- Email: [email protected]
Air Products to build India's first renewable hydrogen station
NEWS componentry, completion of system testing on a 500 W propane-fuelled unit, and preparation for initial product rollouts in 2013. Over the last two years, WATT Fuel Cell has developed advanced portable and small stationary power systems for on-demand power applications in the leisure, portable power, and distributed generation markets. The company has also begun stack production, and is presently scaling up this process into full-rate production at its manufacturing facility on Long Island, to support several channel partner commitments in preparation for initial product rollouts. ‘Being able to use accessible fuel is key to the success of the fuel cell industry, and we’ve focused on our technology’s ability to use readily available gaseous and liquid fuels for commercial and military applications,’ says Dr Caine Finnerty, president of WATT Fuel Cell. ‘This includes propane and natural gas for the commercial market, and liquid fuels such as diesel (D2) and JP-8 for the military.’ The company has also refined its patented cell manufacturing process, substantially reducing production times while increasing part quality, performance, and yield. WATT Fuel Cell is currently using this advanced manufacturing process to validate the economic viability and reaffirm the cost-competitiveness of its systems, while escalating from pilot to low-rate initial production. ‘All WATT Fuel Cell systems are designed with simplified automated manufacturing in mind; our low-pressure stack design enables us to operate on the natural gas already available in utility supply lines with no additional system components,’ says systems director Paul DeWald. ‘Also, by streamlining the stack design to reduce backpressure, we’re able to use more cost-effective and reliable off-the-shelf BOP components.’ DeWald adds that the company is currently producing propane-powered stacks capable of generating more than 500 W, has completed initial system testing, and is currently scaling its new cell technology for full-rate stack production. In addition, the firm plans to demonstrate propane-powered 1 kW systems by the end of this year. Watt Fuel Cell Corporation, Port Washington, New York, USA. Tel: +1 516 621 0047, www.wattfuelcell.com
Euro HYPER project on portable fuel cell with hydrogen storage
A
consortium of European partners has launched the three-year HYPER project, to develop and demonstrate
December 2012
a market-ready, portable power pack comprising an integrated modular PEM fuel cell and hydrogen storage system that is flexible in design, cost-effective, and readily customised for application across a variety of low-power markets. The project is being coordinated by Orion Innovations, a London-based strategy consultancy. It has a total budget of E3.9 million (US$5 million), with funding of E2.2 million from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). The HYPER project combines the development of scalable fuel cell modules, with an innovative portable pack that allows the interchange of alternative hydrogen supply components. It incorporates leading-edge research into novel solid-state hydrogen storage materials. The system will subsequently be field-tested in specific end-user applications. In addition to fundamental technical research, testing and development, HYPER will have a strong focus on developing a commercialisation plan that addresses the barriers to market uptake, including cost of manufacturing, and identifying early routes to market. The consortium partners include the French companies Paxitech SAS, which is developing novel air-breathing fuel cells for portable applications, and McPhy Energy, which is focused on solid-state hydrogen storage [see page 10]. The University of Glasgow in the UK will also contribute its materials chemistry expertise on advanced hydrogen storage materials. The other partners are EADS Innovation Works in Germany, the Institute of Power Engineering in Poland (with specialist expertise and research capabilities in heat and mass exchange during thermal processes), and the EC Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Energy and Transport, which has a reference lab for testing hydrogen storage materials, in particular to support FCH JU projects [see page 8]. The HYPER system will be based on a modular PEM fuel cell system with a common interface to use with alternative hydrogen supply modules. Two generic types of interchangeable hydrogen storage module will be developed: a bespoke hydrogen gas storage module, and a solid-state hydrogen storage module based on nanostructured hydrogen storage materials. Two proof-of-concept systems will be developed and demonstrated: a 100 W portable power pack/field battery charger, and a 500 W (continuous) range-extender for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Contact: Dr Juliet Kauffmann, HYPER Project Coordinator, Orion Innovations, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 3176 2721, Email: [email protected], Web: www.orioninnovations.co.uk
FUELLING
Air Products to build India’s first renewable hydrogen station
T
he University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) in India has awarded Air Products a contract to build the country’s first solarpowered renewable hydrogen fuelling station. The station is scheduled to be onstream in July 2013. Air Products’ hydrogen fuelling technology and infrastructure will be part of a mass public transit bus fuelling and vehicle demonstration programme administered by UPES. The station, which will generate hydrogen using solar energy via an electrolyser, will be located at the Solar Energy Centre in Gwalpahari, near Delhi. ‘The hydrogen generated at this station will be 100% renewable, and illustrates both India’s commitment to developing greener alternative energy sources and Air Products’ hydrogen fuelling capabilities,’ says Nigel Gibson, managing director of Air Products India. ‘The UPES project will act as a springboard for many more opportunities in the automotive and telecommunication sectors in India.’ UPES is executing this project in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation, and it is entirely funded by the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which operates the Solar Energy Centre. The UPES project will be the third Air Products hydrogen fuelling station operating in India. Air Products India installed, and in January 2012 commissioned, a hydrogen fuelling dispenser in Pragati Maiden, Delhi to serve a fleet of hydrogen-powered auto rickshaws. The three-wheeler fleet transports visitors at the Pragati Maidan exhibition and convention venue. Air Products was also a key player in the opening of India’s first hydrogen station several years ago, at an R&D centre in Faridabad, south of New Delhi. Air Products has extensive experience in hydrogen fuelling, and is seeing increasing use of its fuelling technology, with an annual total of more than 500 000 hydrogen fills. The company has been involved in more than 150 hydrogen fuelling projects in the US and 19 other countries, providing hydrogen for cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines.
Air Products, Hydrogen Energy: www.airproducts.com/h2energy
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS University of Petroleum & Energy Studies: www.upes.ac.in Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy: www.mnre.gov.in MNRE Solar Energy Centre: www.mnre.gov.in/centers/about-sec-2/ Indian Oil Corporation: www.iocl.com
Phaedrus project for electrochemical highpressure H2 station
A
European consortium has been awarded E3.59 million (US$4.6 million) in grant funding to develop an electrochemical high-pressure (700 bar, 10 000 psi) hydrogen refuelling station for fuel cell electric vehicles in the passenger car segment. The advanced refuelling system will be based on the PEM electrolyser technology of UK-based ITM Power. The Phaedrus project is being funded under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme, through the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). The three-year programme will demonstrate the applicability of electrochemical hydrogen compression technology in combination with selfpressurising PEM electrolyser technology. The project will develop a high-pressure Hydrogen Refuelling System (HRS) infrastructure, with a modular dispensing capacity in the range of 50–200 kg/day, ready for rollout from 2015. Key objectives include the validation of the safety aspects of the system, its efficiency, and the economic viability of the modular design concept. Overall management responsibility for the project rests with Netherlands-based grant consultancy Uniresearch BV, and also involves Hydrogen Efficiency Technologies (HyET), Shell Global Solutions International, and the EC Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Energy and Transport in the Netherlands [see page 7]; H2 Logic in Denmark; Raufoss Fuel Systems in Norway; Daimler, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), and Esslingen University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Esslingen) in Germany; and the French industrial processes research organisation ARMINES. ITM Power’s role in the project is to develop an electrolyser design capable of delivering 200 kg/ day of hydrogen at a pressure of 200 bar (2900 psi), and operating at an efficiency of 85% at a high current density (3 A/cm2). The design will be validated at the 5 kg/day scale. The endurance of 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
the electrolyser will be evaluated using accelerated testing to assess the safety of operation, and as a route to develop communication and control protocols for the electrolyser and balance-of-plant. ITM Power’s share of this award is E0.87 million ($1.1 million). Last year HyET reported that its electrochemical hydrogen compressor has reached a pressure of 800 bar (11 600 psi) [FCB, September 2011, p8]. Compressing hydrogen from atmospheric pressure to 800 bar in a single stage means lower capital and operational costs compared to existing mechanical hydrogen compression technologies, as well as a smaller equipment footprint. Uniresearch BV: www.uniresearch.nl
UNIDO-ICHET director Dr James Wetherilt says that the Golden Horn refuelling facility is the only one worldwide capable of servicing both marine and land vehicles. ‘In future years, ICHET’s legacy will be seen as one that stimulated industry, universities, public authorities, and governments alike both in Turkey and the world to understand the need to invest in hydrogen technologies in the manufacturing, domestic, policy, and energy sectors,’ says Wetherilt, as the UNIDO-ICHET project approaches its conclusion at the end of this year. International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies: www.unido-ichet.org Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com
ITM Power: www.itm-power.com European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch-ju.eu
Istanbul inaugurates world’s first land-sea hydrogen station
T
he first hydrogen refuelling station in Turkey was recently inaugurated in Istanbul, with the refuelling and test-driving of a fuel cell car and boat. The hydrogen station is believed to be the first in the world with the capability of refuelling both marine vessels and road vehicles, and utilises an electrolyser supplied by Hydrogenics [FCB, February 2011, p8]. The Golden Horn hydrogen refuelling station was inaugurated in the presence of Kadir Topbaú, Mayor of the Istanbul Greater Municipality. The event featured the refuelling and test driving of a hydrogen fuel cell powered Hyundai ix35 car, as well a fuel cell boat designed by students from the city’s Yildiz Technical University [FCB, March 2012, p2]. The refuelling station project was initiated in 2009 by the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), an initiative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with Istanbul Greater Municipality, and with support from the Turkish ministry of energy and natural resources. The station is based on a gridpowered electrolyser supplied by the German subsidiary of Canadian-based Hydrogenics, to specifications provided by UNIDO-ICHET. It can produce up to 65 kg/day of hydrogen, and has a storage capacity of up to 100 kg. It is able to supply both marine (200 bar, 2900 psi) and land (350 bar, 5000 psi) applications, representing about 20 cars per day.
Hydrogen transport infrastructure project off the mark in Europe
T
he European Hydrogen Infrastructure for Transport (HIT) project is under way, following the recent kickoff meeting in Brussels. The project aims to stimulate the deployment of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure serving fuel cell electric vehicles along key Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors. The HIT project will develop a Synchronised Implementation Plan for the rollout of hydrogen refuelling stations along a first 1000 km (620 mile) corridor from Gothenburg in Sweden to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. State-of-theart refuelling technology will be demonstrated through the construction of three pilot hydrogen stations in the Netherlands and Denmark. Hydrogen transport mobility is now coming to the stage of market implementation in the TEN-T matrix. At the moment, an increasing number of hydrogen hotspots – usually in the form of subsidised projects – are emerging in densely populated areas, where zero emissions offer the greatest advantages to improving local air quality. The HIT project comprises both studies and the deployment of pilot hydrogen refuelling stations. The proposed studies are aimed at strategies to migrate from the status quo of local hotspots to actual local markets, and from there to long-distance transport and mobility along the TEN-T corridors. The ambition of HIT is to kick off a European network of hydrogen stations to facilitate clean and sustainable transport along the main transport axes in Europe. The HIT project is being coordinated by the Dutch ministry of infrastructure and the
December 2012
Euro HYPER project on portable fuel cell with hydrogen storage
A
consortium of European partners has launched the three-year HYPER project, to develop and demonstrate
December 2012
a market-ready, portable power pack comprising an integrated modular PEM fuel cell and hydrogen storage system that is flexible in design, cost-effective, and readily customised for application across a variety of low-power markets. The project is being coordinated by Orion Innovations, a London-based strategy consultancy. It has a total budget of E3.9 million (US$5 million), with funding of E2.2 million from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). The HYPER project combines the development of scalable fuel cell modules, with an innovative portable pack that allows the interchange of alternative hydrogen supply components. It incorporates leading-edge research into novel solid-state hydrogen storage materials. The system will subsequently be field-tested in specific end-user applications. In addition to fundamental technical research, testing and development, HYPER will have a strong focus on developing a commercialisation plan that addresses the barriers to market uptake, including cost of manufacturing, and identifying early routes to market. The consortium partners include the French companies Paxitech SAS, which is developing novel air-breathing fuel cells for portable applications, and McPhy Energy, which is focused on solid-state hydrogen storage [see page 10]. The University of Glasgow in the UK will also contribute its materials chemistry expertise on advanced hydrogen storage materials. The other partners are EADS Innovation Works in Germany, the Institute of Power Engineering in Poland (with specialist expertise and research capabilities in heat and mass exchange during thermal processes), and the EC Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Energy and Transport, which has a reference lab for testing hydrogen storage materials, in particular to support FCH JU projects [see page 8]. The HYPER system will be based on a modular PEM fuel cell system with a common interface to use with alternative hydrogen supply modules. Two generic types of interchangeable hydrogen storage module will be developed: a bespoke hydrogen gas storage module, and a solid-state hydrogen storage module based on nanostructured hydrogen storage materials. Two proof-of-concept systems will be developed and demonstrated: a 100 W portable power pack/field battery charger, and a 500 W (continuous) range-extender for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Contact: Dr Juliet Kauffmann, HYPER Project Coordinator, Orion Innovations, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 3176 2721, Email: [email protected], Web: www.orioninnovations.co.uk
FUELLING
Air Products to build India’s first renewable hydrogen station
T
he University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) in India has awarded Air Products a contract to build the country’s first solarpowered renewable hydrogen fuelling station. The station is scheduled to be onstream in July 2013. Air Products’ hydrogen fuelling technology and infrastructure will be part of a mass public transit bus fuelling and vehicle demonstration programme administered by UPES. The station, which will generate hydrogen using solar energy via an electrolyser, will be located at the Solar Energy Centre in Gwalpahari, near Delhi. ‘The hydrogen generated at this station will be 100% renewable, and illustrates both India’s commitment to developing greener alternative energy sources and Air Products’ hydrogen fuelling capabilities,’ says Nigel Gibson, managing director of Air Products India. ‘The UPES project will act as a springboard for many more opportunities in the automotive and telecommunication sectors in India.’ UPES is executing this project in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation, and it is entirely funded by the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which operates the Solar Energy Centre. The UPES project will be the third Air Products hydrogen fuelling station operating in India. Air Products India installed, and in January 2012 commissioned, a hydrogen fuelling dispenser in Pragati Maiden, Delhi to serve a fleet of hydrogen-powered auto rickshaws. The three-wheeler fleet transports visitors at the Pragati Maidan exhibition and convention venue. Air Products was also a key player in the opening of India’s first hydrogen station several years ago, at an R&D centre in Faridabad, south of New Delhi. Air Products has extensive experience in hydrogen fuelling, and is seeing increasing use of its fuelling technology, with an annual total of more than 500 000 hydrogen fills. The company has been involved in more than 150 hydrogen fuelling projects in the US and 19 other countries, providing hydrogen for cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines.
Air Products, Hydrogen Energy: www.airproducts.com/h2energy
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS University of Petroleum & Energy Studies: www.upes.ac.in Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy: www.mnre.gov.in MNRE Solar Energy Centre: www.mnre.gov.in/centers/about-sec-2/ Indian Oil Corporation: www.iocl.com
Phaedrus project for electrochemical highpressure H2 station
A
European consortium has been awarded E3.59 million (US$4.6 million) in grant funding to develop an electrochemical high-pressure (700 bar, 10 000 psi) hydrogen refuelling station for fuel cell electric vehicles in the passenger car segment. The advanced refuelling system will be based on the PEM electrolyser technology of UK-based ITM Power. The Phaedrus project is being funded under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme, through the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). The three-year programme will demonstrate the applicability of electrochemical hydrogen compression technology in combination with selfpressurising PEM electrolyser technology. The project will develop a high-pressure Hydrogen Refuelling System (HRS) infrastructure, with a modular dispensing capacity in the range of 50–200 kg/day, ready for rollout from 2015. Key objectives include the validation of the safety aspects of the system, its efficiency, and the economic viability of the modular design concept. Overall management responsibility for the project rests with Netherlands-based grant consultancy Uniresearch BV, and also involves Hydrogen Efficiency Technologies (HyET), Shell Global Solutions International, and the EC Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Energy and Transport in the Netherlands [see page 7]; H2 Logic in Denmark; Raufoss Fuel Systems in Norway; Daimler, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), and Esslingen University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Esslingen) in Germany; and the French industrial processes research organisation ARMINES. ITM Power’s role in the project is to develop an electrolyser design capable of delivering 200 kg/ day of hydrogen at a pressure of 200 bar (2900 psi), and operating at an efficiency of 85% at a high current density (3 A/cm2). The design will be validated at the 5 kg/day scale. The endurance of 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
the electrolyser will be evaluated using accelerated testing to assess the safety of operation, and as a route to develop communication and control protocols for the electrolyser and balance-of-plant. ITM Power’s share of this award is E0.87 million ($1.1 million). Last year HyET reported that its electrochemical hydrogen compressor has reached a pressure of 800 bar (11 600 psi) [FCB, September 2011, p8]. Compressing hydrogen from atmospheric pressure to 800 bar in a single stage means lower capital and operational costs compared to existing mechanical hydrogen compression technologies, as well as a smaller equipment footprint. Uniresearch BV: www.uniresearch.nl
UNIDO-ICHET director Dr James Wetherilt says that the Golden Horn refuelling facility is the only one worldwide capable of servicing both marine and land vehicles. ‘In future years, ICHET’s legacy will be seen as one that stimulated industry, universities, public authorities, and governments alike both in Turkey and the world to understand the need to invest in hydrogen technologies in the manufacturing, domestic, policy, and energy sectors,’ says Wetherilt, as the UNIDO-ICHET project approaches its conclusion at the end of this year. International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies: www.unido-ichet.org Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com
ITM Power: www.itm-power.com European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch-ju.eu
Istanbul inaugurates world’s first land-sea hydrogen station
T
he first hydrogen refuelling station in Turkey was recently inaugurated in Istanbul, with the refuelling and test-driving of a fuel cell car and boat. The hydrogen station is believed to be the first in the world with the capability of refuelling both marine vessels and road vehicles, and utilises an electrolyser supplied by Hydrogenics [FCB, February 2011, p8]. The Golden Horn hydrogen refuelling station was inaugurated in the presence of Kadir Topbaú, Mayor of the Istanbul Greater Municipality. The event featured the refuelling and test driving of a hydrogen fuel cell powered Hyundai ix35 car, as well a fuel cell boat designed by students from the city’s Yildiz Technical University [FCB, March 2012, p2]. The refuelling station project was initiated in 2009 by the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), an initiative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with Istanbul Greater Municipality, and with support from the Turkish ministry of energy and natural resources. The station is based on a gridpowered electrolyser supplied by the German subsidiary of Canadian-based Hydrogenics, to specifications provided by UNIDO-ICHET. It can produce up to 65 kg/day of hydrogen, and has a storage capacity of up to 100 kg. It is able to supply both marine (200 bar, 2900 psi) and land (350 bar, 5000 psi) applications, representing about 20 cars per day.
Hydrogen transport infrastructure project off the mark in Europe
T
he European Hydrogen Infrastructure for Transport (HIT) project is under way, following the recent kickoff meeting in Brussels. The project aims to stimulate the deployment of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure serving fuel cell electric vehicles along key Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors. The HIT project will develop a Synchronised Implementation Plan for the rollout of hydrogen refuelling stations along a first 1000 km (620 mile) corridor from Gothenburg in Sweden to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. State-of-theart refuelling technology will be demonstrated through the construction of three pilot hydrogen stations in the Netherlands and Denmark. Hydrogen transport mobility is now coming to the stage of market implementation in the TEN-T matrix. At the moment, an increasing number of hydrogen hotspots – usually in the form of subsidised projects – are emerging in densely populated areas, where zero emissions offer the greatest advantages to improving local air quality. The HIT project comprises both studies and the deployment of pilot hydrogen refuelling stations. The proposed studies are aimed at strategies to migrate from the status quo of local hotspots to actual local markets, and from there to long-distance transport and mobility along the TEN-T corridors. The ambition of HIT is to kick off a European network of hydrogen stations to facilitate clean and sustainable transport along the main transport axes in Europe. The HIT project is being coordinated by the Dutch ministry of infrastructure and the
December 2012