- Email: [email protected]
Element 1 deal with Chinese partner for bus hydrogen generation
news acquired H2 Logic [see the H2 Logic feature in May 2013]. Last autumn it was awarded EUDP grants for two projects to continue developing its H2Station technology [November 2016, p11]. The company recently received additional purchase orders for H2Station equipment and services for the expanding hydrogen refueling network in California [October 2017, p6], and a joint purchase order with sister subsidiary Proton Onsite in the US [see also page 12] for a combined hydrogen PEM electrolyser and H2Station hydrogen fueling solution for SunLine Transit Agency in California [October 2017, p7]. Nel ASA: www.nelhydrogen.com Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha Ltd: www.kakoki.co.jp/english
German stations with Linde technology open in Bremen, Cologne
T
he northern German city of Bremen has inaugurated its first hydrogen refueling station, and another has been opened at Cologne/Bonn Airport in North Rhine-Westphalia. These latest additions to the nationwide hydrogen network will serve fuel cell electric vehicles on the important route between Hamburg and NRW. The new station in Bremen, at Osterholzer Heerstrasse 222, is located on the Sebaldsbrück motorway exit and the Bremen interchange, and is also near the Mercedes-Benz plant, one of Daimler’s largest car plants. This is where the new generation of Mercedes-Benz FCEVs will be produced; in September, Daimler presented the preproduction GLC F-CELL, the first vehicle to combine fuel cell and battery technology in a purely electric plug-in hybrid [see the News Focus in FCB, October 2017]. Daimler developed the facility, which is integrated into a Shell service station, and features hydrogen dispensing technology from The Linde Group [see the Linde feature in September 2014]. These three companies are partners in the H2 Mobility Deutschland joint venture – along with Air Liquide, OMV and Total – which is building a hydrogen infrastructure across Germany [November 2015, p6]. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has invested E900 000 (US$1.1 million) in the facility’s construction, through its National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). The foundations for expanding the German hydrogen infrastructure were laid by the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) demonstration 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
project, which established common standards and norms [see the CEP feature in June 2011]. Linde and Total have also inaugurated a public hydrogen station at Cologne Bonn Airport, an important building block for further hydrogen FCEV and bus projects in North Rhine-Westphalia. The station will be operated by H2 Mobility, and has received E1.3 million ($1.5 million) in BMVI support. The station can store up to 370 kg of hydrogen, enough to refuel 90 vehicles. In addition to the 700 bar hydrogen dispenser for cars, equipment for an optional 350 bar dispenser for bus refueling is pre-installed. This opens up the prospect of establishing a fleet of fuel cell buses at the airport and in the region. The Regionalverkehr Köln (RVK) transit agency in Cologne was recently awarded a grant for the procurement of 30 fuel cell hybrid buses and two hydrogen stations, expected to enter service from 2019 [October 2017, p2]. The nationwide network also recently added hydrogen stations in Munich and Bad Rappenau [see page 8], bringing the total number of stations in the German network to 41. Additional stations in the pipeline or under construction in northern Germany include Shell facilities in the Diepholz district of Stuhr-Grossmackenstedt (south of Bremen), in the Laatzen district of Hannover in Lower Saxony, and in Kassel in Hesse. The plan is to have 100 German stations in operation by the end of 2018, with H2 Mobility aiming to set up as many as 400 service stations by 2023 [October 2013, p6]. Daimler: www.daimler.com Shell, Hydrogen: www.shell.com/hydrogen Linde, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy-h2 H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH: www.h2-mobility.de/en National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Clean Energy Partnership: www.cleanenergypartnership.de/en Total Deutschland, Emission-free mobility: http://tinyurl.com/total-de-h2-mobility
Centre of the Netherlands plans to install the world’s first wind turbine with direct hydrogen production, in the Wieringermeer area at the start of 2019. The wind turbine will produce hydrogen for the Duwaal project, the initiative of a wideranging consortium in the North Holland province led by HYGRO. The consortium aims to simultaneously implement sustainable hydrogen production alongside distribution to at least five hydrogen refueling stations serving 100 hydrogen powered trucks. The 4.8 MW Lagerwey wind turbine will be converted to allow it to incorporate electrolysis technology. Integration of these two proven technologies will enable many components to be omitted, making the hydrogen production cheaper, more efficient, and more robust. The hydrogen wind turbine, the first of its kind, will be demonstrated on ECN’s wind turbine testing field at nearby Wieringerwerf. In the future, wind turbines will ideally be connected to a hydrogen gas network rather than the electric grid, since pipelines serve as an inherent buffer, which helps to balance energy supply and demand – one of the challenges facing wind and solar energy sources. The Dutch project is the first to integrate a wind turbine with an electrolyser to produce hydrogen directly, but wind turbines are being used in a number of places to generate electricity that is then used to produce hydrogen using an electrolyser. For example, a Japanese project is utilising hydrogen produced from wind energy facilities on Tokyo Bay for the operation of fuel cell powered forklifts in Yokohama and Kawasaki [FCB, August 2017, p8 and see the News Feature in April 2016]. And the h2herten application centre in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany operates a wind power electrolysis plant for an independent and reliable renewable energy supply [see the feature in April 2013]. Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands: www.ecn.nl/expertise/policy-studies Lagerwey: www.lagerwey.com HYGRO: www.hy-gro.net [in Dutch]
commercialisation
energy storage
Element 1 deal with First wind turbine for direct ‘green’ hydrogen Chinese partner for bus planned in Netherlands hydrogen generation
A
Dutch partnership initiated by sustainable hydrogen supplier HYGRO, wind turbine manufacturer Lagerwey, and the ECN Energy Research
U
S-based Element 1 Corporation (e1) has signed a purchase contract with Blue-G New Energy Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing,
November 2017
news / in brief for on-board hydrogen generation technology for fuel cell buses in China. Under the purchase contract, e1 will deliver a hydrogen generator designed to provide up to 500 litres/min of high-purity hydrogen by reforming a mixture of methanol and water. Because it will be operated on-board fuel cell powered buses and logistic vehicles, there is no dependency on a stationary hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Blue-G will integrate the hydrogen generator into fuel cell electric buses, targeting customers in China. The successful delivery of the first hydrogen generator, based on e1’s patented technology, is expected to lead to a licence agreement between e1 and Blue-G in 2018. ‘Fuel cells have become a very important component of China’s five-year plan to invest in clean energy, with Blue-G playing a leading role in fulfilling the vision of China’s hydrogen economy,’ says e1 CEO, Dr Dave Edlund. ‘We are impressed with the traction Blue-G is achieving in the China market, and look forward to working closely with the Blue-G team. e1’s innovative technology offers unique and compelling engineering design advantages, while also providing scalability and multiple form factors.’ ‘Integrating a methanol hydrogen generator into fuel cell bus systems is another technology challenge with promise to enhance fuel cell bus applications using an alternative and convenient method of supplying hydrogen fuel,’ adds Ronald Lee, CEO of Blue-G. ‘However, sophisticated control technology applied to the system is required. Through a joint collaboration programme with e1, we hope to add this innovative technology and products into fuel cell deployments within two years.’ Oregon-based e1 has been busy in China this year. In the spring it announced a joint venture with China Aqueous Group, to mass produce and commercialise fuel cell power systems for the Chinese telecom market, by combining e1’s hydrogen generation technology with CAG’s hydrogen and fuel cell generators to create electric power solutions for telecom base stations [FCB, June 2017, p11]. It then signed an agreement with Guangdong Nation Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology to deliver a 100 kg/day hydrogen generator based on methanol, in a collaboration to target the market for hydrogen refueling stations to support the rollout of fuel cell buses in China [August 2017, p8]. For its part, Blue-G signed a Purchase and Licence Agreement in the summer with Canadian-based Hydrogenics, under which it will deliver 1000 fuel cell units to Blue-G for integration into fuel cell buses [June 2017, p2]. Element 1 Corporation: www.e1na.com
November 2017
Faurecia partners with CEA on stack R&D
F
rench-based automotive equipment supplier Faurecia has signed a fiveyear agreement with the CEA French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, to collaborate in a research and development programme for automotive PEM fuel cell stack technologies. The partnership will combine Faurecia’s expertise in fluid dynamics and catalysis with more than two decades of CEA research and expertise in fuel cell stacks and key components such as bipolar plates. The partners will be able to develop, mass-produce and commercialise a high-performance stack that will meet automotive industry expectations. ‘Our partnership with the CEA marks an important new step in Faurecia’s strategy to develop a reliable offer for fuel cell technologies,’ says Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia, which is headquartered near Paris. ‘We are convinced that this technology, which offers large autonomy and fast refueling times, will coexist with battery electric vehicles. It is, especially for commercial vehicles, an effective alternative. In addition, hydrogen production is an efficient way to store green electricity.’ ‘For almost 20 years the CEA has been involved in the development of hydrogenpowered fuel cells in order to meet the challenges of clean mobility,’ adds Florence Lambert, CEO of the CEA-Liten research centre in Grenoble. ‘We are particularly pleased to support Faurecia in its ambition to address the fuel cell electric vehicle market: a strong message for the French industry.’ In the summer Faurecia acquired exclusive access to the intellectual property and process know-how of composite hydrogen tanks from STELIA Aerospace Composites, facilitating the design, manufacture and commercialisation of carbon fibre composite, high-pressure hydrogen tanks for fuel cell electric vehicles [FCB, June 2017, p11]. The company has also invested in Ad-Venta, which has developed a reliable, compact valve which allows pressure management from 700 bar to 10 bar for delivery to the fuel cell. Among other fuel cell activities, CEA-Liten is coordinating the recently launched DIGIMAN (Digital Materials Characterisation Proof-ofProcess Auto Assembly) project, an EU-funded initiative to provide a blueprint to enable fully automated mass manufacturing of PEM fuel cell stacks for the automotive market [June 2017, p12].
IN BRIEF FCH2 JU publishes interim report The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU, www.fch.europa. eu) continues to demonstrate strengths and remains relevant as a funding instrument in Europe, ensuring good alignment with policy and industrial initiatives, according to a new report, Interim Evaluation of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (2014–2016) operating under Horizon 2020 (3.4MB PDF, https://tinyurl.com/fch2ju-interim-2017). The evaluation was performed by an Independent Experts Group for the European Commission. Intelligent Energy sold to Meditor Energy UK-based PEM fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy Holdings Plc has announced the sale of its main operating subsidiary, Intelligent Energy Ltd (www.intelligent-energy.com), to Meditor Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Meditor European Master Fund Ltd, for £19.5 million (US$25.9 million). ‘Meditor has been the largest financial stakeholder of Intelligent Energy for over a decade, and led the refinancing of the company through the £30 million Convertible Loan Note in May 2016 [FCB, June 2016, p11]’, says Talal Shakerchi, CEO of Meditor Capital Management, investment adviser to Meditor European Master Fund. ‘We remain convinced of the long-term potential of the company’s world-leading fuel cell technology, but recognise that, to achieve that potential, the business will need significant further funding and support.’ DOE hydrogen safety training resource, partners with Japan on hydrogen safety The US Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO, http:// tinyurl.com/doe-fcto) and Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP, https:// tinyurl.com/doe-femp) are developing a hydrogen training resource focused on fuel cell electric vehicle technology and how it can be utilised for federal fleets, as well as refueling infrastructure options and safety considerations. The training is based on material presented at FEMP’s Energy Exchange and extensive hydrogen safety work by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. FCTO is also collaborating with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO, www. nedo.go.jp/english) in Japan, on hydrogen and fuel cell safety R&D data sharing to accelerate progress in hydrogen technology. The partners plan to hold a joint workshop on hydrogen in the coming months. FCTO recently announced a similar partnership with the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (www.now-gmbh.de) in Germany [FCB, October 2017, p11].
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11
German stations with Linde technology open in Bremen, Cologne
T
he northern German city of Bremen has inaugurated its first hydrogen refueling station, and another has been opened at Cologne/Bonn Airport in North Rhine-Westphalia. These latest additions to the nationwide hydrogen network will serve fuel cell electric vehicles on the important route between Hamburg and NRW. The new station in Bremen, at Osterholzer Heerstrasse 222, is located on the Sebaldsbrück motorway exit and the Bremen interchange, and is also near the Mercedes-Benz plant, one of Daimler’s largest car plants. This is where the new generation of Mercedes-Benz FCEVs will be produced; in September, Daimler presented the preproduction GLC F-CELL, the first vehicle to combine fuel cell and battery technology in a purely electric plug-in hybrid [see the News Focus in FCB, October 2017]. Daimler developed the facility, which is integrated into a Shell service station, and features hydrogen dispensing technology from The Linde Group [see the Linde feature in September 2014]. These three companies are partners in the H2 Mobility Deutschland joint venture – along with Air Liquide, OMV and Total – which is building a hydrogen infrastructure across Germany [November 2015, p6]. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has invested E900 000 (US$1.1 million) in the facility’s construction, through its National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). The foundations for expanding the German hydrogen infrastructure were laid by the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) demonstration 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
project, which established common standards and norms [see the CEP feature in June 2011]. Linde and Total have also inaugurated a public hydrogen station at Cologne Bonn Airport, an important building block for further hydrogen FCEV and bus projects in North Rhine-Westphalia. The station will be operated by H2 Mobility, and has received E1.3 million ($1.5 million) in BMVI support. The station can store up to 370 kg of hydrogen, enough to refuel 90 vehicles. In addition to the 700 bar hydrogen dispenser for cars, equipment for an optional 350 bar dispenser for bus refueling is pre-installed. This opens up the prospect of establishing a fleet of fuel cell buses at the airport and in the region. The Regionalverkehr Köln (RVK) transit agency in Cologne was recently awarded a grant for the procurement of 30 fuel cell hybrid buses and two hydrogen stations, expected to enter service from 2019 [October 2017, p2]. The nationwide network also recently added hydrogen stations in Munich and Bad Rappenau [see page 8], bringing the total number of stations in the German network to 41. Additional stations in the pipeline or under construction in northern Germany include Shell facilities in the Diepholz district of Stuhr-Grossmackenstedt (south of Bremen), in the Laatzen district of Hannover in Lower Saxony, and in Kassel in Hesse. The plan is to have 100 German stations in operation by the end of 2018, with H2 Mobility aiming to set up as many as 400 service stations by 2023 [October 2013, p6]. Daimler: www.daimler.com Shell, Hydrogen: www.shell.com/hydrogen Linde, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy-h2 H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH: www.h2-mobility.de/en National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Clean Energy Partnership: www.cleanenergypartnership.de/en Total Deutschland, Emission-free mobility: http://tinyurl.com/total-de-h2-mobility
Centre of the Netherlands plans to install the world’s first wind turbine with direct hydrogen production, in the Wieringermeer area at the start of 2019. The wind turbine will produce hydrogen for the Duwaal project, the initiative of a wideranging consortium in the North Holland province led by HYGRO. The consortium aims to simultaneously implement sustainable hydrogen production alongside distribution to at least five hydrogen refueling stations serving 100 hydrogen powered trucks. The 4.8 MW Lagerwey wind turbine will be converted to allow it to incorporate electrolysis technology. Integration of these two proven technologies will enable many components to be omitted, making the hydrogen production cheaper, more efficient, and more robust. The hydrogen wind turbine, the first of its kind, will be demonstrated on ECN’s wind turbine testing field at nearby Wieringerwerf. In the future, wind turbines will ideally be connected to a hydrogen gas network rather than the electric grid, since pipelines serve as an inherent buffer, which helps to balance energy supply and demand – one of the challenges facing wind and solar energy sources. The Dutch project is the first to integrate a wind turbine with an electrolyser to produce hydrogen directly, but wind turbines are being used in a number of places to generate electricity that is then used to produce hydrogen using an electrolyser. For example, a Japanese project is utilising hydrogen produced from wind energy facilities on Tokyo Bay for the operation of fuel cell powered forklifts in Yokohama and Kawasaki [FCB, August 2017, p8 and see the News Feature in April 2016]. And the h2herten application centre in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany operates a wind power electrolysis plant for an independent and reliable renewable energy supply [see the feature in April 2013]. Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands: www.ecn.nl/expertise/policy-studies Lagerwey: www.lagerwey.com HYGRO: www.hy-gro.net [in Dutch]
commercialisation
energy storage
Element 1 deal with First wind turbine for direct ‘green’ hydrogen Chinese partner for bus planned in Netherlands hydrogen generation
A
Dutch partnership initiated by sustainable hydrogen supplier HYGRO, wind turbine manufacturer Lagerwey, and the ECN Energy Research
U
S-based Element 1 Corporation (e1) has signed a purchase contract with Blue-G New Energy Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing,
November 2017
news / in brief for on-board hydrogen generation technology for fuel cell buses in China. Under the purchase contract, e1 will deliver a hydrogen generator designed to provide up to 500 litres/min of high-purity hydrogen by reforming a mixture of methanol and water. Because it will be operated on-board fuel cell powered buses and logistic vehicles, there is no dependency on a stationary hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Blue-G will integrate the hydrogen generator into fuel cell electric buses, targeting customers in China. The successful delivery of the first hydrogen generator, based on e1’s patented technology, is expected to lead to a licence agreement between e1 and Blue-G in 2018. ‘Fuel cells have become a very important component of China’s five-year plan to invest in clean energy, with Blue-G playing a leading role in fulfilling the vision of China’s hydrogen economy,’ says e1 CEO, Dr Dave Edlund. ‘We are impressed with the traction Blue-G is achieving in the China market, and look forward to working closely with the Blue-G team. e1’s innovative technology offers unique and compelling engineering design advantages, while also providing scalability and multiple form factors.’ ‘Integrating a methanol hydrogen generator into fuel cell bus systems is another technology challenge with promise to enhance fuel cell bus applications using an alternative and convenient method of supplying hydrogen fuel,’ adds Ronald Lee, CEO of Blue-G. ‘However, sophisticated control technology applied to the system is required. Through a joint collaboration programme with e1, we hope to add this innovative technology and products into fuel cell deployments within two years.’ Oregon-based e1 has been busy in China this year. In the spring it announced a joint venture with China Aqueous Group, to mass produce and commercialise fuel cell power systems for the Chinese telecom market, by combining e1’s hydrogen generation technology with CAG’s hydrogen and fuel cell generators to create electric power solutions for telecom base stations [FCB, June 2017, p11]. It then signed an agreement with Guangdong Nation Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology to deliver a 100 kg/day hydrogen generator based on methanol, in a collaboration to target the market for hydrogen refueling stations to support the rollout of fuel cell buses in China [August 2017, p8]. For its part, Blue-G signed a Purchase and Licence Agreement in the summer with Canadian-based Hydrogenics, under which it will deliver 1000 fuel cell units to Blue-G for integration into fuel cell buses [June 2017, p2]. Element 1 Corporation: www.e1na.com
November 2017
Faurecia partners with CEA on stack R&D
F
rench-based automotive equipment supplier Faurecia has signed a fiveyear agreement with the CEA French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, to collaborate in a research and development programme for automotive PEM fuel cell stack technologies. The partnership will combine Faurecia’s expertise in fluid dynamics and catalysis with more than two decades of CEA research and expertise in fuel cell stacks and key components such as bipolar plates. The partners will be able to develop, mass-produce and commercialise a high-performance stack that will meet automotive industry expectations. ‘Our partnership with the CEA marks an important new step in Faurecia’s strategy to develop a reliable offer for fuel cell technologies,’ says Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia, which is headquartered near Paris. ‘We are convinced that this technology, which offers large autonomy and fast refueling times, will coexist with battery electric vehicles. It is, especially for commercial vehicles, an effective alternative. In addition, hydrogen production is an efficient way to store green electricity.’ ‘For almost 20 years the CEA has been involved in the development of hydrogenpowered fuel cells in order to meet the challenges of clean mobility,’ adds Florence Lambert, CEO of the CEA-Liten research centre in Grenoble. ‘We are particularly pleased to support Faurecia in its ambition to address the fuel cell electric vehicle market: a strong message for the French industry.’ In the summer Faurecia acquired exclusive access to the intellectual property and process know-how of composite hydrogen tanks from STELIA Aerospace Composites, facilitating the design, manufacture and commercialisation of carbon fibre composite, high-pressure hydrogen tanks for fuel cell electric vehicles [FCB, June 2017, p11]. The company has also invested in Ad-Venta, which has developed a reliable, compact valve which allows pressure management from 700 bar to 10 bar for delivery to the fuel cell. Among other fuel cell activities, CEA-Liten is coordinating the recently launched DIGIMAN (Digital Materials Characterisation Proof-ofProcess Auto Assembly) project, an EU-funded initiative to provide a blueprint to enable fully automated mass manufacturing of PEM fuel cell stacks for the automotive market [June 2017, p12].
IN BRIEF FCH2 JU publishes interim report The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU, www.fch.europa. eu) continues to demonstrate strengths and remains relevant as a funding instrument in Europe, ensuring good alignment with policy and industrial initiatives, according to a new report, Interim Evaluation of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (2014–2016) operating under Horizon 2020 (3.4MB PDF, https://tinyurl.com/fch2ju-interim-2017). The evaluation was performed by an Independent Experts Group for the European Commission. Intelligent Energy sold to Meditor Energy UK-based PEM fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy Holdings Plc has announced the sale of its main operating subsidiary, Intelligent Energy Ltd (www.intelligent-energy.com), to Meditor Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Meditor European Master Fund Ltd, for £19.5 million (US$25.9 million). ‘Meditor has been the largest financial stakeholder of Intelligent Energy for over a decade, and led the refinancing of the company through the £30 million Convertible Loan Note in May 2016 [FCB, June 2016, p11]’, says Talal Shakerchi, CEO of Meditor Capital Management, investment adviser to Meditor European Master Fund. ‘We remain convinced of the long-term potential of the company’s world-leading fuel cell technology, but recognise that, to achieve that potential, the business will need significant further funding and support.’ DOE hydrogen safety training resource, partners with Japan on hydrogen safety The US Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO, http:// tinyurl.com/doe-fcto) and Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP, https:// tinyurl.com/doe-femp) are developing a hydrogen training resource focused on fuel cell electric vehicle technology and how it can be utilised for federal fleets, as well as refueling infrastructure options and safety considerations. The training is based on material presented at FEMP’s Energy Exchange and extensive hydrogen safety work by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. FCTO is also collaborating with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO, www. nedo.go.jp/english) in Japan, on hydrogen and fuel cell safety R&D data sharing to accelerate progress in hydrogen technology. The partners plan to hold a joint workshop on hydrogen in the coming months. FCTO recently announced a similar partnership with the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (www.now-gmbh.de) in Germany [FCB, October 2017, p11].
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11