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ARPA-E funding for new projects to power cleaner transportation
NEWS
Plug Power loan deal with NY Green Bank to boost fuel cell use
I
n the US, Plug Power in upstate New York has closed a $25 million senior loan facility agreement with NY Green Bank, to support the deployment of 1300 fuel cell systems in New York over the next three years at distribution centres for clients such as Walmart and Home Depot. This transaction is NY Green Bank’s first completed transaction in the fuel cell industry, and its participation is expected to encourage greater interest from banks and other capital providers in financing fuel cell projects in New York State. The bank is helping to standardise financing for this technology, provide a proven financing track record for these types of projects, and develop a project portfolio, all of which can reduce capital costs. NY Green Bank is one of several financial institutions, including tax equity providers, that are providing capital to Plug Power. This transaction is expected to make it easier for Plug Power to obtain future private capital at commercially attractive rates. The financing will allow Plug Power to install more systems and convert more forklift fleets in a shorter period of time than was previously possible [FCB, October 2015, p11]. Under the new agreement, NY Green Bank is incentivising Plug Power to create up to 100 new jobs in the state. The transaction will advance New York’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. NY Green Bank is a division of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and a key component of the state’s 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund to accelerate the use of clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and spur economic development. Plug Power’s centre of excellence in Latham includes R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service facilities. The company currently powers more than 13 000 industrial electric vehicles with fuel cell units globally, and has built more than 40 hydrogen fueling stations [see the Plug Power feature in FCB, December 2011]. It recently signed a deal with Zhangjiagang Furui Special Equipment and a leading Chinese industrial vehicle manufacturer, to develop new fuel cell applications and fueling solutions to be utilised in the large and expanding industrial
12
Fuel Cells Bulletin
electric vehicle market in China [FCB, November 2016, p1]. Plug Power, Latham, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, www.plugpower.com NY Green Bank: www.greenbank.ny.gov NYSERDA: www.nyserda.ny.gov
RESEARCH
NIP seen as a success for Germany, as Phase 2 plans next 10 years
T
he National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) in Germany reached the end of its first phase (2008–2016) in December, and has been hailed as a success in developing and demonstrating hydrogen and fuel cells as key technologies for clean mobility and the national ‘Energy Transition’ (Energiewende). The first phase – coordinated by the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH) – concluded with a high-level conference in Berlin in December. The main goals of the first phase were to accelerate market preparation through the testing of systems in everyday use, and develop a value-added chain and a value-added share in Germany, along with technology leadership and implementation. Throughout the duration of the programme, government and industry invested E1.4 billion (US$1.46 billion) in technology development and market testing. The federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) allocated E500 million ($523 million) to the NIP, with a further E200 million ($209 million) from the energy research framework programme of the federal ministry for economic affairs and energy (BMWi). This total funding was matched by industry participants. Politically and strategically, the NIP is also supported by the federal ministries of the environment (BMUB) and education & research (BMBF). More than 650 individual projects and diverse industry networking initiatives have led to significant technology developments through the NIP. The projects were conducted across the programme areas Transport & Infrastructure (50%), Stationary Applications (30%), and Special Markets (20%). These projects were largely implemented within so-called ‘lighthouse’ projects: the Clean Energy Partnership for mobility [see page 9], Callux on stationary fuel
cells for household energy [FCB, June 2012, p5], e4ships on fuel cells in maritime deployment [October 2016, p5], Clean Power Net for uninterruptible, off-grid power supply with fuel cells [see the feature in August 2012], and HyTrustPlus on acceptance of hydrogen. Today, the hydrogen and fuel cell sector in Germany comprises more than 500 companies and research institutes, and is greatly helped by the stable framework provided by the NIP. The NIP will continue within the framework of the government’s ‘Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology 2016–2026’ programme, which was adopted by the federal cabinet in September [FCB, November 2016, p12]. For the preliminary period to 2019, the BMVI will allocate funds totaling E250 million ($262 million), and NOW GmbH will continue to provide programme coordination. From 2017, NOW will have an expanded business focus, which will also include implementing infrastructure for electric mobility and continued development of mobility and fuel strategy. National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en
ARPA-E funding for new projects to power cleaner transportation
T
he Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy has announced up to $35 million in funding for its new Renewable Energy to Fuels Through Utilization of Energy-Dense Liquids (REFUEL) programme. These projects will use water, molecules from the air, and electricity from renewable sources to produce high-energy liquid fuels for transportation and other uses. Projects in the REFUEL programme will develop scalable technologies for converting water, nitrogen and CO2 into energy-dense carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs) and back into electricity or hydrogen fuel on demand. The programme will provide $35 million to 16 projects that will accelerate the shift to domestically produced transportation fuels and enable greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, improving grid resiliency and American energy security. Because of its attractiveness as a hydrogen and energy carrier, most selected REFUEL projects target the production of ammonia or its conversion to hydrogen or electricity. State-of-
January 2017
NEWS / IN BRIEF the-art industrial ammonia production using the Haber-Bosch process requires a hydrogen source (usually natural gas), remains highly capitaland energy-intensive, and is only economical at large scale. Many of the newly funded projects seek to overcome these limitations to enable economically competitive, distributed production of this prototypical CNLF. The projects include several that focus on electrochemical processes for generation of hydrogen or electricity from energy-dense CNLFs: • Bettergy Corporation in Peekskill, New York (www.bettergy.com): Low Temperature Ammonia Cracking Membrane Reactor for Hydrogen Generation ($1.5 million). • FuelCell Energy in Danbury, Connecticut (www.fce.com): Protonic Ceramics for Energy Storage and Electricity Generation with Ammonia ($3.1 million). • Materials and Systems Research Inc in Salt Lake City, Utah (www.msrihome.com): Cost-Effective, Intermediate-Temperature Fuel Cell for Carbon-Free Power Generation ($1.1 million). • SAFCell in Pasadena, California (www. safcell.com): Distributed Electrochemical Production and Conversion of CarbonNeutral Ammonia ($3 million). SAFCell will collaborate with Northwestern University and LiOX Inc to develop a solid acid electrochemical hydrogen compressor (EHC) that converts ammonia directly into highpurity, high-pressure hydrogen. • University of Delaware, in Newark (www. udel.edu): Direct Ammonia Fuel Cells for Transport Applications ($2.5 million). • University of South Carolina, in Columbia (www.sc.edu): A Novel Hollow Fiber Membrane Reactor for High Purity Hydrogen Generation from Thermal Catalytic Ammonia Decomposition ($1.6 million). Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy: www.arpa-e.energy.gov REFUEL programme: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=arpa-e-programs/refuel REFUEL projects (400kb PDF): http://tinyurl.com/arpa-e-refuel
FCH JU ready to kick off INLINE and DEMO4GRID projects
T
he first two projects from the Call for Proposals 2016 of the EU-supported Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU) will commence shortly. The three-year
January 2017
INLINE project aims to develop the PEM fuel cell production process for transport applications, while the five-year DEMO4GRID project will demonstrate a state-of-the-art pressurised alkaline electrolyser for grid balancing. The INLINE project will design a flexible, scalable, high-quality production line for PEM fuel cell manufacturing. Developments will start with the redesign and optimisation of the media supply unit and tank valve regulator, which are perceived as production bottlenecks, and these new designs will lead to an integrated production line planned using simulation tools. The overall target is to reduce the cycle time for production of a whole fuel cell system from 15 h to less than 2.5 h. This research project is coordinated by Profactor GmbH in Austria, and also involves Fronius International GmbH in Austria, ElringKlinger AG and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and OMB Saleri SpA in Italy. The FCH2 JU is providing E5 million (US$5.4 million) of the E6.2 million ($6.7 million) total funding. The DEMO4GRID project aims to demonstrate a 4 MW pressurised alkaline electrolyser (PAE) for grid balancing in real operational and market conditions, which will be deployed in Austria and feed on renewable electricity. This project will build on the results from the completed ELYGRID and ongoing ELYntegration projects, which have provided promising results on PAE development to provide grid services operating under dynamic profiles. This innovation project is coordinated by the Greek consultancy Diadikasia Symvouloi Epicheiriseon, and also involves IHT Industrie Haute Technologie SA in Switzerland, Aragon Hydrogen Foundation and Instrumentacion y Componentes SA in Spain, and MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH and FEN Sustain Systems GmbH in Austria. The FCH2 JU is providing E2.9 million ($3.1 million) of the E7.7 million ($8.3 million) total funding. The FCH2 JU is currently preparing another 17 grant agreements as outcomes from the 2016 Call for Proposals, which should start in the first quarter of 2017. The FCH2 JU has also announced two coordination and support actions related to cross-cutting activities under its 2016 call for proposals [see In Brief, page 5]. Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu INLINE project: http://tinyurl.com/fchju-inline DEMO4GRID project: http://tinyurl.com/fchju-demo4grid
IN BRIEF SFC board changes strengthen sales focus German-based SFC Energy (www.sfc.com) has appointed Marcus Binder as its new Chief Sales Officer for the defence and security segment. He will initially take over sales of SFC products and services to the German defence market, and later take over responsibility for national and international sales of SFC’s direct methanol fuel cells from Dr Peter Podesser. CEO Podesser will concentrate on broadening the company’s investor base and on its strategic development, while retaining responsibilities for the oil & gas business, R&D, human resources, and operations. The supervisory board recently extended Podesser’s contract to March 2020. Korean project for Hyundai fuel cell taxis The South Korean environment ministry has launched a pilot project to operate the country’s first hydrogen fuel cell taxis, in the southeastern city of Ulsan, in cooperation with the local municipality, Hyundai Motor Company, and three local taxi operators. Ulsan is home to the Hyundai plant that produces the Tucson (or ix35) Fuel Cell [FCB, March 2013, p2], as well as a petrochemical industrial complex that can supply hydrogen [January 2014, p7]. The ministry will operate an initial 10 fuel cell taxis, each with a 27.5 million won (US$23 500) subsidy, before adding five more in the first half of 2017, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The project will expand to 130 FCEVs and set up 10 hydrogen refueling stations in Ulsan, Changwon and Gwangju by the end of this year. Last autumn Hyundai delivered 60 ix35 Fuel Cell cars to an electric taxi startup in Paris, France, which is operating the world’s largest fuel cell taxi fleet [FCB, November 2016, p2]. Nikola shows hybrid fuel cell heavy truck Salt Lake City-based Nikola Motor Company (www.nikolamotor.com) has unveiled its Nikola One™ semi-trailer tractor unit, a Class 8 truck powered by lithium batteries recharged by a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell to give an exceptional range of 800–1200 miles (1300–1900 km). The hydrogen will be stored onboard in cryogenic tanks. The company is offering the vehicle through a six-year leasing programme that includes unlimited hydrogen fueling, and says that it has accepted future order reservations totaling nearly $3 billion. Nikola will build a large manufacturing facility, with the location to be determined by the summer. It also plans to build a network of 364 hydrogen refueling stations across the US and Canada, with construction of the initial 56 stations to begin next January.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
13
Plug Power loan deal with NY Green Bank to boost fuel cell use
I
n the US, Plug Power in upstate New York has closed a $25 million senior loan facility agreement with NY Green Bank, to support the deployment of 1300 fuel cell systems in New York over the next three years at distribution centres for clients such as Walmart and Home Depot. This transaction is NY Green Bank’s first completed transaction in the fuel cell industry, and its participation is expected to encourage greater interest from banks and other capital providers in financing fuel cell projects in New York State. The bank is helping to standardise financing for this technology, provide a proven financing track record for these types of projects, and develop a project portfolio, all of which can reduce capital costs. NY Green Bank is one of several financial institutions, including tax equity providers, that are providing capital to Plug Power. This transaction is expected to make it easier for Plug Power to obtain future private capital at commercially attractive rates. The financing will allow Plug Power to install more systems and convert more forklift fleets in a shorter period of time than was previously possible [FCB, October 2015, p11]. Under the new agreement, NY Green Bank is incentivising Plug Power to create up to 100 new jobs in the state. The transaction will advance New York’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. NY Green Bank is a division of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and a key component of the state’s 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund to accelerate the use of clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and spur economic development. Plug Power’s centre of excellence in Latham includes R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service facilities. The company currently powers more than 13 000 industrial electric vehicles with fuel cell units globally, and has built more than 40 hydrogen fueling stations [see the Plug Power feature in FCB, December 2011]. It recently signed a deal with Zhangjiagang Furui Special Equipment and a leading Chinese industrial vehicle manufacturer, to develop new fuel cell applications and fueling solutions to be utilised in the large and expanding industrial
12
Fuel Cells Bulletin
electric vehicle market in China [FCB, November 2016, p1]. Plug Power, Latham, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, www.plugpower.com NY Green Bank: www.greenbank.ny.gov NYSERDA: www.nyserda.ny.gov
RESEARCH
NIP seen as a success for Germany, as Phase 2 plans next 10 years
T
he National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) in Germany reached the end of its first phase (2008–2016) in December, and has been hailed as a success in developing and demonstrating hydrogen and fuel cells as key technologies for clean mobility and the national ‘Energy Transition’ (Energiewende). The first phase – coordinated by the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH) – concluded with a high-level conference in Berlin in December. The main goals of the first phase were to accelerate market preparation through the testing of systems in everyday use, and develop a value-added chain and a value-added share in Germany, along with technology leadership and implementation. Throughout the duration of the programme, government and industry invested E1.4 billion (US$1.46 billion) in technology development and market testing. The federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) allocated E500 million ($523 million) to the NIP, with a further E200 million ($209 million) from the energy research framework programme of the federal ministry for economic affairs and energy (BMWi). This total funding was matched by industry participants. Politically and strategically, the NIP is also supported by the federal ministries of the environment (BMUB) and education & research (BMBF). More than 650 individual projects and diverse industry networking initiatives have led to significant technology developments through the NIP. The projects were conducted across the programme areas Transport & Infrastructure (50%), Stationary Applications (30%), and Special Markets (20%). These projects were largely implemented within so-called ‘lighthouse’ projects: the Clean Energy Partnership for mobility [see page 9], Callux on stationary fuel
cells for household energy [FCB, June 2012, p5], e4ships on fuel cells in maritime deployment [October 2016, p5], Clean Power Net for uninterruptible, off-grid power supply with fuel cells [see the feature in August 2012], and HyTrustPlus on acceptance of hydrogen. Today, the hydrogen and fuel cell sector in Germany comprises more than 500 companies and research institutes, and is greatly helped by the stable framework provided by the NIP. The NIP will continue within the framework of the government’s ‘Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology 2016–2026’ programme, which was adopted by the federal cabinet in September [FCB, November 2016, p12]. For the preliminary period to 2019, the BMVI will allocate funds totaling E250 million ($262 million), and NOW GmbH will continue to provide programme coordination. From 2017, NOW will have an expanded business focus, which will also include implementing infrastructure for electric mobility and continued development of mobility and fuel strategy. National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en
ARPA-E funding for new projects to power cleaner transportation
T
he Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy has announced up to $35 million in funding for its new Renewable Energy to Fuels Through Utilization of Energy-Dense Liquids (REFUEL) programme. These projects will use water, molecules from the air, and electricity from renewable sources to produce high-energy liquid fuels for transportation and other uses. Projects in the REFUEL programme will develop scalable technologies for converting water, nitrogen and CO2 into energy-dense carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs) and back into electricity or hydrogen fuel on demand. The programme will provide $35 million to 16 projects that will accelerate the shift to domestically produced transportation fuels and enable greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, improving grid resiliency and American energy security. Because of its attractiveness as a hydrogen and energy carrier, most selected REFUEL projects target the production of ammonia or its conversion to hydrogen or electricity. State-of-
January 2017
NEWS / IN BRIEF the-art industrial ammonia production using the Haber-Bosch process requires a hydrogen source (usually natural gas), remains highly capitaland energy-intensive, and is only economical at large scale. Many of the newly funded projects seek to overcome these limitations to enable economically competitive, distributed production of this prototypical CNLF. The projects include several that focus on electrochemical processes for generation of hydrogen or electricity from energy-dense CNLFs: • Bettergy Corporation in Peekskill, New York (www.bettergy.com): Low Temperature Ammonia Cracking Membrane Reactor for Hydrogen Generation ($1.5 million). • FuelCell Energy in Danbury, Connecticut (www.fce.com): Protonic Ceramics for Energy Storage and Electricity Generation with Ammonia ($3.1 million). • Materials and Systems Research Inc in Salt Lake City, Utah (www.msrihome.com): Cost-Effective, Intermediate-Temperature Fuel Cell for Carbon-Free Power Generation ($1.1 million). • SAFCell in Pasadena, California (www. safcell.com): Distributed Electrochemical Production and Conversion of CarbonNeutral Ammonia ($3 million). SAFCell will collaborate with Northwestern University and LiOX Inc to develop a solid acid electrochemical hydrogen compressor (EHC) that converts ammonia directly into highpurity, high-pressure hydrogen. • University of Delaware, in Newark (www. udel.edu): Direct Ammonia Fuel Cells for Transport Applications ($2.5 million). • University of South Carolina, in Columbia (www.sc.edu): A Novel Hollow Fiber Membrane Reactor for High Purity Hydrogen Generation from Thermal Catalytic Ammonia Decomposition ($1.6 million). Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy: www.arpa-e.energy.gov REFUEL programme: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=arpa-e-programs/refuel REFUEL projects (400kb PDF): http://tinyurl.com/arpa-e-refuel
FCH JU ready to kick off INLINE and DEMO4GRID projects
T
he first two projects from the Call for Proposals 2016 of the EU-supported Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU) will commence shortly. The three-year
January 2017
INLINE project aims to develop the PEM fuel cell production process for transport applications, while the five-year DEMO4GRID project will demonstrate a state-of-the-art pressurised alkaline electrolyser for grid balancing. The INLINE project will design a flexible, scalable, high-quality production line for PEM fuel cell manufacturing. Developments will start with the redesign and optimisation of the media supply unit and tank valve regulator, which are perceived as production bottlenecks, and these new designs will lead to an integrated production line planned using simulation tools. The overall target is to reduce the cycle time for production of a whole fuel cell system from 15 h to less than 2.5 h. This research project is coordinated by Profactor GmbH in Austria, and also involves Fronius International GmbH in Austria, ElringKlinger AG and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and OMB Saleri SpA in Italy. The FCH2 JU is providing E5 million (US$5.4 million) of the E6.2 million ($6.7 million) total funding. The DEMO4GRID project aims to demonstrate a 4 MW pressurised alkaline electrolyser (PAE) for grid balancing in real operational and market conditions, which will be deployed in Austria and feed on renewable electricity. This project will build on the results from the completed ELYGRID and ongoing ELYntegration projects, which have provided promising results on PAE development to provide grid services operating under dynamic profiles. This innovation project is coordinated by the Greek consultancy Diadikasia Symvouloi Epicheiriseon, and also involves IHT Industrie Haute Technologie SA in Switzerland, Aragon Hydrogen Foundation and Instrumentacion y Componentes SA in Spain, and MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH and FEN Sustain Systems GmbH in Austria. The FCH2 JU is providing E2.9 million ($3.1 million) of the E7.7 million ($8.3 million) total funding. The FCH2 JU is currently preparing another 17 grant agreements as outcomes from the 2016 Call for Proposals, which should start in the first quarter of 2017. The FCH2 JU has also announced two coordination and support actions related to cross-cutting activities under its 2016 call for proposals [see In Brief, page 5]. Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu INLINE project: http://tinyurl.com/fchju-inline DEMO4GRID project: http://tinyurl.com/fchju-demo4grid
IN BRIEF SFC board changes strengthen sales focus German-based SFC Energy (www.sfc.com) has appointed Marcus Binder as its new Chief Sales Officer for the defence and security segment. He will initially take over sales of SFC products and services to the German defence market, and later take over responsibility for national and international sales of SFC’s direct methanol fuel cells from Dr Peter Podesser. CEO Podesser will concentrate on broadening the company’s investor base and on its strategic development, while retaining responsibilities for the oil & gas business, R&D, human resources, and operations. The supervisory board recently extended Podesser’s contract to March 2020. Korean project for Hyundai fuel cell taxis The South Korean environment ministry has launched a pilot project to operate the country’s first hydrogen fuel cell taxis, in the southeastern city of Ulsan, in cooperation with the local municipality, Hyundai Motor Company, and three local taxi operators. Ulsan is home to the Hyundai plant that produces the Tucson (or ix35) Fuel Cell [FCB, March 2013, p2], as well as a petrochemical industrial complex that can supply hydrogen [January 2014, p7]. The ministry will operate an initial 10 fuel cell taxis, each with a 27.5 million won (US$23 500) subsidy, before adding five more in the first half of 2017, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The project will expand to 130 FCEVs and set up 10 hydrogen refueling stations in Ulsan, Changwon and Gwangju by the end of this year. Last autumn Hyundai delivered 60 ix35 Fuel Cell cars to an electric taxi startup in Paris, France, which is operating the world’s largest fuel cell taxi fleet [FCB, November 2016, p2]. Nikola shows hybrid fuel cell heavy truck Salt Lake City-based Nikola Motor Company (www.nikolamotor.com) has unveiled its Nikola One™ semi-trailer tractor unit, a Class 8 truck powered by lithium batteries recharged by a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell to give an exceptional range of 800–1200 miles (1300–1900 km). The hydrogen will be stored onboard in cryogenic tanks. The company is offering the vehicle through a six-year leasing programme that includes unlimited hydrogen fueling, and says that it has accepted future order reservations totaling nearly $3 billion. Nikola will build a large manufacturing facility, with the location to be determined by the summer. It also plans to build a network of 364 hydrogen refueling stations across the US and Canada, with construction of the initial 56 stations to begin next January.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
13