NEWS from Berlin and Hannover towards the Rhine/ Ruhr region. The station uses Linde’s highly efficient IC90 ionic compressor, which has a capacity of 160–400 kg per day [see the Linde feature in September 2014]. Also, Duisburg has a hydrogen station currently in trial operation. And the state of Saxony-Anhalt has opened its second hydrogen station [December 2018, p8], at a PS Union site in Halle an der Saale. The station, which features hydrogen dispensing technology from Linde, is located close to the Bundestrasse 80 highway, and closes the gap in the network between Leipzig and Magdeburg. The station will be integrated into the region’s new mobility concept: PS Union is adding 10 hydrogen-powered vehicles to its ‘JEZ! mobil’ car-sharing service, and the Stadtwerke Halle municipal utility will use hydrogen vehicles in its car-sharing programme. There are now 70 hydrogen stations in Germany, with 30 more under construction as the network targets 100 by the end of 2019. Shell already has 25 hydrogen stations in operation, six of them in NRW. H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH: https://h2.live/en Shell Global, Hydrogen: http://tinyurl.com/shell-h2 Air Liquide, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/hydrogen-energy-airliquide The Linde Group, Hydrogen Energy: https://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy PS Union: www.ps-union.de [in German]
ITM, Shell extend fuel deal to all hydrogen vehicles, trains, ships
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n the UK, ITM Power has extended its hydrogen refueling collaboration agreement with Shell, which was originally announced in September 2015 [FCB, September 2015, p1]. The new agreement will run until 2024, and covers the refueling of all types of hydrogen vehicles, from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, including buses, trucks, trains, and ships. Currently ITM Power operates two hydrogen refueling stations at Shell service stations, at Cobham on the M25 London orbital motorway [March 2017, p8] and at Beaconsfield on the M40 motorway, west of London [April 2018, p8]. Four further stations have been awarded funding. The station at Shell Gatwick Airport is under construction and will open later this year, while Shell Derby in the Midlands will follow in 2019; two further London stations are also planned. The
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UK hydrogen refueling station network has been jointly funded by the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) [April 2017, p11] and the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). ITM Power manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions for grid balancing, energy storage, and the production of ‘green’ hydrogen for transport, renewable heat and chemicals [see the feature in January 2012]. The company has also signed a deal to deploy a 10 MW electrolyser at Shell’s Rhineland refinery in Germany, as part of the REFHYNE consortium [September 2017, p7 and February 2018, p10]. ITM Power: www.itm-power.com Shell, Hydrogen: http://tinyurl.com/shell-h2 UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles: http://tinyurl.com/uk-olev Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu
Iceland opens its first multi-energy station with hydrogen fueling
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celand has opened its first multienergy station, where biomethane, fast electric vehicle battery charging and hydrogen refueling are all available under the same canopy, in the capital Reykjavik. The new station, built within the framework of the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) project [see the News Feature in FCB, October 2015, and June 2016, p1], is the third hydrogen refueling station in Iceland, joining an existing facility in Reykjavik and one in Reykjanesbær, near Keflavík International Airport [July 2018, p8]. All are operated by filling station company Orkan. Iceland’s exemplary use of renewable sources – especially geothermal and hydroelectric – in its electricity infrastructure puts it in the perfect position to develop a sustainable transport system based on ‘green’ hydrogen. The EU-supported Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is supporting Iceland – which as a member of the European Economic Area has access to the EU single market – to become a model for hydrogen based transportation in Europe, with three hydrogen refueling stations and 17 cars already deployed (or soon to be deployed) through the H2ME project. The official inauguration of this latest station was accompanied by a workshop to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Icelandic New Energy Company, a consortium of Icelandic organisations and companies that has been promoting the use of hydrogen-based energy in
Iceland since 1999 [April 2001, p1]. Hydrogen Mobility Europe: www.h2me.eu Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu Orkan, Hydrogen: www.orkan.is/orkan/vetni [in Icelandic] Icelandic New Energy Company: www.newenergy.is/?lang=en
Funding for two more HTEC stations in BC, first order for Nel
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atural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Government of British Columbia have announced C$3 million (US$2.2 million) in funding for two new hydrogen refueling stations in the Lower Mainland region around Vancouver. Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation (HTEC) is building the network to support the initial rollout of fuel cell electric vehicles in the province. NRCan is providing C$2 million ($1.5 million) to HTEC through its Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative (EVAFIDI). In addition, the BC government is contributing C$1 million through its Clean Energy Vehicle Program, as part of the province’s CleanBC plan to ensure that all new light-duty cars and trucks are zero-emission vehicles by 2040. One of the stations will be located at the 7-Eleven store on Westview Drive in North Vancouver [FCB, April 2019, p8]. The funding is part of a major Canadian investment in developing a coast-to-coast fast-charging network for electric vehicles, and establishing natural gas stations along key freight corridors and hydrogen refueling stations in metropolitan centres. Meanwhile, Nel Hydrogen A/S in Denmark [see also page 13, and the In Brief item on page 5] has received an order for an H2Station® hydrogen refueling station from HTEC, for installation in Vancouver. The system will be installed during 2020 at a conventional retail fueling station in the Vancouver area. HTEC opened the first retail hydrogen refueling station in Canada last summer [July 2018, p8], and is now planning and building additional stations in Vancouver and Quebec [November 2018, p9], in collaboration with key retail operators. These efforts support initiatives by international car manufacturers to deploy FCEVs in the regions, backed by governmental policies [e.g. February 2018, p2 and April 2019, p2]. HTEC, Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation: www.htec.ca
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NEWS NRCan, Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative: https://tinyurl.com/nrcan-evafidi BC Clean Energy Vehicle Program: https://tinyurl.com/bc-cev-prog Nel Hydrogen: www.nelhydrogen.com
JHyM plans 21 new hydrogen stations for installation in FY 2019
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he Japan H2 Mobility (JHyM) consortium is planning to add 21 hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) to its network, with grant funding now confirmed for Fiscal Year 2019 (staring on 1 April). And five more companies have joined the initiative, bringing it to 23 members. The latest round of joint applications from JHyM and its members for the government subsidy programme to promote the installation of hydrogen stations for commercial use has been adopted. The target areas for the government subsidy programme have been expanded to all prefectures from this fiscal year, so Tochigi (Tochigi City), Gunma (Takasaki), Toyama (Toyama City), and Kagoshima (Kagoshima City) prefectures will see their first JHyM installations. This is the ‘Strategic Deployment of HRS’ that JHyM advocates, so to achieve installations in all prefectures, JHyM will continue to work with the regional Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry, local governments, and JHyM members. The expansion of the network from the four major metropolitan areas centred on Tokyo (four new stations), Aichi (seven new stations) [see next item], Osaka (one), and Fukuoka (one) to other regions will contribute to promoting the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles beyond urban areas, as well as enhancing user access and convenience in those areas. JHyM – founded a year ago [FCB, April 2018, p9] – plans to install 80 stations by the end of fiscal 2021; this latest round, added to the 12 last year, will see the total reach 33 stations. If the government subsidy programme is extended within this fiscal year, additional applications will be planned. Five of the FY 2019 stations are being planned by new JHyM members, some of whom are new to the hydrogen sector. These are Tama Koun Co Ltd (Tama City) and Marui Transport Co Ltd (Fuchu City) in Tokyo Prefecture, Toyama Hydrogen Energy Promotion Council in Toyama City, Nangoku Corporation in Kagoshima City, and Fukuoka Oxygen Co Ltd in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Japan H2 Mobility: www.jhym.co.jp/en
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Fuel Cells Bulletin
Air Liquide adds to Japan network with new station in Oguchi
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ir Liquide Japan has opened its latest hydrogen refueling station in Oguchi, in the northwestern part of Aichi Prefecture, convenient for several major roads. The station entered service on 25 May, and is expected to see regular use by residents and companies in the Chubu region of central Japan. The Oguchi Hydrogen Station is the second Air Liquide station deployed in the framework of the Japan Hydrogen Mobility (JHyM) national consortium [see above item], joining the station it has just opened inside the Laguna Ten Bosch resort complex facility in Gamagori City [FCB, May 2019, p9]. The company now has four stations in Aichi Prefecture, including the two stations already in operation at Nagoya Atsuta and Toyota Interchange [October 2014, p7]. Aichi Prefecture – home of Toyota Motor Corporation – now has more than 1000 registered fuel cell electric vehicles, the highest concentration in Japan, so there is a high level of usage by these drivers. Oguchi is located north of Nagoya, and close to the Komaki Interchange. National Route 41 passes through Oguchi, while the Tokai– Hokuriku Expressway runs on the western side of the town. The new station also has good access from the Meishin, Tomei, and Chuo Highways. Air Liquide has developed extensive expertise enabling it to master the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production and storage to distribution and the development of applications for end-users, in particular for mobility. The company has designed and installed more than 120 stations around the world so far; it recently created a joint venture to roll out hydrogen refueling stations for FCEVs in China, and took a stake in retail hydrogen station operator FirstElement Fuel in California [May 2019, p9].
Air Liquide Japan: www.airliquide.com/japan Air Liquide, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/hydrogen-energy-airliquide
Toshiba ESS green hydrogen supply for Toyota Industries plant
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n Japan, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions (Toshiba ESS) has installed an H2PLAZA system, which is producing and dispensing hydrogen for fuel cell powered forklifts at Toyota
Industries Corporation’s Takahama plant in Aichi Prefecture. The newly commissioned system supplies hydrogen produced using electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to 13 fuel cell powered forklifts used at the plant [FCB, November 2018, p10]. The amount of hydrogen produced and compressed is controlled by Toshiba ESS’s hydrogen energy management system, which allows more efficient energy use through real-time monitoring of the amount of hydrogen produced and stored for each forklift. Toshiba ESS has a wide range of hydrogenrelated solutions, including the H2One™ hydrogen-based autonomous energy supply system, launched in 2015 [April 2015, p1]. Systems have been commissioned for a variety of applications in Japan, including an H2One Multi Station version in Tsuruga to supply electric power to buildings and for charging electric vehicles as well as hydrogen for refueling fuel cell electric vehicles [August 2018, p11]. Last autumn the company signed a deal with the National Electrification Administration in the Philippines to deploy H2One systems [November 2018, p7]. Toshiba, Hydrogen Energy: www.toshiba-energy.com/en/hydrogen/index.htm Toyota Industries Corporation: www.toyota-industries.com
ENERGY STORAGE & P2G
HYPOS project to study hydrogen energy storage in caverns
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he newly launched HYPOS ‘H2 research caverns’ pilot project in Germany will study the underground storage of hydrogen in central Germany. The consortium aims to develop and gain official approval of a research platform for storing hydrogen in a salt cavern. Following the completion of the two-year research project, the storage facility will be constructed at the Bad Lauchstädt, Saxony-Anhalt site of the gas storage company VNG Gasspeicher GmbH (VGS), and then put into researchfocused operation. The Bad Lauchstädt caverns, mined from a 500 m (1640 ft) thick salt layer, are located at a depth of between 765 and 925 m (2510–3035 ft). The facility would be the first hydrogen cavern storage facility in continental Europe, and the first cavern storage facility in the world to store ‘green’ hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources [e.g. see the News Feature in FCB, January 2015, and October 2018, p11 and p12].
June 2019