance, for additional improvements in electrode degradation, efficiency, and cost.
Herøya Industrial Park: https://eng.heroya-industripark.no
AFC Energy: www.afcenergy.com Industrie De Nora SpA: www.denora.com
AFC, De Nora boost joint development deal CARB annual report after electrode success on rollout of FCEVs, stations in California
U
K-based AFC Energy has strengthened its commercial relationship with Industrie De Nora SpA in Italy, with the signing of the next phase of their Joint Development Agreement, setting updated targets for mass production in advance of commercial deployment. The extended partnership follows the milestone of 12 months’ continuous operation of AFC’s alkaline fuel cell electrode, developed in partnership with De Nora, well on the way to achieving the targeted electrode longevity. Since signing the original JDA three years ago [FCB, August 2016, p1], De Nora and AFC Energy have collaborated to improve the performance of fuel cell electrodes against initially defined operating criteria. The newly announced JDA extension will build on these successes, focusing on further opportunities for enhancing electrode performance and creating the right commercial environment for mass electrode manufacturing. De Nora has commenced work on scalingup the electrode chemistry at its German manufacturing facility, to ensure consistency, replicability, and quality assurance in advance of large-scale electrode orders. The company has confirmed it has the ability to supply requested electrode delivery for the initial placement and commercialisation of AFC Energy’s fuel cell system, including the CH2ARGE™ battery electric vehicle (EV) charger demonstration, expected to be delivered in Q4 of 2019 [July 2019, p11]. To assess electrode longevity, AFC Energy initiated a long-term continuous operations test in August 2018. After 12 months, based on linear regression analysis from the test programme, there have been no significant adverse trends which would indicate that the four-year lifetime target will not be met. The milestone performance demonstrates the potential of the new coating formulation
T
he California Air Resources Board has published its 2019 Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment & Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development, which reports that over the past year the state’s hydrogen stations and FCEV markets have grown in line with projections in the 2018 Annual Evaluation. The period between June 2018 and June 2019 saw the completion of six additional hydrogen stations [FCB, December 2018, p15, February 2019, p9, and June 2019, p15], and the deployment of more than 1500 FCEVs [April 2019, p5]. These positive developments demonstrate the continuing success of the Assembly Bill 8 (AB 8) programme’s funding efforts to date. The next year will be a further demonstration of this success, with as many as 11 additional stations completing construction and opening for retail customer service by the end of 2019. All remaining stations are still projected to be completed by the end of 2020, in line with previous expectations. CARB and the California Energy Commission continue to develop analysis methods that highlight a path to hydrogen fueling network self-sufficiency, with commensurate growth in FCEV deployment. CARB report (57MB PDF): https://tinyurl.com/carb-hrs-fcev-2019
RESEARCH
US DOE funding fuel cell, hydrogen projects
T
he US Department of Energy has recently announced funding for a number of fuel cell and hydrogen R&D projects through several initiatives,
Fuel Cells Bulletin
13
Nel agrees location for large-scale electrolyser manufacturing facility
N
orwegian-based Nel ASA has secured a new location for its planned expansion of manufacturing capacity for alkaline electrolysers, in Herøya Industrial Park, about 110 km (70 miles) southwest of the capital Oslo. The new, 15 000 m2 (160 000 ft2) location provides a number of benefits, including the potential to further expand production capacity in the future. The initial target production capacity at Herøya will be 360 MW per annum, but the current, planned setup anticipates the new premises achieving a capacity of more than 1 GW per annum. Nel is also examining opportunities to implement an even more advanced production line and manufacturing process, which will have the potential to increase capacity significantly beyond 1 GW per annum. The other functions related to alkaline electrolyser operations will continue from the company’s site in Notodden, 55 km (33 miles) northwest of Herøya. ‘We have been working closely with partners and stakeholders during 2019 with the expansion plans, and have finally concluded that the location of the new manufacturing plant will be Herøya, a world-leading industrial complex with state-of-the-art infrastructure already in place at
September 2019
competitive prices,’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel [see also pages 8 and 9, and the In Brief item on page 15]. ‘Herøya brings proximity to important partners, holds decades of industrial heritage, and is an attractive industrial hub for current and future colleagues. The available facility at Herøya also provides significant opportunities for scaling up the production.’ Nel Hydrogen – Electrolysers: www.nelhydrogen.com
and architecture, developed by De Nora for exclusive use in AFC Energy’s fuel cell, and positions AFC’s product offering to be one of the lowest-cost fuel cells in the market [see the AFC feature in December 2015]. Since the 12-month test began De Nora and AFC Energy have continued to further enhance electrode performance, for additional improvements in electrode degradation, efficiency, and cost.
Herøya Industrial Park: https://eng.heroya-industripark.no
AFC Energy: www.afcenergy.com Industrie De Nora SpA: www.denora.com
AFC, De Nora boost joint development deal CARB annual report after electrode success on rollout of FCEVs, stations in California
U
K-based AFC Energy has strengthened its commercial relationship with Industrie De Nora SpA in Italy, with the signing of the next phase of their Joint Development Agreement, setting updated targets for mass production in advance of commercial deployment. The extended partnership follows the milestone of 12 months’ continuous operation of AFC’s alkaline fuel cell electrode, developed in partnership with De Nora, well on the way to achieving the targeted electrode longevity. Since signing the original JDA three years ago [FCB, August 2016, p1], De Nora and AFC Energy have collaborated to improve the performance of fuel cell electrodes against initially defined operating criteria. The newly announced JDA extension will build on these successes, focusing on further opportunities for enhancing electrode performance and creating the right commercial environment for mass electrode manufacturing. De Nora has commenced work on scalingup the electrode chemistry at its German manufacturing facility, to ensure consistency, replicability, and quality assurance in advance of large-scale electrode orders. The company has confirmed it has the ability to supply requested electrode delivery for the initial placement and commercialisation of AFC Energy’s fuel cell system, including the CH2ARGE™ battery electric vehicle (EV) charger demonstration, expected to be delivered in Q4 of 2019 [July 2019, p11]. To assess electrode longevity, AFC Energy initiated a long-term continuous operations test in August 2018. After 12 months, based on linear regression analysis from the test programme, there have been no significant adverse trends which would indicate that the four-year lifetime target will not be met. The milestone performance demonstrates the potential of the new coating formulation
T
he California Air Resources Board has published its 2019 Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment & Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development, which reports that over the past year the state’s hydrogen stations and FCEV markets have grown in line with projections in the 2018 Annual Evaluation. The period between June 2018 and June 2019 saw the completion of six additional hydrogen stations [FCB, December 2018, p15, February 2019, p9, and June 2019, p15], and the deployment of more than 1500 FCEVs [April 2019, p5]. These positive developments demonstrate the continuing success of the Assembly Bill 8 (AB 8) programme’s funding efforts to date. The next year will be a further demonstration of this success, with as many as 11 additional stations completing construction and opening for retail customer service by the end of 2019. All remaining stations are still projected to be completed by the end of 2020, in line with previous expectations. CARB and the California Energy Commission continue to develop analysis methods that highlight a path to hydrogen fueling network self-sufficiency, with commensurate growth in FCEV deployment. CARB report (57MB PDF): https://tinyurl.com/carb-hrs-fcev-2019
RESEARCH
US DOE funding fuel cell, hydrogen projects
T
he US Department of Energy has recently announced funding for a number of fuel cell and hydrogen R&D projects through several initiatives,
Fuel Cells Bulletin
13