- Email: [email protected]
GM joins Japanese fuel cell program, abandons methanol
August FCB.qxd
8/6/02
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NEWS Jülich is already working intensively on new materials to further increase the power and longevity of its cells while reducing costs. For 2004 it is working towards a complete 20 kWe SOFC system for use in buildings. Contact: Dr Robert Steinberger-Wilckens, Fuel Cell Project Leader, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany. Tel: +49 2461 610, Fax: +49 2461 618100, www.fuel-cell.de
provides an efficient mechanism to enable effective government-industry collaboration.’ Contact: Fuel Cells Canada, 3250 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5, Canada. Tel: +1 604 822 9178, Fax: +1 604 822 8106, www.fuelcellscanada.ca Or contact: Guy Flavelle, WD British Columbia, Western Economic Diversification, 700-601 West Hastings Street, PriceWaterhouse Building, Vancouver, BC V6B 5G9, Canada. Tel: +1 604 666 1314, Fax: +1 604 666 2353, Email: [email protected], www.wd.gc.ca
Six new fuel cell projects GM joins Japanese fuel in British Columbia The federal Government of Canada and the cell program, abandons provincial Government of British Columbia are methanol jointly funding six fuel cell projects in BC with C$5.2m (US$3.3m) under the Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA). The two governments had agreed under WEPA to invest C$13m (US$8m) in the fuel cell industry, including almost C$1m to establish Fuel Cells Canada (FCC), a nonprofit organization in Vancouver that has been given the task of identifying, coordinating and presenting fuel cell demonstration projects for consideration. The six projects that received funding are: •
•
•
•
•
•
C$1m to FCC and Cellex Power Products in support of a C$3m product development and field trials program, demonstrating the use of fuel cell power units in powered industrial trucks. C$385 000 to FCC in support of an $875 000 project, to be carried out by Membrane Reactor Technologies Ltd, to build a small-scale hydrogen generator. C$875 000 to FCC in support of a $1.75m non-commercial project by Cellex Power Products to design, build and certify a fully functional, multiple-fuels warehouse demonstrating the refueling process and procedure for powered industrial trucks. C$150 000 to FCC in support of a $300 000 non-commercial project by Goodings Environmental Inc to develop a sustainable, integrated fuel-cell-based system to generate electricity. C$2.1m towards a $3.2m non-commercial project by BC Hydro and partners, to demonstrate the viability of a hydrogen vehicle fueling station. C$650 000 for a non-commercial project by BC Hydro to develop, demonstrate and test a 1.2 kWe utility standby fuel cell system.
‘We are delighted to have worked with our members and the federal and provincial governments to develop these fuel cell demonstration projects, and look forward to continuing the partnership in the future,’ commented Ron Britton, chairman of Fuel Cells Canada. ‘We feel that FCC
August 2002
Multinational automaker General Motors is to take part in a project to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles in Japan, which aims to better understand fuel cell technology and how to create a hydrogen infrastructure. GM will test drive its FCV on Japanese roads by the end of the year. The Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (JHFC) will be directed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The project will also seek to educate the public about the use of fuel cells, and about hydrogen as a safe and clean fuel. Participants plan to use data generated in the project to support the establishment of standards and regulations pertaining to fuel cells and hydrogen. GM will bring its latest fuel cell vehicle, the Opel Zafira minivan-based HydroGen3, to Japan to take part in the demo program. In addition to the Japanese program, GM is also a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the recently announced Clean Energy Partnership in Berlin, Germany [see Main News, page 2]. The trials will be part of a series of driving tests for such vehicles to be conducted by METI this fall. GM will be the fifth automaker to carry out such an experiment in Japan, after DaimlerChrysler, Mazda, Honda and Toyota, which plans to start limited marketing of a fuel cell hybrid SUV later this year [see Front Page]. GM has also decided that it will not pursue further research into using methanol in fuel cell vehicles, according to a Nikkei report. The company has apparently concluded that methanol is too toxic and dangerous to be appropriate for use as a vehicle fuel, and in any case it has found that the methanol process, from ‘well to wheels’, consumed more energy than a gasoline-powered car. GM will now focus on gasoline reforming for hydrogen generation. Contact: www.gmability.com
In Brief Proton Energy inaugurates new facility Proton Energy Systems, a leading hydrogen generator and regenerative fuel cell company, has formally opened its new 100 000 ft2 (9300 m2) facility in the Medway Industrial Park in Wallingford, Connecticut. Proton’s corporate offices, R&D and manufacturing will be consolidated at the new location. The six-year-old company formerly occupied two facilities in Rocky Hill, but required additional space to maintain its rapid growth and development. The new corporate headquarters will be able to accommodate its anticipated growth from a current workforce of 150 employees to approximately 500 employees over the next several years. Contact: Proton Energy Systems Inc, 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, Fax: +1 203 949 8016, www.protonenergy.com
Japan Steel Works eyes market for hydrogen refueling stations Tokyo-based Japan Steel Works has started taking orders for a compressor that can be used to supply hydrogen gas to fuel cells, according to a report in the Nikkei Business Daily. The compressor, tentatively priced at ¥2–3 million (US$17 000–25 000), can pressurize hydrogen gas to 30 bar (430 psi). The new compressor can be combined with hydrogen storage tanks that the company is already marketing, to make up hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles. The company aims to become a supplier of complete fueling station systems, offering not only the tanks and compressors but also the fuel reformers and hydrogen gas generators in a complete package. More than 100 hydrogen gas stations are expected to be set up in Japan by 2005. Quick-start hydrogen reformer Babcock-Hitachi KK has developed a reformer for extracting hydrogen from fuels such as natural gas that is claimed to require less than half the startup time of existing devices, according to a report in the Nikkei Business Daily. The company applied its proprietary catalyst technology to develop a system that uses catalytic reactions to extract hydrogen from the gas. Catalytic hydrogen extraction has so far generally needed some 40 minutes to reach the required operating temperature of about 700°C. Babcock-Hitachi’s new reformer operates at 600–650°C, and can reach its operating temperature in less than 20 minutes. The company apparently aims to begin sales of the new reformer for use in residential fuel cell systems as early as 2005.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
8/6/02
12:01 PM
Page 9
NEWS Jülich is already working intensively on new materials to further increase the power and longevity of its cells while reducing costs. For 2004 it is working towards a complete 20 kWe SOFC system for use in buildings. Contact: Dr Robert Steinberger-Wilckens, Fuel Cell Project Leader, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany. Tel: +49 2461 610, Fax: +49 2461 618100, www.fuel-cell.de
provides an efficient mechanism to enable effective government-industry collaboration.’ Contact: Fuel Cells Canada, 3250 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5, Canada. Tel: +1 604 822 9178, Fax: +1 604 822 8106, www.fuelcellscanada.ca Or contact: Guy Flavelle, WD British Columbia, Western Economic Diversification, 700-601 West Hastings Street, PriceWaterhouse Building, Vancouver, BC V6B 5G9, Canada. Tel: +1 604 666 1314, Fax: +1 604 666 2353, Email: [email protected], www.wd.gc.ca
Six new fuel cell projects GM joins Japanese fuel in British Columbia The federal Government of Canada and the cell program, abandons provincial Government of British Columbia are methanol jointly funding six fuel cell projects in BC with C$5.2m (US$3.3m) under the Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA). The two governments had agreed under WEPA to invest C$13m (US$8m) in the fuel cell industry, including almost C$1m to establish Fuel Cells Canada (FCC), a nonprofit organization in Vancouver that has been given the task of identifying, coordinating and presenting fuel cell demonstration projects for consideration. The six projects that received funding are: •
•
•
•
•
•
C$1m to FCC and Cellex Power Products in support of a C$3m product development and field trials program, demonstrating the use of fuel cell power units in powered industrial trucks. C$385 000 to FCC in support of an $875 000 project, to be carried out by Membrane Reactor Technologies Ltd, to build a small-scale hydrogen generator. C$875 000 to FCC in support of a $1.75m non-commercial project by Cellex Power Products to design, build and certify a fully functional, multiple-fuels warehouse demonstrating the refueling process and procedure for powered industrial trucks. C$150 000 to FCC in support of a $300 000 non-commercial project by Goodings Environmental Inc to develop a sustainable, integrated fuel-cell-based system to generate electricity. C$2.1m towards a $3.2m non-commercial project by BC Hydro and partners, to demonstrate the viability of a hydrogen vehicle fueling station. C$650 000 for a non-commercial project by BC Hydro to develop, demonstrate and test a 1.2 kWe utility standby fuel cell system.
‘We are delighted to have worked with our members and the federal and provincial governments to develop these fuel cell demonstration projects, and look forward to continuing the partnership in the future,’ commented Ron Britton, chairman of Fuel Cells Canada. ‘We feel that FCC
August 2002
Multinational automaker General Motors is to take part in a project to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles in Japan, which aims to better understand fuel cell technology and how to create a hydrogen infrastructure. GM will test drive its FCV on Japanese roads by the end of the year. The Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (JHFC) will be directed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The project will also seek to educate the public about the use of fuel cells, and about hydrogen as a safe and clean fuel. Participants plan to use data generated in the project to support the establishment of standards and regulations pertaining to fuel cells and hydrogen. GM will bring its latest fuel cell vehicle, the Opel Zafira minivan-based HydroGen3, to Japan to take part in the demo program. In addition to the Japanese program, GM is also a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the recently announced Clean Energy Partnership in Berlin, Germany [see Main News, page 2]. The trials will be part of a series of driving tests for such vehicles to be conducted by METI this fall. GM will be the fifth automaker to carry out such an experiment in Japan, after DaimlerChrysler, Mazda, Honda and Toyota, which plans to start limited marketing of a fuel cell hybrid SUV later this year [see Front Page]. GM has also decided that it will not pursue further research into using methanol in fuel cell vehicles, according to a Nikkei report. The company has apparently concluded that methanol is too toxic and dangerous to be appropriate for use as a vehicle fuel, and in any case it has found that the methanol process, from ‘well to wheels’, consumed more energy than a gasoline-powered car. GM will now focus on gasoline reforming for hydrogen generation. Contact: www.gmability.com
In Brief Proton Energy inaugurates new facility Proton Energy Systems, a leading hydrogen generator and regenerative fuel cell company, has formally opened its new 100 000 ft2 (9300 m2) facility in the Medway Industrial Park in Wallingford, Connecticut. Proton’s corporate offices, R&D and manufacturing will be consolidated at the new location. The six-year-old company formerly occupied two facilities in Rocky Hill, but required additional space to maintain its rapid growth and development. The new corporate headquarters will be able to accommodate its anticipated growth from a current workforce of 150 employees to approximately 500 employees over the next several years. Contact: Proton Energy Systems Inc, 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, Fax: +1 203 949 8016, www.protonenergy.com
Japan Steel Works eyes market for hydrogen refueling stations Tokyo-based Japan Steel Works has started taking orders for a compressor that can be used to supply hydrogen gas to fuel cells, according to a report in the Nikkei Business Daily. The compressor, tentatively priced at ¥2–3 million (US$17 000–25 000), can pressurize hydrogen gas to 30 bar (430 psi). The new compressor can be combined with hydrogen storage tanks that the company is already marketing, to make up hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles. The company aims to become a supplier of complete fueling station systems, offering not only the tanks and compressors but also the fuel reformers and hydrogen gas generators in a complete package. More than 100 hydrogen gas stations are expected to be set up in Japan by 2005. Quick-start hydrogen reformer Babcock-Hitachi KK has developed a reformer for extracting hydrogen from fuels such as natural gas that is claimed to require less than half the startup time of existing devices, according to a report in the Nikkei Business Daily. The company applied its proprietary catalyst technology to develop a system that uses catalytic reactions to extract hydrogen from the gas. Catalytic hydrogen extraction has so far generally needed some 40 minutes to reach the required operating temperature of about 700°C. Babcock-Hitachi’s new reformer operates at 600–650°C, and can reach its operating temperature in less than 20 minutes. The company apparently aims to begin sales of the new reformer for use in residential fuel cell systems as early as 2005.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9