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FuelCell Energy trigen system for Toyota at Long Beach Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) is building the world’s first MW-scale molten carbonate fuel cell power generation plant with a hydrogen fueling station, to support its operations at the Port of Long Beach in California. The trigeneration system – supplied by Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy – will use biogas sourced from California agricultural waste to generate electric power, hydrogen, and water.
Generating power, and hydrogen for vehicles Toyota will purchase renewable hydrogen for vehicle fueling generated onsite from a multiMW SureSource™ power plant located at the Port of Long Beach. FuelCell Energy will install and operate the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power plant, which will be configured for hydrogen production to generate and supply 100% renewable hydrogen for Toyota’s fuel cell electric vehicles and its Project Portal proof-ofconcept, fuel cell powered Class 8 heavy-duty truck [FCB, November 2017, p3]. The fuel cell system will simultaneously generate renewable power to be supplied to the grid under the California Bioenergy Market Adjustment Tariff (BioMAT) programme. When it comes online in 2020, the ‘TriGen’ system will generate approximately 2.35 MW of electric power and 1.2 tons (1090 kg) of hydrogen per day, enough to power the equivalent of about 2350 average-sized US homes and meet the daily driving needs of nearly 1500 FCEVs. The power generation facility will be 100% renewable, supplying Toyota Logistics Services (TLS) operations at the Port, and making it the first Toyota facility in North America to use 100% renewable power. ‘For more than 20 years, Toyota has been leading the development of fuel cell technology, because we understand the tremendous potential to reduce emissions and improve society,’ says Doug Murtha, Group VP for strategic planning at Toyota Motor Sales USA. ‘Tri-Gen is a major step forward for sustainable mobility, and a key accomplishment of our 2050 Environmental Challenge to achieve net zero CO2 emissions from our operations.’
Boosting local hydrogen refueling infrastructure Tri-Gen is a key step forward in Toyota’s work to develop a hydrogen-based society. 14
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In addition to serving as a key proof-ofconcept for 100% renewable, local hydrogen generation at MW scale, the facility will supply all Toyota FCEVs moving through the Port, including new deliveries of the Mirai saloon and Toyota’s Project Portal hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 heavy-duty truck. To support these refueling operations, Toyota has also built one of the largest hydrogen stations in the world onsite with the help of Air Liquide. ‘Fueling our proof-of-concept semi-truck, as well as our Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles, with 100% renewable hydrogen from this stationary fuel cell system is a major accomplishment, and a key step in building a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem to help power Port operations,’ says Doug Murtha.
Collective effort to meet air quality standards Tri-Gen has been developed by FuelCell Energy with the support of the US Department of Energy, California agencies including the California Air Resources Board (CARB), South Coast Air Quality Management District, Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), and the University of California at Irvine, whose research helped develop the core technology. The facility exceeds California’s strict air quality standards, and advances the overall goals of CARB, the California Energy Commission, and the Air Quality Management Districts of the South Coast and the Bay Area, who have been leaders in the work to reduce emissions and improve air quality. FuelCell Energy’s SureSource Hydrogen distributed hydrogen solution co-produces hydrogen and clean power from methanebased fuels such as renewable biogas. The methane is reformed to hydrogen using water and heat produced by the fuel cell, resulting in clean hydrogen production without water consumption. The company’s first trigeneration
system entered service with Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley in 2011 [FCB, August 2011, p1].
Carbon-neutral by use of renewable biogas In January 2016, CARB certified a prospective pathway for hydrogen production with this technology fueled by biogas [see the News Feature in FCB, February 2016]. CARB’s team performed a complete Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on the system and determined that it has a negative carbon intensity, since the power and hydrogen generation process is carbonneutral due to the use of renewable biogas, and because the fuel cell ‘waste’ heat is used to feed the internal reformation reactions. ‘This is an innovative and replicable global model for building an affordable hydrogen infrastructure, to generate renewable transportation fuel that facilitates the wider adoption of fuel cell electric cars, trucks and buses,’ says Chip Bottone, CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘We are pleased to provide Toyota with a flexible project structure that meets their needs both sustainably and economically.’ Toyota remains committed to supporting the development of a consumer-facing hydrogen infrastructure to realise the potential of FCEVs. There are now 31 retail hydrogen refueling stations open for business in California, and Toyota is working with a broad range of companies to develop new stations. This includes a partnership with Shell that represents the first such collaboration between a major automaker and a major oil company [FCB, March 2017, p8].
More information FuelCell Energy, SureSource Hydrogen plant: www.fuelcellenergy.com/supply/hydrogen Toyota Project Portal: http://tinyurl.com/toyota-project-portal2 Toyota, Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/toyota-fcevs Air Liquide, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/hydrogen-energy-airliquide
December 2017