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Japanese plan to test renewable CO2-free hydrogen supply chain
NEWS hydrogen transport project as part of the EU’s cross-border Interreg programme. Project Blue Move is a cross-border, public-private investment in the Øresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak region, to promote increased use of renewable energy using hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels. The NOK22.5 million (US$2.7 million) project is led by the Lillestrøm Centre of Expertise and Vätgas Sweden, working with HYOP, NEL Hydrogen, the City of Oslo, Skedsmo Municipality, HYSTORSYS, and ZERO (Zero Emissions Resource Organisation), with co-financing from Akershus County Council. HYOP is also participating in the newly launched Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) flagship project, which will deploy a total of 325 fuel cell electric vehicles and 29 new hydrogen refueling stations across Europe [see the News Feature on pages 14–15]. HYOP AS, Kjeller, Norway. Email: [email protected], Web: www.hyop.no/english Norwegian Hydrogen Forum: www.hydrogen.no Lillestrøm Centre of Expertise: www.kunnskapsbyen.no/engelsk HYSTORSYS: www.hystorsys.no ZERO: www.zero.no/en/about-zero
Japanese plan to test renewable CO2-free hydrogen supply chain
A
new Japanese initiative aims to trial a fully fledged, carbonneutral hydrogen supply chain powered by renewable wind energy. The trials, involving major corporate and public sector partners from power generation to vehicle fueling, will take place near the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki in the Keihin coastal region. Under this project, electricity generated by the Yokohama City Wind Power Plant will be used to produce hydrogen using electrolysis, which will then be stored before being loaded onto a mobile fueling station and transported to the Keihin region. There, the hydrogen will be used in fuel cell powered forklift trucks, which will be used at warehouses and fresh produce markets in the region to study the viability of fuel cell technology in this supply chain. Grid power will only be used for backup when absolutely necessary, and excess renewable energy produced may even be sold to utility companies. 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
As plans currently stand, the project will involve a system to produce hydrogen by electrolysing water using wind power; a system to optimise storage and transportation of the hydrogen produced; the use of fuel cell powered forklifts; and a hydrogen supply chain feasibility study, looking at hydrogen price, CO2 reduction etc. On the public sector side, the project is being implemented by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Yokohama City, and Kawasaki City. The industrial participants are Iwatani Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Toyota Turbine and Systems Inc. The project will also be supported by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The initiative is expected to run for four years, with implementation set to begin in April 2016; the project partners are currently discussing the specific details. A steering committee has been set up, with Professor Kenichiro Ota (Yokohama National University) and Professor Yoji Uchiyama (University of Tsukuba) participating as academic experts. The committee will consider the direction of the project, establish a project-wide communications framework, and determine issues that require further research after the trial has finished. Earlier this year Toyota, Nissan, and Honda announced a collaboration to help accelerate the development of hydrogen station infrastructure for fuel cell electric vehicles [FCB, February 2015, p1], and Iwatani recently completed the first commercial hydrogen refueling station in the Chugoku region, the first outside the four main metropolitan areas in Japan [FCB, September 2015, p7]. Two years ago Toyota Industries Corporation began a demonstration of its fuel cell powered forklift in a project in the city of Kitakyushu in southern Japan [FCB, March 2013, p3]. Iwatani Corporation: www.iwatani.co.jp/eng Toshiba, Hydrogen Economy: www.toshiba.co.jp/newenergy/en/index.htm Toyota, Hydrogen Society and Energy Sources: http://tinyurl.com/toyota-fcevs
COMMERCIALISATION
Symbio FCell selects Ceramic MaxPhase for new automotive stack
F
rench company Symbio FCell, which manufactures PEM fuel cell
powertrains and range-extenders for cars and commercial vehicles, has chosen the Ceramic MaxPhase™ coating from Swedish-based Impact Coatings for its new fuel cell stack. The new fuel cell is expected to be launched in December. Impact Coatings is commercialising PVD (physical vapour deposition) surface treatment technology to vacuum-coat thin films of metals or ceramics. The Ceramic MaxPhase PVD coating will enhance the performance and lifetime of metal bipolar plates in both PEM and direct methanol fuel cells. The coating offers a combination of low contact resistance, high corrosion resistance, and low cost, and exceeds the US Department of Energy’s performance and cost reduction targets. Symbio FCell products are used both as range-extenders in battery electric vehicles, and as the main source of power for fuel cell electric vehicles. Typical users are commercial fleets working around a central location, where a hydrogen refueling station can be installed [see page 9]. The French postal service La Poste is an early user of Symbio FCell technology [FCB, December 2013, p1]. Impact Coatings is supporting Symbio FCell in the development of fuel cell technology for its 5 kW range-extender and Full Power FC range, which includes fuel cells rated at 80–300 kW for trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. Initially Impact Coatings will supply Ceramic MaxPhase as a coating service to Symbio FCell. The companies are partners in the COBRA (COatings for BipolaR plAtes) project, funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). This project also involves Belgian sheet metal specialist Borit NV, the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), the Spanish Centre for Electrochemical Technologies (CIDETEC-IK4), and the INSA Lyon engineering university in France. Symbio FCell has supplied 5 kW PEM fuel cell range-extender systems installed in Kangoo ZE-H2 utility vehicles for the French HyWay project [FCB, April 2015, p2 and June 2015, p8]. The company is also participating in the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) flagship project, which will deploy 125 Symbio FCell/ Renault fuel cell range-extended electric vans [see the News Feature on pages 14–15], and is supplying 10 of these vans to the Levenmouth Community Energy Project in Scotland [see page 3]. Symbio FCell, Grenoble, France. Tel: +33 1 5679 1506, www.symbiofcell.com
October 2015
Japanese plan to test renewable CO2-free hydrogen supply chain
A
new Japanese initiative aims to trial a fully fledged, carbonneutral hydrogen supply chain powered by renewable wind energy. The trials, involving major corporate and public sector partners from power generation to vehicle fueling, will take place near the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki in the Keihin coastal region. Under this project, electricity generated by the Yokohama City Wind Power Plant will be used to produce hydrogen using electrolysis, which will then be stored before being loaded onto a mobile fueling station and transported to the Keihin region. There, the hydrogen will be used in fuel cell powered forklift trucks, which will be used at warehouses and fresh produce markets in the region to study the viability of fuel cell technology in this supply chain. Grid power will only be used for backup when absolutely necessary, and excess renewable energy produced may even be sold to utility companies. 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
As plans currently stand, the project will involve a system to produce hydrogen by electrolysing water using wind power; a system to optimise storage and transportation of the hydrogen produced; the use of fuel cell powered forklifts; and a hydrogen supply chain feasibility study, looking at hydrogen price, CO2 reduction etc. On the public sector side, the project is being implemented by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Yokohama City, and Kawasaki City. The industrial participants are Iwatani Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Toyota Turbine and Systems Inc. The project will also be supported by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The initiative is expected to run for four years, with implementation set to begin in April 2016; the project partners are currently discussing the specific details. A steering committee has been set up, with Professor Kenichiro Ota (Yokohama National University) and Professor Yoji Uchiyama (University of Tsukuba) participating as academic experts. The committee will consider the direction of the project, establish a project-wide communications framework, and determine issues that require further research after the trial has finished. Earlier this year Toyota, Nissan, and Honda announced a collaboration to help accelerate the development of hydrogen station infrastructure for fuel cell electric vehicles [FCB, February 2015, p1], and Iwatani recently completed the first commercial hydrogen refueling station in the Chugoku region, the first outside the four main metropolitan areas in Japan [FCB, September 2015, p7]. Two years ago Toyota Industries Corporation began a demonstration of its fuel cell powered forklift in a project in the city of Kitakyushu in southern Japan [FCB, March 2013, p3]. Iwatani Corporation: www.iwatani.co.jp/eng Toshiba, Hydrogen Economy: www.toshiba.co.jp/newenergy/en/index.htm Toyota, Hydrogen Society and Energy Sources: http://tinyurl.com/toyota-fcevs
COMMERCIALISATION
Symbio FCell selects Ceramic MaxPhase for new automotive stack
F
rench company Symbio FCell, which manufactures PEM fuel cell
powertrains and range-extenders for cars and commercial vehicles, has chosen the Ceramic MaxPhase™ coating from Swedish-based Impact Coatings for its new fuel cell stack. The new fuel cell is expected to be launched in December. Impact Coatings is commercialising PVD (physical vapour deposition) surface treatment technology to vacuum-coat thin films of metals or ceramics. The Ceramic MaxPhase PVD coating will enhance the performance and lifetime of metal bipolar plates in both PEM and direct methanol fuel cells. The coating offers a combination of low contact resistance, high corrosion resistance, and low cost, and exceeds the US Department of Energy’s performance and cost reduction targets. Symbio FCell products are used both as range-extenders in battery electric vehicles, and as the main source of power for fuel cell electric vehicles. Typical users are commercial fleets working around a central location, where a hydrogen refueling station can be installed [see page 9]. The French postal service La Poste is an early user of Symbio FCell technology [FCB, December 2013, p1]. Impact Coatings is supporting Symbio FCell in the development of fuel cell technology for its 5 kW range-extender and Full Power FC range, which includes fuel cells rated at 80–300 kW for trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. Initially Impact Coatings will supply Ceramic MaxPhase as a coating service to Symbio FCell. The companies are partners in the COBRA (COatings for BipolaR plAtes) project, funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). This project also involves Belgian sheet metal specialist Borit NV, the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), the Spanish Centre for Electrochemical Technologies (CIDETEC-IK4), and the INSA Lyon engineering university in France. Symbio FCell has supplied 5 kW PEM fuel cell range-extender systems installed in Kangoo ZE-H2 utility vehicles for the French HyWay project [FCB, April 2015, p2 and June 2015, p8]. The company is also participating in the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) flagship project, which will deploy 125 Symbio FCell/ Renault fuel cell range-extended electric vans [see the News Feature on pages 14–15], and is supplying 10 of these vans to the Levenmouth Community Energy Project in Scotland [see page 3]. Symbio FCell, Grenoble, France. Tel: +33 1 5679 1506, www.symbiofcell.com
October 2015