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Finnish INNO-SOFC project starts for VTT, Convion and Elcogen
news / in brief materials handling, heavy-duty applications, and stationary hydrogen storage. OMB Saleri SpA, Brescia (BS), Italy. Tel: +39 030 319 5801, www.omb-saleri.it
FCHEA report boosts business case for fuel cells in sustainability
A
new free report from the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) in Washington, DC highlights that businesses of all sizes are increasingly adopting cost-effective fuel cell technology to improve electric power reliability, increase efficiencies, and reduce the carbon emissions of their operations. The US companies profiled in the latest edition of the annual report, The Business Case for Fuel Cells 2015: Powering Corporate Sustainability, collectively save millions of dollars in electricity costs while eliminating hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum. Many have multiple facilities utilising fuel cell technology, and have signaled their intention to purchase more. ‘This report showcases the growing commercial appeal of fuel cells – spanning the entire breadth of our economy, including manufacturing, retail, technology, transportation, telecommunication, healthcare, food, and more,’ says FCHEA president Morry B. Markowitz. ‘By saving money, reducing emissions, avoiding downtime and boosting efficiency, reliable fuel cells help businesses protect both the environment and the company’s bottom line.’ Download the free report (6MB PDF): http://tinyurl.com/business-case-2015
research
Finnish INNO-SOFC project starts for VTT, Convion and Elcogen
T
he INNO-SOFC project in Finland recently got under way, in which the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is collaborating with solid oxide fuel cell companies Convion and Elcogen to develop a next-generation, long-life, commercially viable SOFC system that offers higher efficiency than competing technologies.
December 2015
The widespread adoption of fuel cell systems has been hindered by their short service life and high price. The INNO-SOFC project therefore aims to double the service life and halve the cost of fuel cell systems, to give a competitive edge that will enable the emergence of commercial applications. The project – with E4 million (US$4.4 million) in funding from the European Union through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) – began in September, and is scheduled for completion in April 2018. The three Finnish participants are working with ElringKlinger AG and the Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), and energy consultancy Energy Matters BV in the Netherlands. The consortium will develop a 50 kW SOFC system with an efficiency of 60% for electricity production and total efficiency of 85%. Elcogen will deliver the core of the SOFCs, while VTT will coordinate the project, supporting R&D at the participating companies and validating the service life of the system and cells. The new fuel cell system will generate an AC output, and be suitable for use in several different applications. The SOFC can be used to generate electricity and heat from methane produced by biomass at wastewater treatment and biogas plants, and the possibility of operation with liquefied natural gas (LNG) will enable its use outside the current natural gas network. ‘The companies participating in the project can expect to benefit from new competitive products and efficient value chains,’ says VTT project manager Olli Himanen. ‘Simultaneously, we are making a contribution to a growing European fuel cell industry. This project will also support R&D at Finnish companies, and assist them in participating in the EU Horizon 2020 projects.’ VTT and Convion are also participating in the new DEMOSOFC project, to install the first European industrial SOFC system able to convert sludge from the waste water treatment process into clean energy [see the News Feature in FCB, November 2015]. Contact: Dr Olli Himanen, Senior Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Tel: +358 40 352 6298, Email: [email protected], Web: www.vttresearch.com Convion Ltd, Espoo, Finland. Tel: +358 10 328 7370, www.convion.fi Elcogen Ltd, Vantaa, Finland. Tel: +358 10 323 3060, www.elcogen.com Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu
IN BRIEF French fire brigades using Symbio vans The French fire brigades are very concerned about hydrogen safety. For example, a French fireman leads the European project HyResponse (www.hyresponse.eu), which aims to establish the first comprehensive hydrogen safety training programme for first responders, and produce guidelines for dealing with incidents. Most official emergency services in France (SDIS) have already set up incident guidelines, training, and operational processes. Taking this further, the emergency services for the Manche department (SDIS 50) in northern France recently took possession of their first two Kangoo ZE-H2 utility vans for daily operations. These zero-emission vehicles feature 5 kW hydrogen PEM fuel cell rangeextender systems from Symbio FCell (www. symbiofcell.com), which guarantee operational continuity and 100% availability. The Manche region plans to install a network of hydrogen refueling stations [FCB, August 2015, p8], and the Manche regional council is already operating a small fleet of Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 vans [FCB, February 2015, p2]. Electro Power Systems launches in SF French-based Electro Power Systems (www. electropowersystems.com) has appointed Marco Terruzzin as its managing director for North and Latin America. He will run the company’s new branch in San Francisco. EPS has also appointed Khek Koon Then as its new senior VP for Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore, to develop the company’s business in the Asia-Pacific market [FCB, August 2015, p3]. California hydrogen station permits guide The California Governor’s Office of Business Development (GO-Biz) has published a new guidebook to help smooth the process of hydrogen station development. The Hydrogen Permitting Station Guidebook (http://tinyurl. com/ca-h2-permit-guide) is aimed at station developers, permitting officials and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and provides insights and lessons learned from the past two years of hydrogen station development in California. Hyundai adds 50 more FCEVs in Europe Korean automaker Hyundai delivered another 50 ix35 Fuel Cell cars (www.fuelcell.eu) in October, for distribution to customers in 13 European countries, which now include Spain and Switzerland. This largest single shipment of hydrogen FCEVs in Europe so far, brings the total number of Hyundai FCEVs in Europe to more than 250, which Hyundai says is more than those of every other manufacturer combined [FCB, June 2013, p2 and September 2015, p2]. The cars are being supplied to private and corporate customers under purchase or lease deals.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11
FCHEA report boosts business case for fuel cells in sustainability
A
new free report from the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) in Washington, DC highlights that businesses of all sizes are increasingly adopting cost-effective fuel cell technology to improve electric power reliability, increase efficiencies, and reduce the carbon emissions of their operations. The US companies profiled in the latest edition of the annual report, The Business Case for Fuel Cells 2015: Powering Corporate Sustainability, collectively save millions of dollars in electricity costs while eliminating hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum. Many have multiple facilities utilising fuel cell technology, and have signaled their intention to purchase more. ‘This report showcases the growing commercial appeal of fuel cells – spanning the entire breadth of our economy, including manufacturing, retail, technology, transportation, telecommunication, healthcare, food, and more,’ says FCHEA president Morry B. Markowitz. ‘By saving money, reducing emissions, avoiding downtime and boosting efficiency, reliable fuel cells help businesses protect both the environment and the company’s bottom line.’ Download the free report (6MB PDF): http://tinyurl.com/business-case-2015
research
Finnish INNO-SOFC project starts for VTT, Convion and Elcogen
T
he INNO-SOFC project in Finland recently got under way, in which the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is collaborating with solid oxide fuel cell companies Convion and Elcogen to develop a next-generation, long-life, commercially viable SOFC system that offers higher efficiency than competing technologies.
December 2015
The widespread adoption of fuel cell systems has been hindered by their short service life and high price. The INNO-SOFC project therefore aims to double the service life and halve the cost of fuel cell systems, to give a competitive edge that will enable the emergence of commercial applications. The project – with E4 million (US$4.4 million) in funding from the European Union through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) – began in September, and is scheduled for completion in April 2018. The three Finnish participants are working with ElringKlinger AG and the Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), and energy consultancy Energy Matters BV in the Netherlands. The consortium will develop a 50 kW SOFC system with an efficiency of 60% for electricity production and total efficiency of 85%. Elcogen will deliver the core of the SOFCs, while VTT will coordinate the project, supporting R&D at the participating companies and validating the service life of the system and cells. The new fuel cell system will generate an AC output, and be suitable for use in several different applications. The SOFC can be used to generate electricity and heat from methane produced by biomass at wastewater treatment and biogas plants, and the possibility of operation with liquefied natural gas (LNG) will enable its use outside the current natural gas network. ‘The companies participating in the project can expect to benefit from new competitive products and efficient value chains,’ says VTT project manager Olli Himanen. ‘Simultaneously, we are making a contribution to a growing European fuel cell industry. This project will also support R&D at Finnish companies, and assist them in participating in the EU Horizon 2020 projects.’ VTT and Convion are also participating in the new DEMOSOFC project, to install the first European industrial SOFC system able to convert sludge from the waste water treatment process into clean energy [see the News Feature in FCB, November 2015]. Contact: Dr Olli Himanen, Senior Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Tel: +358 40 352 6298, Email: [email protected], Web: www.vttresearch.com Convion Ltd, Espoo, Finland. Tel: +358 10 328 7370, www.convion.fi Elcogen Ltd, Vantaa, Finland. Tel: +358 10 323 3060, www.elcogen.com Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu
IN BRIEF French fire brigades using Symbio vans The French fire brigades are very concerned about hydrogen safety. For example, a French fireman leads the European project HyResponse (www.hyresponse.eu), which aims to establish the first comprehensive hydrogen safety training programme for first responders, and produce guidelines for dealing with incidents. Most official emergency services in France (SDIS) have already set up incident guidelines, training, and operational processes. Taking this further, the emergency services for the Manche department (SDIS 50) in northern France recently took possession of their first two Kangoo ZE-H2 utility vans for daily operations. These zero-emission vehicles feature 5 kW hydrogen PEM fuel cell rangeextender systems from Symbio FCell (www. symbiofcell.com), which guarantee operational continuity and 100% availability. The Manche region plans to install a network of hydrogen refueling stations [FCB, August 2015, p8], and the Manche regional council is already operating a small fleet of Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 vans [FCB, February 2015, p2]. Electro Power Systems launches in SF French-based Electro Power Systems (www. electropowersystems.com) has appointed Marco Terruzzin as its managing director for North and Latin America. He will run the company’s new branch in San Francisco. EPS has also appointed Khek Koon Then as its new senior VP for Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore, to develop the company’s business in the Asia-Pacific market [FCB, August 2015, p3]. California hydrogen station permits guide The California Governor’s Office of Business Development (GO-Biz) has published a new guidebook to help smooth the process of hydrogen station development. The Hydrogen Permitting Station Guidebook (http://tinyurl. com/ca-h2-permit-guide) is aimed at station developers, permitting officials and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and provides insights and lessons learned from the past two years of hydrogen station development in California. Hyundai adds 50 more FCEVs in Europe Korean automaker Hyundai delivered another 50 ix35 Fuel Cell cars (www.fuelcell.eu) in October, for distribution to customers in 13 European countries, which now include Spain and Switzerland. This largest single shipment of hydrogen FCEVs in Europe so far, brings the total number of Hyundai FCEVs in Europe to more than 250, which Hyundai says is more than those of every other manufacturer combined [FCB, June 2013, p2 and September 2015, p2]. The cars are being supplied to private and corporate customers under purchase or lease deals.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11