- Email: [email protected]
Australian government brings hydrogen energy storage to Canberra
NEWS through framework for the commercial fleet operators, and gives them a secure fuel price to implement their business models. ‘The price of £10 per kg for green hydrogen proves out many of our customers’ business models, and is the lowest-priced hydrogen in the UK,’ says Dr Ben Todd, CEO and founder of Arcola Energy. ‘Key to commercial deployment of hydrogen for fleet operators is a secure contracted price for the fuel, and so we are delighted to have signed this agreement which can be passed through to our customers.’ ‘This agreement with Arcola, the exclusive importer of the Symbio FCell range-extended Renault Kangoo ZE van, is another step in building a portfolio of fuel customers,’ adds Dr Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power. ‘Following on from the contracts with Toyota and Commercial Group, we are very pleased to be working with Arcola and to be supporting their fleet customers at our hydrogen refueling stations.’ ITM’s contract with Commercial Group covers fuel dispensed across ITM’s hydrogen refueling network, including the station recently opened at the National Physical Laboratory in west London [FCB, June 2016, p9]. The network has been financially supported by projects run by Innovate UK, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), and the EU-funded Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). Commercial has been operating a fleet of hydrogen hybrid delivery vans – which use a mix of diesel and hydrogen in converted internal combustion engines – since 2013 across London and the South East, along the M4 corridor, and into the South West [FCB, February 2013, p8].
in 2017 [see the News Feature in FCB, August 2016]. Hexagon has developed a new generation of Type 4 cylinder for the plug-in hybrid FCEV. ‘These are next-generation cylinders for next-generation vehicles,’ says Rick Rashilla, VP of hydrogen products at parent company Hexagon Composites. ‘They are the result of years of research, development, and testing with Daimler’s wholly owned subsidiary NuCellSys, a world leader in fuel cell and hydrogen tank systems for vehicle applications.’ Type 4 (or Type IV) cylinders are the best choice for hydrogen applications because of their superior performance in extreme pressure, temperature, and fatigue conditions. Compressed hydrogen is stored at 700 bar (10 000 psi), the optimal pressure for vehicular use. The GLC F-CELL range is about 500 km (310 miles), and like a conventional vehicle it can be refueled in about three minutes. Hexagon Composites ASA – with its headquarters in Norway – develops and produces composite pressure cylinders and systems for storage and transportation of various gases. The company already has a leading position in the natural gas vehicle (NGV) market, so FCEVs are a natural expansion. Earlier this year the group established a separate business unit to focus on hydrogen storage and transportation systems [FCB, February 2016, p10], and in the spring it entered into a joint development agreement with Japanese companies Mitsui and Toray Industries to look at a possible joint venture to manufacture and sell carbon fibre-reinforced, high-pressure hydrogen cylinders for FCEVs in Japan [May 2016, p11].
ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com
Hexagon Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Tel: +1 402 470 5000, www.hexagonlincoln.com
Arcola Energy, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7503 1386, www.arcolaenergy.com
Hexagon Composites ASA, Ålesund, Norway. Tel: +47 7030 4450, www.hexagon.no
Office for Low Emission Vehicles: http://tinyurl.com/uk-olev
Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL: http://tinyurl.com/glc-fcell
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu Innovate UK: www.innovateuk.org Commercial Group: www.commercial.co.uk
Hexagon’s next-gen hydrogen cylinders for new GLC F-CELL
U
S-based Hexagon Lincoln is supplying compressed hydrogen gas (CHG) cylinders for Daimler’s next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, the MercedesBenz GLC F-CELL, which will be launched
September 2016
ENERGY STORAGE
Australian government brings hydrogen energy storage to Canberra
T
he Australian federal government has announced that international businesses will invest A$180 million (US$136 million) to bring hydrogen energy storage to the capital Canberra, including the first fuel cell electric vehicle fleet and hydrogen refueling station. The investment has been made possible through the recent 200 MW Next Generation
Renewables auction. The successful companies were required to make contributions to the government’s vision for Canberra as an internationally recognised centre for renewable energy innovation and investment. Simon Corbell, the federal minister for the environment and climate change, says that the two new partnerships will position the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – in which Canberra is located – as a leader in a growing market, creating opportunities for local researchers and businesses. ‘Hydrogen energy storage from 100% renewable energy is an important complementary technology with huge commercial potential,’ he says. French renewable energy company Neoen and Australian renewable energy investor Megawatt Capital – joint developers of the 270 MW Hornsdale Wind Farm in South Australia – will invest A$55 million (US$42 million) in partnership with Siemens and Hyundai to establish a 1.25 MW hydrogen electrolyser. The initiative, to be established in Canberra, will include a hydrogen refueling station and service centre and an initial fleet of 20 FCEVs, including a technical support and research programme. And Spanish utility Union Fenosa (now Gas Natural Fenosa) – developer of the Crookwell Wind Farm in New South Wales – will invest A$125 million (US$94 million) including an R&D partnership with the Australian National University and Australian utility ActewAGL Distribution. This will focus on renewable energy Power-to-Gas (ReP2G), investigating efficiencies in producing hydrogen from renewables, and how it can then be introduced to the ACT gas network or provide support to the electricity network. A pilot testing facility will be established to produce hydrogen from water using ACT’s 100% renewable electricity supply. At the end of 2014, Hyundai Motor Company Australia commissioned a hydrogen refueling station at its offices near Sydney, NSW to refuel a Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell car – the first hydrogen-powered vehicle in Australia [FCB, January 2015, p6]. Australian Government, Environment and Planning Directorate – Energy: www.environment.act.gov.au/energy Siemens, Silyzer PEM electrolyser: http://tinyurl.com/siemens-silyzer Hyundai Motor Company Australia: www.hyundai.com.au Neoen: www.neoen.fr/en Megawatt Capital: www.megawattcapital.com.au Union Fenosa (now Gas Natural Fenosa): www.gasnaturalfenosa.com Australian National University: www.anu.edu.au ActewAGL Distribution: www.actewagl.com.au
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
in 2017 [see the News Feature in FCB, August 2016]. Hexagon has developed a new generation of Type 4 cylinder for the plug-in hybrid FCEV. ‘These are next-generation cylinders for next-generation vehicles,’ says Rick Rashilla, VP of hydrogen products at parent company Hexagon Composites. ‘They are the result of years of research, development, and testing with Daimler’s wholly owned subsidiary NuCellSys, a world leader in fuel cell and hydrogen tank systems for vehicle applications.’ Type 4 (or Type IV) cylinders are the best choice for hydrogen applications because of their superior performance in extreme pressure, temperature, and fatigue conditions. Compressed hydrogen is stored at 700 bar (10 000 psi), the optimal pressure for vehicular use. The GLC F-CELL range is about 500 km (310 miles), and like a conventional vehicle it can be refueled in about three minutes. Hexagon Composites ASA – with its headquarters in Norway – develops and produces composite pressure cylinders and systems for storage and transportation of various gases. The company already has a leading position in the natural gas vehicle (NGV) market, so FCEVs are a natural expansion. Earlier this year the group established a separate business unit to focus on hydrogen storage and transportation systems [FCB, February 2016, p10], and in the spring it entered into a joint development agreement with Japanese companies Mitsui and Toray Industries to look at a possible joint venture to manufacture and sell carbon fibre-reinforced, high-pressure hydrogen cylinders for FCEVs in Japan [May 2016, p11].
ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com
Hexagon Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Tel: +1 402 470 5000, www.hexagonlincoln.com
Arcola Energy, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7503 1386, www.arcolaenergy.com
Hexagon Composites ASA, Ålesund, Norway. Tel: +47 7030 4450, www.hexagon.no
Office for Low Emission Vehicles: http://tinyurl.com/uk-olev
Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL: http://tinyurl.com/glc-fcell
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu Innovate UK: www.innovateuk.org Commercial Group: www.commercial.co.uk
Hexagon’s next-gen hydrogen cylinders for new GLC F-CELL
U
S-based Hexagon Lincoln is supplying compressed hydrogen gas (CHG) cylinders for Daimler’s next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, the MercedesBenz GLC F-CELL, which will be launched
September 2016
ENERGY STORAGE
Australian government brings hydrogen energy storage to Canberra
T
he Australian federal government has announced that international businesses will invest A$180 million (US$136 million) to bring hydrogen energy storage to the capital Canberra, including the first fuel cell electric vehicle fleet and hydrogen refueling station. The investment has been made possible through the recent 200 MW Next Generation
Renewables auction. The successful companies were required to make contributions to the government’s vision for Canberra as an internationally recognised centre for renewable energy innovation and investment. Simon Corbell, the federal minister for the environment and climate change, says that the two new partnerships will position the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – in which Canberra is located – as a leader in a growing market, creating opportunities for local researchers and businesses. ‘Hydrogen energy storage from 100% renewable energy is an important complementary technology with huge commercial potential,’ he says. French renewable energy company Neoen and Australian renewable energy investor Megawatt Capital – joint developers of the 270 MW Hornsdale Wind Farm in South Australia – will invest A$55 million (US$42 million) in partnership with Siemens and Hyundai to establish a 1.25 MW hydrogen electrolyser. The initiative, to be established in Canberra, will include a hydrogen refueling station and service centre and an initial fleet of 20 FCEVs, including a technical support and research programme. And Spanish utility Union Fenosa (now Gas Natural Fenosa) – developer of the Crookwell Wind Farm in New South Wales – will invest A$125 million (US$94 million) including an R&D partnership with the Australian National University and Australian utility ActewAGL Distribution. This will focus on renewable energy Power-to-Gas (ReP2G), investigating efficiencies in producing hydrogen from renewables, and how it can then be introduced to the ACT gas network or provide support to the electricity network. A pilot testing facility will be established to produce hydrogen from water using ACT’s 100% renewable electricity supply. At the end of 2014, Hyundai Motor Company Australia commissioned a hydrogen refueling station at its offices near Sydney, NSW to refuel a Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell car – the first hydrogen-powered vehicle in Australia [FCB, January 2015, p6]. Australian Government, Environment and Planning Directorate – Energy: www.environment.act.gov.au/energy Siemens, Silyzer PEM electrolyser: http://tinyurl.com/siemens-silyzer Hyundai Motor Company Australia: www.hyundai.com.au Neoen: www.neoen.fr/en Megawatt Capital: www.megawattcapital.com.au Union Fenosa (now Gas Natural Fenosa): www.gasnaturalfenosa.com Australian National University: www.anu.edu.au ActewAGL Distribution: www.actewagl.com.au
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9