- Email: [email protected]
IE-CHP, Hyteon sign deal to commercialise domestic CHP unit
NEWS / EDITORIAL ‘When the vehicle is running, the electric motor is fed by two complementary energy sources; the fuel cell is capable of delivering a maximum power of 20 kW and, once that threshold has been reached, the batteries kick in to supply whatever power is still required,’ explains project supervisor Christophe Vacquier. ‘When idle, the fuel cell is available to recharge the battery as needed.’ The Maxity Electric truck with the fuel cell range-extender was delivered in February to the city of Dole, in the Jura department of the FrancheComté region. The test is scheduled to last 12 months, so that the vehicle’s capabilities can be fully assessed in all seasons, including the region’s especially harsh winter weather. The vehicle will be used on a mainly rural mail and package collection route that is approximately 70 km (44 miles) long.
The buses will use the previously deployed American Fuel Cell Bus (AFCB) configuration, first introduced with SunLine in 2011 [FCB, December 2011, p2]. The AFCB configuration utilises Ballard’s heavy-duty PEM fuel cell module to provide primary power, in combination with BAE Systems’ HybriDrive® propulsion and power management systems deployed in an ElDorado National 40 ft (12 m) Axess model transit bus. Ballard has also just closed its Technology Solutions transaction with Volkswagen Group [see page 2], and signed new Technology Solutions contracts with Ardica Technologies in California and an unnamed global automotive OEM [see page 10].
Symbio FCell, Grenoble, France. Tel: +33 1 5679 1506, www.symbiofcell.com
SunLine Transit Agency, Clean Fuels Fleet: www.sunline.org/clean-fuels-fleet
Ballard modules for bus deployments in California and Ohio
Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority: www.sartaonline.com FTA, LoNo Program project selections: www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_16268.html Calstart, National Fuel Cell Bus Program: http://tinyurl.com/calstart-fcbuses
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems expects to supply 10 FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell modules to power buses as part of two projects recently awarded funding under the US Federal Transit Administration’s Low and No Emission (LoNo) Vehicle Deployment Program. Ballard’s partners are BAE Systems, a system integrator and supplier of hybrid drive components, and ElDorado National, a North American bus OEM. The companies plan to supply 10 fuel cell buses – five each for SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California and Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Canton, Ohio. SunLine will receive $9.8 million in FTA funding to purchase and deploy five hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses. This will double its current fuel cell bus fleet, and allow it to offer expanded transit service in the Coachella Valley in southern California [FCB, July 2014, p2]. SARTA will receive $8.9 million in FTA funding to purchase and deploy its five fuel cell buses. They will be operated under a variety of operating conditions in congested downtown areas, on major urban roads and on rural highways throughout Stark County. Ballard anticipates orders for these modules once agreements with the transit agencies are finalised, and expects to begin shipments in the second half of 2015. Calstart, the nonprofit consortium of clean transportation technology companies, will also be involved as a project partner.
March 2015
SMALL STATIONARY
IE-CHP, Hyteon sign deal to commercialise domestic CHP unit
C
anadian PEM fuel cell manufacturer Hyteon and smart power pioneer IE-CHP in Scotland, UK have signed a commercialisation agreement, as further trials of an innovative domestic smart power unit get under way in Scotland. Quebec-based Hyteon and IE-CHP will combine their R&D capabilities as further field testing is undertaken on the natural gas fueled combined heat and power (CHP) unit. The prototype CHP system, smaller than a domestic fridge, was first tested at a detached home in Perth, Scotland last year. IE-CHP now plans to expand trials to other residential properties in Scotland, prior to rolling it out in a larger demonstration project across the UK in 2016. ‘The joint commercialisation agreement with Hyteon will enable us to trial their fuel cell within the prototype IE-CHP smart power unit, and accelerate our progress towards a commercial product,’ says Mark Bugler, who has subsequently retired as managing director of IE-CHP. Established in 2003 in Montreal, Hyteon manufactures micro CHP fuel cell based systems for residential applications ranging from 0.5 to
EDITORIAL
I
ntellectual property (IP) is very important in the fuel cell and hydrogen energy sector, where so much research and development is still under way to bring out lower-cost and higher-efficiency materials, components, devices, systems and the necessary supporting infrastructure. The importance of IP is particularly highlighted in a couple of news items in this issue, where IP rights have been sold on to a new owner. In the transportation sector, Ballard Power Systems in Canada has transferred the automotive-related portion of fuel cell IP assets it had previously acquired from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in the US, to the German automotive giant Volkswagen Group [see page 2]. This US$50 million deal gives an indication of what is at stake as the major automakers push their fuel cell electric vehicle programmes ever closer to commercial viability. And in the portable power arena, UK-based Intelligent Energy has acquired the portable fuel cell and disposable fuel cartridge assets of Société Bic, the French ballpoint pen and cigarette lighter manufacturer [see page 6]. Bic had been working on portable fuel cell R&D in partnership with CEA-Liten, the Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Bic also later acquired the assets of Angstrom Power, a Canadian developer of portable fuel cell technology. On the other hand, at the beginning of this year Toyota announced that it is making nearly 5700 hydrogen fuel cell patents available royalty-free, to accelerate the global development and introduction of fuel cell technologies [FCB, January 2015, p9]. We have two News Features in this issue. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project in Scotland recently inaugurated the UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refueling station [pages 12–13]. This new hydrogen station is part of a US$28 million ‘green’ transport demonstration project in Aberdeen, which will see a fleet of 10 fuel cell buses in public service. It is the most high-profile of a range of projects designed to create a hydrogen economy in the city and surrounding region. On the research front, scientists at Nanjing Tech University in China and Curtin University in Perth, Australia have created an anodesupported tubular solid oxide fuel cell that functions as a carbon fuel container as well as an electrochemical device for power generation [page 14]. Their dual-phase, ion-conducting ceramic membrane is gastight but highly permeable for CO2, allowing separation of CO2 and CO, resulting in a high power density SOFC that directly uses carbon as a fuel source.
Steve Barrett
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3
NEWS 2 kW power output. Hyteon has been supplying its mCHP systems to energy companies in Europe, Japan, and Canada since 2004. IE-CHP is developing and bringing to market power and heating products for the residential sector in the UK and Ireland. It was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between SSE, the UK’s second-largest energy utility, and Intelligent Energy, the hydrogen PEM fuel cell developer [FCB, May 2008, p5]. Two years ago IE-CHP received CE certification for its 10 kW CHP unit, apparently utilising PEM fuel cell technology from parent company Intelligent Energy [FCB, April 2013, p4], so this deal with Hyteon is presumably to offer more options for systems with lower power outputs. In other news, Calum Wilson has been appointed as MD of IE-CHP, to replace the retiring Mark Bugler. Wilson was formerly a commercial director at SSE, and led their joint venture in Forth Ports. IE CHP (UK & Eire) Ltd, Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44 1698 849090, www.ie-chp.com Hyteon Inc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tel: +1 450 973 2022 ext. 242, www.hyteon.com
FCO Power develops next-gen SOFC stack for apartment systems
I
n Japan, FCO Power has announced the further development of its nextgeneration solid oxide fuel cell stack for residential fuel cell systems in apartments. The company says that the stack’s smaller size and lower cost make it realistic to install SOFCs in existing apartments. The Printed Fuel Cell™ is an SOFC in which all single cell layers (i.e. anode, electrolyte, cathode, and ceramic separator) are laminated repeatedly before sintering, and subsequently simultaneously sintered only once as a stack. The Printed Fuel Cell does not require a cell support, because it does not need to maintain mechanical strength as a single cell unit. The total thickness of a single cell and separator is just 0.4 mm, approximately one-tenth that of conventional technology. The stack under development for the company’s residential 0.7 kW system, which comprises a number of 70 W sub-stacks, is only 3 cm thick, which gives a world-leading volumetric power density of 5 kW/litre [FCB, November 2013, p10]. The simple, thin laminated structure of the Printed Fuel Cell also requires less materials, making it suitable for low-cost, automated mass production. FCO Power expects to be able 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
to price it well below the target stack price of ¥50 000 (US$415) per kW for the 2020–2030 timescale, set by the Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Part of this development work was conducted with the support of a NEDO grant. Use of this next-generation stack makes the hot module thin and compact. The all-ceramic SOFC stack has a unique cooling structure, allowing the use of thin layers and giving a uniform overall stack temperature distribution. The hot module volume, including heat insulation materials, is less than one-quarter of that of existing products. FCO Power exhibited this next-generation SOFC stack at the recent FC EXPO in Tokyo. The company aims to expand the target market to retrofitting in existing apartments, such as wall-mounted and porch installations, in addition to detached houses and new apartments. By leveraging this high volumetric power density and low-cost stack technology, FCO Power and its alliance partners aim to commercialise the SOFC system in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. FCO Power is a startup focusing on SOFC stacks. Its predecessor, FCO Co Ltd, started joint R&D on next-generation SOFC stacks with the Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), a leading ceramics institution.
‘Indonesia has remote and harsh environments with significant energy challenges,’ says Marshall Towe, founder and CEO of Cascadiant. ‘We hope to partner with the Indonesian government and local companies to leverage domestically produced green energy sources and tap into the innovative spirit and leadership of BPPT.’ ‘Our MES™ (Managed Energy Service) offering eliminates the risks operators face in deploying new green technologies,’ continues Towe. ‘There is no longer any reason for operators to continue to pollute the environment using century-old, environmentally harmful diesel generators for backup power.’ Cascadiant is already deploying fuel cell power systems with telecom operators in Indonesia, including Hutchison CP Telecommunications [FCB, November 2012, p4] and XL Axiata and Telkom International [FCB, February 2013, p5]. Cascadiant’s Managed Energy Solution is built around the advanced ElectraGen™ PEM fuel cell technology originally developed by IdaTech in the US, itself now part of Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems [FCB, August 2012, p10]. Cascadiant, Singapore. Tel: +65 6220 6418, www.cascadiant.com BPPT: www.bppt.go.id/english Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com
FCO Power Inc, Nagoya, Japan. Tel: +81 50 3803 4735, www.ecobyfco.com/en
Cascadiant expands fuel cell R&D with Indonesia tech agency
S
ingapore-based ‘green’ energy solutions company Cascadiant Energy has expanded its agreement with the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). Cascadiant and BPPT have deployed the agency’s first hydrogen fuel cell, which will serve as the commercial backup power source for the agency’s data centre, as well as priming the agency’s platform for expanding its fuel cell R&D programme. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous nation – has 25 000 diesel generators in use with its communications, fibre and broadcast industries for backup power, and an additional 5000 diesel generators are replaced or added every year. This has led BPPT to recognise Indonesia’s potential to lead the world in the development, manufacture and deployment of fuel cells based on domestic demand alone, hence its partnership with Cascadiant.
LARGE STATIONARY
Stop & Shop installs Bloom Energy unit in Mt Vernon, NY store
A
Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell system will power the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company’s store in Mount Vernon, New York. The 250 kW system will generate more than 2 GWh and reduce CO2 emissions by some 320 tonnes per annum. This fuel cell project is the latest addition to the clean and renewable energy portfolio of Stop & Shop, a division of Ahold USA, that also includes solar panel systems on the roofs of 38 of its stores. This project will continue to deliver electricity during grid outages, like those experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in autumn 2012 [FCB, May 2013, p11]. Project support was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). ‘This project in the New York metro area will contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact
March 2015
The buses will use the previously deployed American Fuel Cell Bus (AFCB) configuration, first introduced with SunLine in 2011 [FCB, December 2011, p2]. The AFCB configuration utilises Ballard’s heavy-duty PEM fuel cell module to provide primary power, in combination with BAE Systems’ HybriDrive® propulsion and power management systems deployed in an ElDorado National 40 ft (12 m) Axess model transit bus. Ballard has also just closed its Technology Solutions transaction with Volkswagen Group [see page 2], and signed new Technology Solutions contracts with Ardica Technologies in California and an unnamed global automotive OEM [see page 10].
Symbio FCell, Grenoble, France. Tel: +33 1 5679 1506, www.symbiofcell.com
SunLine Transit Agency, Clean Fuels Fleet: www.sunline.org/clean-fuels-fleet
Ballard modules for bus deployments in California and Ohio
Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority: www.sartaonline.com FTA, LoNo Program project selections: www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_16268.html Calstart, National Fuel Cell Bus Program: http://tinyurl.com/calstart-fcbuses
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems expects to supply 10 FCvelocity®-HD6 fuel cell modules to power buses as part of two projects recently awarded funding under the US Federal Transit Administration’s Low and No Emission (LoNo) Vehicle Deployment Program. Ballard’s partners are BAE Systems, a system integrator and supplier of hybrid drive components, and ElDorado National, a North American bus OEM. The companies plan to supply 10 fuel cell buses – five each for SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California and Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Canton, Ohio. SunLine will receive $9.8 million in FTA funding to purchase and deploy five hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses. This will double its current fuel cell bus fleet, and allow it to offer expanded transit service in the Coachella Valley in southern California [FCB, July 2014, p2]. SARTA will receive $8.9 million in FTA funding to purchase and deploy its five fuel cell buses. They will be operated under a variety of operating conditions in congested downtown areas, on major urban roads and on rural highways throughout Stark County. Ballard anticipates orders for these modules once agreements with the transit agencies are finalised, and expects to begin shipments in the second half of 2015. Calstart, the nonprofit consortium of clean transportation technology companies, will also be involved as a project partner.
March 2015
SMALL STATIONARY
IE-CHP, Hyteon sign deal to commercialise domestic CHP unit
C
anadian PEM fuel cell manufacturer Hyteon and smart power pioneer IE-CHP in Scotland, UK have signed a commercialisation agreement, as further trials of an innovative domestic smart power unit get under way in Scotland. Quebec-based Hyteon and IE-CHP will combine their R&D capabilities as further field testing is undertaken on the natural gas fueled combined heat and power (CHP) unit. The prototype CHP system, smaller than a domestic fridge, was first tested at a detached home in Perth, Scotland last year. IE-CHP now plans to expand trials to other residential properties in Scotland, prior to rolling it out in a larger demonstration project across the UK in 2016. ‘The joint commercialisation agreement with Hyteon will enable us to trial their fuel cell within the prototype IE-CHP smart power unit, and accelerate our progress towards a commercial product,’ says Mark Bugler, who has subsequently retired as managing director of IE-CHP. Established in 2003 in Montreal, Hyteon manufactures micro CHP fuel cell based systems for residential applications ranging from 0.5 to
EDITORIAL
I
ntellectual property (IP) is very important in the fuel cell and hydrogen energy sector, where so much research and development is still under way to bring out lower-cost and higher-efficiency materials, components, devices, systems and the necessary supporting infrastructure. The importance of IP is particularly highlighted in a couple of news items in this issue, where IP rights have been sold on to a new owner. In the transportation sector, Ballard Power Systems in Canada has transferred the automotive-related portion of fuel cell IP assets it had previously acquired from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in the US, to the German automotive giant Volkswagen Group [see page 2]. This US$50 million deal gives an indication of what is at stake as the major automakers push their fuel cell electric vehicle programmes ever closer to commercial viability. And in the portable power arena, UK-based Intelligent Energy has acquired the portable fuel cell and disposable fuel cartridge assets of Société Bic, the French ballpoint pen and cigarette lighter manufacturer [see page 6]. Bic had been working on portable fuel cell R&D in partnership with CEA-Liten, the Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Bic also later acquired the assets of Angstrom Power, a Canadian developer of portable fuel cell technology. On the other hand, at the beginning of this year Toyota announced that it is making nearly 5700 hydrogen fuel cell patents available royalty-free, to accelerate the global development and introduction of fuel cell technologies [FCB, January 2015, p9]. We have two News Features in this issue. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project in Scotland recently inaugurated the UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refueling station [pages 12–13]. This new hydrogen station is part of a US$28 million ‘green’ transport demonstration project in Aberdeen, which will see a fleet of 10 fuel cell buses in public service. It is the most high-profile of a range of projects designed to create a hydrogen economy in the city and surrounding region. On the research front, scientists at Nanjing Tech University in China and Curtin University in Perth, Australia have created an anodesupported tubular solid oxide fuel cell that functions as a carbon fuel container as well as an electrochemical device for power generation [page 14]. Their dual-phase, ion-conducting ceramic membrane is gastight but highly permeable for CO2, allowing separation of CO2 and CO, resulting in a high power density SOFC that directly uses carbon as a fuel source.
Steve Barrett
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3
NEWS 2 kW power output. Hyteon has been supplying its mCHP systems to energy companies in Europe, Japan, and Canada since 2004. IE-CHP is developing and bringing to market power and heating products for the residential sector in the UK and Ireland. It was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between SSE, the UK’s second-largest energy utility, and Intelligent Energy, the hydrogen PEM fuel cell developer [FCB, May 2008, p5]. Two years ago IE-CHP received CE certification for its 10 kW CHP unit, apparently utilising PEM fuel cell technology from parent company Intelligent Energy [FCB, April 2013, p4], so this deal with Hyteon is presumably to offer more options for systems with lower power outputs. In other news, Calum Wilson has been appointed as MD of IE-CHP, to replace the retiring Mark Bugler. Wilson was formerly a commercial director at SSE, and led their joint venture in Forth Ports. IE CHP (UK & Eire) Ltd, Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44 1698 849090, www.ie-chp.com Hyteon Inc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tel: +1 450 973 2022 ext. 242, www.hyteon.com
FCO Power develops next-gen SOFC stack for apartment systems
I
n Japan, FCO Power has announced the further development of its nextgeneration solid oxide fuel cell stack for residential fuel cell systems in apartments. The company says that the stack’s smaller size and lower cost make it realistic to install SOFCs in existing apartments. The Printed Fuel Cell™ is an SOFC in which all single cell layers (i.e. anode, electrolyte, cathode, and ceramic separator) are laminated repeatedly before sintering, and subsequently simultaneously sintered only once as a stack. The Printed Fuel Cell does not require a cell support, because it does not need to maintain mechanical strength as a single cell unit. The total thickness of a single cell and separator is just 0.4 mm, approximately one-tenth that of conventional technology. The stack under development for the company’s residential 0.7 kW system, which comprises a number of 70 W sub-stacks, is only 3 cm thick, which gives a world-leading volumetric power density of 5 kW/litre [FCB, November 2013, p10]. The simple, thin laminated structure of the Printed Fuel Cell also requires less materials, making it suitable for low-cost, automated mass production. FCO Power expects to be able 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
to price it well below the target stack price of ¥50 000 (US$415) per kW for the 2020–2030 timescale, set by the Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Part of this development work was conducted with the support of a NEDO grant. Use of this next-generation stack makes the hot module thin and compact. The all-ceramic SOFC stack has a unique cooling structure, allowing the use of thin layers and giving a uniform overall stack temperature distribution. The hot module volume, including heat insulation materials, is less than one-quarter of that of existing products. FCO Power exhibited this next-generation SOFC stack at the recent FC EXPO in Tokyo. The company aims to expand the target market to retrofitting in existing apartments, such as wall-mounted and porch installations, in addition to detached houses and new apartments. By leveraging this high volumetric power density and low-cost stack technology, FCO Power and its alliance partners aim to commercialise the SOFC system in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. FCO Power is a startup focusing on SOFC stacks. Its predecessor, FCO Co Ltd, started joint R&D on next-generation SOFC stacks with the Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), a leading ceramics institution.
‘Indonesia has remote and harsh environments with significant energy challenges,’ says Marshall Towe, founder and CEO of Cascadiant. ‘We hope to partner with the Indonesian government and local companies to leverage domestically produced green energy sources and tap into the innovative spirit and leadership of BPPT.’ ‘Our MES™ (Managed Energy Service) offering eliminates the risks operators face in deploying new green technologies,’ continues Towe. ‘There is no longer any reason for operators to continue to pollute the environment using century-old, environmentally harmful diesel generators for backup power.’ Cascadiant is already deploying fuel cell power systems with telecom operators in Indonesia, including Hutchison CP Telecommunications [FCB, November 2012, p4] and XL Axiata and Telkom International [FCB, February 2013, p5]. Cascadiant’s Managed Energy Solution is built around the advanced ElectraGen™ PEM fuel cell technology originally developed by IdaTech in the US, itself now part of Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems [FCB, August 2012, p10]. Cascadiant, Singapore. Tel: +65 6220 6418, www.cascadiant.com BPPT: www.bppt.go.id/english Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com
FCO Power Inc, Nagoya, Japan. Tel: +81 50 3803 4735, www.ecobyfco.com/en
Cascadiant expands fuel cell R&D with Indonesia tech agency
S
ingapore-based ‘green’ energy solutions company Cascadiant Energy has expanded its agreement with the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). Cascadiant and BPPT have deployed the agency’s first hydrogen fuel cell, which will serve as the commercial backup power source for the agency’s data centre, as well as priming the agency’s platform for expanding its fuel cell R&D programme. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous nation – has 25 000 diesel generators in use with its communications, fibre and broadcast industries for backup power, and an additional 5000 diesel generators are replaced or added every year. This has led BPPT to recognise Indonesia’s potential to lead the world in the development, manufacture and deployment of fuel cells based on domestic demand alone, hence its partnership with Cascadiant.
LARGE STATIONARY
Stop & Shop installs Bloom Energy unit in Mt Vernon, NY store
A
Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell system will power the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company’s store in Mount Vernon, New York. The 250 kW system will generate more than 2 GWh and reduce CO2 emissions by some 320 tonnes per annum. This fuel cell project is the latest addition to the clean and renewable energy portfolio of Stop & Shop, a division of Ahold USA, that also includes solar panel systems on the roofs of 38 of its stores. This project will continue to deliver electricity during grid outages, like those experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in autumn 2012 [FCB, May 2013, p11]. Project support was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). ‘This project in the New York metro area will contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact
March 2015