- Email: [email protected]
Dominovas signs MW SOFC deals in Congo, joins Power Africa
NEWS equip Volkswagen vans with EFOY Pro fuel cells and unveiled a trailer-based hybrid power solution [FCB, May 2015, p3 and p7], while its Canadian subsidiary Simark Controls announced new sales agreements for the US and Canada [FCB, May 2015, p10]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.efoy-pro.com
large stationary
Doosan FC wins order for 13 units in Korea, one for Connecticut
U
S-based Doosan Fuel Cell has been selected by Korea SouthEast Power Co Ltd (KOSEP) to provide 13 PureCell® Model 400 phosphoric acid fuel cells to the utility’s plant in Bundang, a southern suburb of the capital, Seoul. Doosan FC will also supply a Model 400 power plant to Connecticut Transit (CTtransit) in the US, for its maintenance and storage facility in Hamden. The new installation for KOSEP will incorporate a state-of-the-art construction design – the first of its kind in South Korea – with multiple 400 kW fuel cells installed on each floor of a two-storey structure. The installation will conserve valuable urban land resources, taking up half the space of previous configurations, while maximising power density. The 13-unit installation will produce 5.6 MW of electric power and heat for the local electric grid and KOSEP customers, and is scalable for future expansion needs. The supply deal is worth KRW28 billion (US$24 million), and Doosan also expects to sign a KRW40 billion ($35 million) long-term service agreement for fuel cell operation. When these latest PureCell power plants go live at the end of 2015, Doosan will have 48 active fuel cell systems in South Korea, generating nearly 21 MW of electricity. The new Korean project comes only a month after six Doosan fuel cells went live at the KOSEP facility in Ansan, southwest of Seoul [FCB, June 2015, p6]. And in its home state, Doosan FC will supply a Model 400 system for the Connecticut Transit maintenance and storage facility in Hamden, for installation later this year. The fuel cell will supply 400 kW of electricity, plus heat and hot water, to the facility, which hosts buses that serve cities and towns in Greater New Haven.
July 2015
This will be the second PureCell system utilised by the Connecticut Department of Transportation-owned bus service, joining a power plant which went live in August 2012 at the CTtransit facility in Hartford [see the PureCell feature in FCB, February 2012]. CTtransit also operates a small fleet of fuel cell buses [FCB, September 2011, p2], powered by PEM fuel cells manufactured locally by UTC Power – which was later acquired by ClearEdge Power [FCB, January 2013, p8], before that in turn was taken over by Doosan [FCB, July 2014, p5]. CTtransit has subsequently partnered with the Atlanta-based Center for Transportation and the Environment and Ballard Power Systems in Canada, as part of a project to bring a new fuel cell bus to Hartford by 2015 [FCB, April 2013, p3 and p9]. The Doosan-CTtransit project is partly funded by the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program, a Federal Transit Administration project to provide grants to public transportation agencies seeking to cut greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption [FCB, December 2011, p9]. Doosan Fuel Cell America, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.doosanfuelcell.com Korea South-East Power Co Ltd: www.kosep.co.kr/kosep/en/main.do CTtransit, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Program: http://fuelcell.cttransit.com
AFC has final building permit to finish Stade facility construction
U
K-based AFC Energy has received its second and final building permit from the Stade building and urban development authorities in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany to conclude construction of what will be the world’s largest industrial alkaline fuel cell facility. This final stage building permit follows the first partial building permit, issued in late March. The final permit will allow AFC and its contractors to erect all above-ground infrastructure, including the industrial steel frame building to house the KORE fuel cell system, all storage tanks, piping, connection points, and ancillary above-ground equipment. The final permitting review and approval process has been undertaken in parallel with early phase construction works over the last few months, with concrete now poured on top of the installed piled foundations and reinforcement base structure. AFC is proceeding with erection of the industrial steel frame building and the liquid
nitrogen tank, vaporiser and reheater installation, hydrogen supply pipework, the medium voltage grid connection substation, chemicals and product water tanks, above-ground piping, electrical and control & instrumentation connections, and the corresponding ancillary structures and support work. ‘Receipt of the final building permit from the Stade consenting authorities will now allow us to conclude our construction activities over the next few weeks, and reinforces the company’s confidence in delivering an accelerated timeline for initial power generation from the KORE system in July 2015 [FCB, June 2015, p6],’ says CEO Adam Bond. AFC Energy is approaching commercialisation for its KORE low-cost alkaline fuel cell system [see the AFC Energy feature in FCB, November 2011]. The company’s Power-Up project will demonstrate the world’s largest alkaline fuel cell system at the Air Products industrial gas plant in Stade, near Hamburg in northern Germany. The demonstration of the 240 kW KORE system has been fast tracked to December 2015, representing the final phase of AFC’s pre-commercialisation technical development programme [FCB, January 2015, p6 and February 2015, p6]. AFC has also recently announced large-scale projects in Asia and the Middle East [FCB, March 2015, p1 and May 2015, p6]. AFC Energy, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com Power-Up project: www.project-power-up.eu
Dominovas signs MW SOFC deals in Congo, joins Power Africa
A
tlanta-based Dominovas Energy has executed a 3 MW, multi-year Power Provider Agreement (PPA) to provide electricity to the City of David in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in central Africa, utilising its modular, off-grid Rubicon™ solid oxide fuel cell system. Dominovas subsequently executed a similar PPA to provide electricity to the Somico Mine in DRC. The company also says that it has been selected as the first fuel cell company to participate in US President Obama’s Power Africa Initiative, which aims to accelerate private investment in Africa’s power sector over the next several years. The City of David is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the DR Congo government and a private enterprise, which will comprise 3000 homes, a hospital, health clinics,
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS schools, malls, parks, food markets, sports centres, police stations, and waste treatment facilities across 8000 ha (30 square miles). The deployment of the 3 MW Rubicon system, expected to begin in Q4 of 2016, will be the largest single deployment of fuel cell technology in Africa so far. The PPA will yield more than US$100 million in guaranteed revenue to Dominovas Energy over its term. The company has partnered with Delphi Automotive Systems to jointly develop the technology and methodologies necessary to facilitate the commercial manufacture, assembly, and deployment of the Rubicon system [FCB, November 2014, p11]. The Somico Mine, owned and operated by mining company Somico-RDC, is located in the Lusambo/Sankuru region, which has one of the largest certified concentrations of diamonds, gold, and iron ore in Africa. As one of several mines operated by Somico-RDC, the Somico Mine will serve as a model for deploying Rubicon systems throughout Africa and other global markets. With the vast reserves of natural resources in Africa, the mining sector represents a tremendous opportunity for Dominovas Energy’s continued expansion across diverse applications. The deployment of this Rubicon system is also expected to begin in Q4 of 2016, and the multi-year PPA will yield more than $107 million in guaranteed revenue to Dominovas Energy. The Power Africa Initiative – announced by President Obama in Cape Town, South Africa in June 2013 – is a partnership of private sector participants, the US government, and governments of several sub-Saharan countries, which aims to nurture and accelerate private sector investment in Africa’s power sector over the next several years. Power Africa partners represent the foundational support in building the regulatory, economic, and policy framework integral to meeting increasing African demand for – and access to – electricity. Dominovas Energy Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Tel: 1 800 679 1249 (tollfree in US), www.dominovasenergy.com Power Africa Initiative: www.usaid.gov/powerafrica
fueling
CaFCP releases list of California hydrogen station priority sites
T
he automaker members of the California Fuel Cell Partnership have released an open letter, that states their consensus list of the priority locations 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
for the next 19 stations to continue the expansion of the hydrogen fueling station network in California. The aim is to help guide the coordinated efforts of station developers and government planners with those of the anticipated commercial market needs of early-market fuel cell electric vehicle customers. The primary priority station locations (in alphabetical order) are Berkeley/Richmond/ Oakland, Beverly Hills/Westwood, Fremont, Lebec, Manhattan Beach, Sacramento, San Diego #2 and #3, San Francisco, Thousand Oaks/Agoura Hills, and Torrance/Palos Verdes. The secondary priority locations are Culver City, Dublin/Pleasanton, Encino/Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Irvine South, Los Banos, Palm Springs, and Ventura/Oxnard. (The Lebec and Los Banos locations are to further strengthen the Interstate 5 corridor.) In preparing their recommendations, the CaFCP OEM Advisory Group members – American Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen – first worked individually to ascertain station deployment for their own market needs, then the data were shared independently in a double-blind process, and compiled into an aggregate list. The Advisory Group then collaboratively reviewed the data to refine the cluster and regional infrastructure needs. Their recommendations focus on building hydrogen fueling network coverage and redundant capacity throughout the Northern California, Southern California, and Central Valley regions. In addition, some recommended priority locations are being fostered as replacements for early ‘demonstration/research project’ hydrogen stations that are not expected to be upgraded to full retail operational status. The recommendations are to aid the next phase of California’s hydrogen fueling network development, consistent with two CaFCP reports, A California Road Map: The Commercialization of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (published in June 2012) and the subsequent 2014 Update: Hydrogen Progress, Priorities and Opportunities (published in July 2014) [and see the CaFCP feature in FCB, November 2009]. Last summer the California Energy Commission announced $47 million in funding to accelerate the development of publicly accessible hydrogen fueling stations in California [FCB, May 2014, p7 and June 2014, p6]. And Kalibrate Technologies recently released the results of its own California hydrogen refueling infrastructure analysis for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to identify the best locations for establishing a network of stations [FCB, June 2015, p1].
California Fuel Cell Partnership: www.cafcp.org 2012 Road Map: http://tinyurl.com/cafcp-2012-roadmap 2014 Update: http://tinyurl.com/cafcp-2014-roadmap
Fast-fill hydrogen station in Hawaii to serve GM FCEV fleet
T
he Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) has commissioned a FastFill high-pressure (700 bar) hydrogen fueling station at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) in Kaneohe Bay. Operational since November 2014, this station was recently certified for unattended operation, allowing drivers to self-fill their cars just like at a regular gasoline station. The hydrogen station was developed to support a fleet of General Motors Equinox Fuel Cell cars leased by the Office of Naval Research for use by Marine Corps and Navy personnel on Oahu [FCB, March 2012, p2]. ‘We have been really impressed with the fill speed and control algorithms of the hydrogen station at MCBH,’ says Chris Colquitt, Hawaii site leader for GM. ‘The algorithms to control flow have done a really good job of ensuring tank temperature thresholds are maintained, without stopping fills before completion.’ A major challenge for hydrogen production and dispensing stations is the cost of hydrogen at the nozzle. In this project, HNEI – part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa – is conducting research to assess the technical performance and economic value of an electrolyser-based hydrogen production system in a 350/700 bar Fast-Fill (under 5 min) fueling station. The technical analysis includes component efficiencies under various operating scenarios, and the long-term durability of major components. The economic analysis determines the station’s daily operating cost, and the overall cost benefits of producing hydrogen. The dual fill pressure capability will allow this station to service both light-duty vehicles mostly designed to use high-pressure (700 bar) hydrogen storage, and larger fleet vehicles such as buses, usually designed for 350 bar. This station is part of the Hawaii Hydrogen Power Park project, established by HNEI to support the Department of Energy’s Technology Validation Program. Initial funding from DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office was used to procure the electrolyser and a lowpressure fueling capability. Additional ONR funding added the capability to include the 700 bar Fast Fill to support the Equinox FCEV
July 2015
large stationary
Doosan FC wins order for 13 units in Korea, one for Connecticut
U
S-based Doosan Fuel Cell has been selected by Korea SouthEast Power Co Ltd (KOSEP) to provide 13 PureCell® Model 400 phosphoric acid fuel cells to the utility’s plant in Bundang, a southern suburb of the capital, Seoul. Doosan FC will also supply a Model 400 power plant to Connecticut Transit (CTtransit) in the US, for its maintenance and storage facility in Hamden. The new installation for KOSEP will incorporate a state-of-the-art construction design – the first of its kind in South Korea – with multiple 400 kW fuel cells installed on each floor of a two-storey structure. The installation will conserve valuable urban land resources, taking up half the space of previous configurations, while maximising power density. The 13-unit installation will produce 5.6 MW of electric power and heat for the local electric grid and KOSEP customers, and is scalable for future expansion needs. The supply deal is worth KRW28 billion (US$24 million), and Doosan also expects to sign a KRW40 billion ($35 million) long-term service agreement for fuel cell operation. When these latest PureCell power plants go live at the end of 2015, Doosan will have 48 active fuel cell systems in South Korea, generating nearly 21 MW of electricity. The new Korean project comes only a month after six Doosan fuel cells went live at the KOSEP facility in Ansan, southwest of Seoul [FCB, June 2015, p6]. And in its home state, Doosan FC will supply a Model 400 system for the Connecticut Transit maintenance and storage facility in Hamden, for installation later this year. The fuel cell will supply 400 kW of electricity, plus heat and hot water, to the facility, which hosts buses that serve cities and towns in Greater New Haven.
July 2015
This will be the second PureCell system utilised by the Connecticut Department of Transportation-owned bus service, joining a power plant which went live in August 2012 at the CTtransit facility in Hartford [see the PureCell feature in FCB, February 2012]. CTtransit also operates a small fleet of fuel cell buses [FCB, September 2011, p2], powered by PEM fuel cells manufactured locally by UTC Power – which was later acquired by ClearEdge Power [FCB, January 2013, p8], before that in turn was taken over by Doosan [FCB, July 2014, p5]. CTtransit has subsequently partnered with the Atlanta-based Center for Transportation and the Environment and Ballard Power Systems in Canada, as part of a project to bring a new fuel cell bus to Hartford by 2015 [FCB, April 2013, p3 and p9]. The Doosan-CTtransit project is partly funded by the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program, a Federal Transit Administration project to provide grants to public transportation agencies seeking to cut greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption [FCB, December 2011, p9]. Doosan Fuel Cell America, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.doosanfuelcell.com Korea South-East Power Co Ltd: www.kosep.co.kr/kosep/en/main.do CTtransit, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Program: http://fuelcell.cttransit.com
AFC has final building permit to finish Stade facility construction
U
K-based AFC Energy has received its second and final building permit from the Stade building and urban development authorities in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany to conclude construction of what will be the world’s largest industrial alkaline fuel cell facility. This final stage building permit follows the first partial building permit, issued in late March. The final permit will allow AFC and its contractors to erect all above-ground infrastructure, including the industrial steel frame building to house the KORE fuel cell system, all storage tanks, piping, connection points, and ancillary above-ground equipment. The final permitting review and approval process has been undertaken in parallel with early phase construction works over the last few months, with concrete now poured on top of the installed piled foundations and reinforcement base structure. AFC is proceeding with erection of the industrial steel frame building and the liquid
nitrogen tank, vaporiser and reheater installation, hydrogen supply pipework, the medium voltage grid connection substation, chemicals and product water tanks, above-ground piping, electrical and control & instrumentation connections, and the corresponding ancillary structures and support work. ‘Receipt of the final building permit from the Stade consenting authorities will now allow us to conclude our construction activities over the next few weeks, and reinforces the company’s confidence in delivering an accelerated timeline for initial power generation from the KORE system in July 2015 [FCB, June 2015, p6],’ says CEO Adam Bond. AFC Energy is approaching commercialisation for its KORE low-cost alkaline fuel cell system [see the AFC Energy feature in FCB, November 2011]. The company’s Power-Up project will demonstrate the world’s largest alkaline fuel cell system at the Air Products industrial gas plant in Stade, near Hamburg in northern Germany. The demonstration of the 240 kW KORE system has been fast tracked to December 2015, representing the final phase of AFC’s pre-commercialisation technical development programme [FCB, January 2015, p6 and February 2015, p6]. AFC has also recently announced large-scale projects in Asia and the Middle East [FCB, March 2015, p1 and May 2015, p6]. AFC Energy, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com Power-Up project: www.project-power-up.eu
Dominovas signs MW SOFC deals in Congo, joins Power Africa
A
tlanta-based Dominovas Energy has executed a 3 MW, multi-year Power Provider Agreement (PPA) to provide electricity to the City of David in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in central Africa, utilising its modular, off-grid Rubicon™ solid oxide fuel cell system. Dominovas subsequently executed a similar PPA to provide electricity to the Somico Mine in DRC. The company also says that it has been selected as the first fuel cell company to participate in US President Obama’s Power Africa Initiative, which aims to accelerate private investment in Africa’s power sector over the next several years. The City of David is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the DR Congo government and a private enterprise, which will comprise 3000 homes, a hospital, health clinics,
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS schools, malls, parks, food markets, sports centres, police stations, and waste treatment facilities across 8000 ha (30 square miles). The deployment of the 3 MW Rubicon system, expected to begin in Q4 of 2016, will be the largest single deployment of fuel cell technology in Africa so far. The PPA will yield more than US$100 million in guaranteed revenue to Dominovas Energy over its term. The company has partnered with Delphi Automotive Systems to jointly develop the technology and methodologies necessary to facilitate the commercial manufacture, assembly, and deployment of the Rubicon system [FCB, November 2014, p11]. The Somico Mine, owned and operated by mining company Somico-RDC, is located in the Lusambo/Sankuru region, which has one of the largest certified concentrations of diamonds, gold, and iron ore in Africa. As one of several mines operated by Somico-RDC, the Somico Mine will serve as a model for deploying Rubicon systems throughout Africa and other global markets. With the vast reserves of natural resources in Africa, the mining sector represents a tremendous opportunity for Dominovas Energy’s continued expansion across diverse applications. The deployment of this Rubicon system is also expected to begin in Q4 of 2016, and the multi-year PPA will yield more than $107 million in guaranteed revenue to Dominovas Energy. The Power Africa Initiative – announced by President Obama in Cape Town, South Africa in June 2013 – is a partnership of private sector participants, the US government, and governments of several sub-Saharan countries, which aims to nurture and accelerate private sector investment in Africa’s power sector over the next several years. Power Africa partners represent the foundational support in building the regulatory, economic, and policy framework integral to meeting increasing African demand for – and access to – electricity. Dominovas Energy Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Tel: 1 800 679 1249 (tollfree in US), www.dominovasenergy.com Power Africa Initiative: www.usaid.gov/powerafrica
fueling
CaFCP releases list of California hydrogen station priority sites
T
he automaker members of the California Fuel Cell Partnership have released an open letter, that states their consensus list of the priority locations 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
for the next 19 stations to continue the expansion of the hydrogen fueling station network in California. The aim is to help guide the coordinated efforts of station developers and government planners with those of the anticipated commercial market needs of early-market fuel cell electric vehicle customers. The primary priority station locations (in alphabetical order) are Berkeley/Richmond/ Oakland, Beverly Hills/Westwood, Fremont, Lebec, Manhattan Beach, Sacramento, San Diego #2 and #3, San Francisco, Thousand Oaks/Agoura Hills, and Torrance/Palos Verdes. The secondary priority locations are Culver City, Dublin/Pleasanton, Encino/Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Irvine South, Los Banos, Palm Springs, and Ventura/Oxnard. (The Lebec and Los Banos locations are to further strengthen the Interstate 5 corridor.) In preparing their recommendations, the CaFCP OEM Advisory Group members – American Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen – first worked individually to ascertain station deployment for their own market needs, then the data were shared independently in a double-blind process, and compiled into an aggregate list. The Advisory Group then collaboratively reviewed the data to refine the cluster and regional infrastructure needs. Their recommendations focus on building hydrogen fueling network coverage and redundant capacity throughout the Northern California, Southern California, and Central Valley regions. In addition, some recommended priority locations are being fostered as replacements for early ‘demonstration/research project’ hydrogen stations that are not expected to be upgraded to full retail operational status. The recommendations are to aid the next phase of California’s hydrogen fueling network development, consistent with two CaFCP reports, A California Road Map: The Commercialization of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (published in June 2012) and the subsequent 2014 Update: Hydrogen Progress, Priorities and Opportunities (published in July 2014) [and see the CaFCP feature in FCB, November 2009]. Last summer the California Energy Commission announced $47 million in funding to accelerate the development of publicly accessible hydrogen fueling stations in California [FCB, May 2014, p7 and June 2014, p6]. And Kalibrate Technologies recently released the results of its own California hydrogen refueling infrastructure analysis for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to identify the best locations for establishing a network of stations [FCB, June 2015, p1].
California Fuel Cell Partnership: www.cafcp.org 2012 Road Map: http://tinyurl.com/cafcp-2012-roadmap 2014 Update: http://tinyurl.com/cafcp-2014-roadmap
Fast-fill hydrogen station in Hawaii to serve GM FCEV fleet
T
he Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) has commissioned a FastFill high-pressure (700 bar) hydrogen fueling station at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) in Kaneohe Bay. Operational since November 2014, this station was recently certified for unattended operation, allowing drivers to self-fill their cars just like at a regular gasoline station. The hydrogen station was developed to support a fleet of General Motors Equinox Fuel Cell cars leased by the Office of Naval Research for use by Marine Corps and Navy personnel on Oahu [FCB, March 2012, p2]. ‘We have been really impressed with the fill speed and control algorithms of the hydrogen station at MCBH,’ says Chris Colquitt, Hawaii site leader for GM. ‘The algorithms to control flow have done a really good job of ensuring tank temperature thresholds are maintained, without stopping fills before completion.’ A major challenge for hydrogen production and dispensing stations is the cost of hydrogen at the nozzle. In this project, HNEI – part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa – is conducting research to assess the technical performance and economic value of an electrolyser-based hydrogen production system in a 350/700 bar Fast-Fill (under 5 min) fueling station. The technical analysis includes component efficiencies under various operating scenarios, and the long-term durability of major components. The economic analysis determines the station’s daily operating cost, and the overall cost benefits of producing hydrogen. The dual fill pressure capability will allow this station to service both light-duty vehicles mostly designed to use high-pressure (700 bar) hydrogen storage, and larger fleet vehicles such as buses, usually designed for 350 bar. This station is part of the Hawaii Hydrogen Power Park project, established by HNEI to support the Department of Energy’s Technology Validation Program. Initial funding from DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office was used to procure the electrolyser and a lowpressure fueling capability. Additional ONR funding added the capability to include the 700 bar Fast Fill to support the Equinox FCEV
July 2015