Air Liquide opens CEP hydrogen station at Hyundai Europe HQ

Air Liquide opens CEP hydrogen station at Hyundai Europe HQ

NEWS Man-portable SFC Energy Network for Belgian military A utonomous energy company AG Group has delivered an initial order for SFC Energy’s man-p...

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NEWS

Man-portable SFC Energy Network for Belgian military

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utonomous energy company AG Group has delivered an initial order for SFC Energy’s man-portable SFC Energy Network to the Belgian Special Forces, which will use the portable energy network to reliably power soldier-carried devices in a wide variety of missions in severe environments. The SFC Energy Network is a lightweight, innovative power solution for soldiers in the field. It comprises SFC’s portable Jenny 600S direct methanol fuel cell, the SFC Power Manager PM3G and various accessories, to reliably power devices and charge batteries in the field for many days. AG Group – operating as AG Systems in France and Belgium – has been distributing portable, mobile and covert power solutions from German-based SFC Energy to the French military, French and Belgian security & surveillance customers, and French law enforcement forces for many years. The new order is worth E200 000 (US$212 000). ‘The Belgian Special Forces are now able to accomplish missions that are not feasible with conventional batteries, or would require an enormous logistical effort,’ says Patrick Albert, co-founder of AG Systems. ‘They are now compatible with the NATO forces that already fielded the SFC fuel cell and power management solutions.’ The high energy density of the methanol fuel cartridges – seven times higher than Li-ion batteries – means that soldiers can carry much more energy at minimum weight and volume. In a typical 96 h mission this enables weight savings of up to 80% over conventional power supplies. In the field, the Jenny 600S increases mission autonomy and operational mobility and flexibility with significantly reduced weight. SFC Energy offers a portfolio of portable, mobile, stationary, and vehicle-based fuel cells for defence applications, including the SFC Energy Network and the portable Jenny fuel cell [see the SFC feature in FCB, January 2013]. Its fuel cells are in field use with several major defence organisations [August 2015, p6 and October 2016, p5]. The company has been working closely with the German Bundeswehr, US Army, and other defence organisations for more than 10 years, and SFC products carry NATO stock numbers [April 2012, p6]. All SFC fuel cells and methanol cartridges are approved for air transport according to UN 3473.

December 2016

SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.sfc-defense.com AG Systems: www.agsystems.fr [in French]

FUELING

ITM Power plans Shell hydrogen station, adds more UK fuel clients

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n the UK, ITM Power has been granted planning permission to construct a hydrogen refueling station at the Shell filling station in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire – the first hydrogen station in the UK to be integrated into the existing fuel forecourt. ITM has also signed contracts to sell hydrogen at £10/kg to Anglo American, Europcar and Hyundai, covering fuel dispensed across its UK hydrogen refueling network. South Bucks District Council has granted full planning permission to adapt the current Shell filling station in Beaconsfield, at the Extra Motorway Service Area at Junction 2 of the M40. This will be the UK’s first hydrogen refueling station (HRS) integrated into the existing fuel forecourt, with the hydrogen dispenser located under the main fuel forecourt canopy. The station will be deployed as part of the European H2ME project [FCB, June 2016, p1] and the HRS Infrastructure Grants Scheme of the UK government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) [April 2015, p9], and is co-funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). ITM Power has also been granted planning permission to construct hydrogen stations at the Shell filling station at Gatwick, and the Shell stations off the M25 at Cobham in Surrey and at the A14/M11 junction in Cambridge. This makes a total of four consented forecourt sites; the current agreement with Shell is to build at three of these locations [FCB, September 2015, p1]. Commissioning of the Cobham station is under way, following delivery of the electrolyser and buffer tank in mid-November, with opening expected in early 2017. ITM has also signed fuel supply contracts with Anglo American, Europcar UK and Hyundai Motor UK. These latest customers join Toyota [FCB, November 2015, p7], Commercial Group and Arcola Energy [September 2016, p8], and Arval UK [November 2016, p6], as ITM continues to roll out a network of 10 hydrogen stations in the

UK, with three currently open for public access. Each station produces hydrogen onsite using ITM’s rapid response PEM electrolyser system [see the ITM Power feature in January 2012]. Vehicle rental company Europcar UK has also been awarded an OLEV grant to purchase what it says is ‘the largest privately owned fleet of hydrogen cars’ in the UK, with ITM Power providing the hydrogen for this new fleet of Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles. ITM is partnering with Arcola Energy to provide an integrated package of onsite fuel and after-sales support for UK commercial fleets, which now includes 32 Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 electric vans supplied to UK customers [see page 2]. Its PEM electrolyser technology is also being utilised in Power-to-Gas (P2G) facilities, including for the new HyDeploy consortium in the UK [see page 11]. ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com Office for Low Emission Vehicles: http://tinyurl.com/uk-olev Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME): www.h2me.eu

Air Liquide opens CEP hydrogen station at Hyundai Europe HQ

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yundai and Air Liquide have collaborated in the continuing expansion of the German hydrogen infrastructure under the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), with the inauguration of a hydrogen refueling station at Hyundai Motor Europe’s headquarters in Offenbach am Main, on the outskirts of Frankfurt. The new station will supply hydrogen produced from biomethane, and is part of the Blue Hydrogen initiative developed by Air Liquide to gradually decarbonise hydrogen production. Its capacity of 200 kg/day of hydrogen is enough to refill more than 30 vehicles, with the refueling process taking just 3–5 min. The Offenbach station is the second facility installed by Air Liquide in Germany, joining one opened in Düsseldorf in 2012. Nine additional stations are under construction, and will be commissioned in 2017. Air Liquide is a member of the CEP [see the CEP feature in FCB, June 2011], and a founding partner of the H2 Mobility initiative, an industry partnership formed

Fuel Cells Bulletin

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NEWS to build a nationwide network of 400 hydrogen stations by 2023 [October 2013, p6]. The company has installed more than 75 hydrogen stations around the world, and recently announced plans to open two further public stations in Japan next March [November 2016, p5]. The German federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) provided more than E1 million (US$1.1 million) to fund the construction and operation of the station, as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). More than 20 hydrogen stations have been completed in Germany so far, sponsored as R&D projects by the federal government through the NIP, which is coordinated and managed by NOW GmbH. The existing stations serve the metropolitan regions of Berlin, Hamburg, Rhine/Ruhr, Stuttgart and Munich, and reach 6 million people. The focus is initially on ensuring supply to the metropolitan regions including the connecting motorways. With sites in Offenbach and Frankfurt-Hoechst, the RhineMain region now has two hydrogen refueling stations. Air Liquide plans to build further hydrogen stations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and RhinelandPalatinate. Hyundai recently delivered 60 of ix35 Fuel Cell cars to the Paris-based electric taxi startup STEP, which will operate them in the French capital as the world’s largest fuel cell taxi fleet [FCB, November 2016, p2]. Air Liquide, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/airliquide-hydrogen-energy

early next year. The station, designed and installed by McPhy Energy, will make it possible to refuel hydrogen vehicles in 5 min at 350 bar dispensing pressure. Located at Place Du Boulingrin in the centre of Rouen, it will have a capacity of 20 kg/day of hydrogen, sufficient to refuel a fleet of 50 fuel cell electric vehicles. Rouen will be the second city in Normandy to deploy a hydrogen refueling station, following Saint-Lô, which has an Air Liquide station [FCB, August 2014, p6]. This new milestone is in line with the project to deploy hydrogen mobility in Normandy initiated by the Region and the Manche département, in partnership with the Engie Group within the framework of the Territoires Hydrogènes projects. In early 2015 Symbio FCell delivered the first of 40 Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 vans for the Manche regional council [FCB, February 2015, p2]. Engie recently made an investment in Symbio FCell [October 2016, p10]. Métropole Rouen Normandie is providing half of the funding for the Rouen hydrogen mobility project, with 35% financed by the EU and 15% by the Normandy Region. The Rouen station is part of the EAsHyMob project, a major regional hydrogen mobility demonstration [FCB, August 2015, p8]. This project will install 15 hydrogen stations by 2018, to offer more effective coverage of the entire Normandy region and attract new users. McPhy Energy, La Motte-Fanjas, France. Tel: +33 4 7571 1505, www.mcphy.com Symbio FCell, Grenoble, France. Tel: +33 1 5679 1506, www.symbiofcell.com GNVERT: www.gnvert-gdfsuez.com [in French]

Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell: www.fuelcell.eu Clean Energy Partnership: www.cleanenergypartnership.de/en NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de

McPhy partners up to develop hydrogen infrastructure in Rouen

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he Métropole Rouen Normandie metropolitan region in northern France is working with McPhy Energy to build its first hydrogen refueling station, and has acquired two Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 electric vans featuring the Symbio FCell fuel cell range-extender. GNVERT, a subsidiary of Engie, will operate the facility when it enters service

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Fuel Cells Bulletin

Métropole Rouen Normandie: www.metropole-rouen-normandie.fr [in French]

Nel Hydrogen opens first next-gen station for Uno-X in Norway

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he first hydrogen refueling station of a planned nationwide network of 20 stations was recently inaugurated just outside Oslo, Norway. The station features the latest compact, high-capacity H2Station® technology from Nel Hydrogen, and is the first with mobile app payment. A pressurised electrolyser will be installed next spring to supply renewable hydrogen using local solar PV power.

The new station is located in Kjørbo, where Norway’s busiest highway enters Oslo, at the start of a public transport/fuel cell electric vehicle-dedicated car pool lane [FCB, May 2016, p9]. This makes hydrogen an attractive choice for commuters, as they can refuel before entering the city via the car pool lane, and avoid heavy traffic during rush hour. FCEVs are exempted from all taxes in Norway, making them competitive with conventional vehicles. The station is operated by Uno-X Hydrogen – a joint venture between fuel retailer Uno-X, gas company Praxair, and technology provider Nel Hydrogen [June 2016, p8] – and is supported by the County of Akershus and the national Enova programme. Uno-X Hydrogen plans to deploy 20 hydrogen stations in Norway by 2020 [FCB, December 2015, p1], building on experiences from a similar network deployment in Denmark [July 2016, p7, and see the feature in April 2012]. The network will consist of dedicated greenfield hydrogen stations as well as hydrogen dispensers integrated into conventional Uno-X filling stations. The entire network will receive renewable hydrogen supplied by Praxair, using either onsite or centralised Nel Hydrogen electrolysers. This network deployment is made possible by the H2Station technology from Nel Hydrogen, which provides a standardised solution consisting of prefabricated modules. Nel Hydrogen was known as H2 Logic, before it was acquired by Nel in mid-2015 [FCB, June 2015, p8, and see the H2 Logic feature in May 2013]. The hydrogen dispenser has only onethird of the footprint of a conventional fuel dispenser, enabling placement right next to gasoline pumps and with supporting fueling equipment located up to 50 m away, for optimal site integration flexibility. The dispenser is the first anywhere to offer convenient and reliable mobile payment, eliminating the need for a costly and weather-sensitive credit card terminal. Nel Hydrogen Solutions, Herning, Denmark. Tel: +45 9627 5600, www.nel-hydrogen.com Uno-X Hydrogen: www.unox.no [in Norwegian]

Air Products upgrades technology at Shell station in Torrance

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ir Products has been selected to upgrade Shell’s hydrogen refueling station in Torrance, California

December 2016