Linde to build its first hydrogen fueling station in Sweden

NEWS (7 oz) – utilises microtubular solid oxide fuel cell technology to generate power from widely available lighter fuel (butane) or camping gas (butane/propane). The company says that a single refill can provide sufficient energy to recharge an Apple iPhone 11 times. ‘We have experienced a huge rush since our technology was first launched,’ says Dr Sascha Kühn, president and founder of eZelleron. ‘We have met with Samsung to explore possible cooperation. Apple and other big companies in the technology and automotive sectors have also made inquiries.’ eZelleron GmbH aims to ship the kraftwerk device, which has already been produced in a range of successful functional prototypes, at the end of 2015. The company has received more than 6000 pre-orders (with pricing from $99) in the US, Europe, and Asia. After quickly reaching its first funding goal, eZelleron plans to use the extra funding to develop a particularly robust outdoor version, and a luxury version. Fuel cell developers have had mixed fortunes with crowd-funding so far. Last year Neah Power Systems launched a successful Indiegogo campaign for its BuzzBar Suite® of handheld device charging products [FCB, October 2014, p6], but in 2013 California-based Point Source Power was well short of its Kickstarter target to commercialise its HALO Fuel Cell power source for the outdoor enthusiast and emergency markets [FCB, July 2013, p7]. eZelleron GmbH, Dresden, Germany. Tel: +49 351 250 88780, www.ezelleron.eu eZelleron Inc, Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Tel: +1 860 341 5558, www.hellokraftwerk.com kraftwerk on Kickstarter: http://tinyurl.com/kick-kraftwerk

Neah Power completes PowerChip testing at DRDO in India

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S-based Neah Power Systems has successfully completed testing of its PowerChip® units at an Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility. The company has also signed a definitive agreement to merge with Californiabased Shorai Inc, a leading provider of lithium ion-based power sports and starter battery solutions for the consumer and motorsport markets. The successful PowerChip testing at DRDO is a critical milestone in completing the licensing agreement with the Indian government agency, which is responsible for

February 2015

the development of technology for use by the military [FCB, December 2013, p8]. Neah Power has received payment of approximately $165 000 for these initial test units. ‘This further substantiates the value proposition of the PowerChip fuel cell in terms of differentiated performance from other fuel cells, including non-air operation and semiconductor-based manufacturing, as well as the ability to meet the needs of mission-critical applications,’ says Dr Chris D’Couto, CEO of Neah Power. He expects that completion of the licensing agreement will lead to a significant contract, and enable further adoption of the technology for a variety of applications in the industries that Neah is targeting. Neah Power says that the acquisition of Shorai is intended to deliver a comprehensive suite of customer-focused alternative energy power generation and storage solutions, through a diverse portfolio of proprietary technologies. Shorai is a well known producer of lightweight, efficient and high-performance lithium-ion starter batteries for motorcycles, allterrain and utility vehicles, lawnmowers etc. ‘Our customers, whether defence, commercial or consumer, want to see integrated power solutions that use best-ofbreed technologies in order to meet their mission-critical needs,’ says Chris D’Couto. ‘Completing this merger allows us to create product, operational, and marketing synergies to meet these customer needs.’ Neah Power’s core solutions have a small formfactor, recharge instantly, and can be operated in air and non-air (anaerobic) environments, providing a longer life with lower total cost of ownership. The company’s offerings also include the Formira® Hydrogen on Demand™ (HOD) formic acid reformer technology [FCB, November 2014, p6] and the BuzzBar Suite® of handheld device charging products [FCB, September 2014, p7]. Neah Power Systems, Bothell, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 424 3324, www.neahpower.com Shorai Inc: www.shoraipower.com

FUELING

cell electric vehicles in central Nagoya and in Toyota City. Air Liquide has also inaugurated a hydrogen station in the city of Saint-Lô in the Manche department in northwestern France. The new stations in Japan, which began construction last autumn [FCB, October 2014, p7], were developed by Nagoya-based Toyotsu Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy Corporation, the joint venture between Air Liquide Japan and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, [FCB, November 2013, p8]. Air Liquide Japan was in charge of the design and installation of these stations, which were designed using the expertise the Air Liquide group has acquired from installing more than 60 hydrogen stations around the world. Air Liquide has already built three hydrogen stations in Japan – in Tokyo, in neighbouring Kawasaki City, and in Saga on the southern island of Kyushu. Closer to home, Air Liquide has inaugurated a hydrogen refueling station in Saint-Lô, for the first regional authority in France to have a hydrogen station for its vehicles. The Conseil Général de la Manche (Manche regional council) is keen to develop the hydrogen energy industry, and play a pioneering role in this field. The station will initially refuel the community’s 10 Renault Kangoo Maxi ZE electric vehicles, which utilise a hydrogen fuel cell range-extender supplied by Symbio FCell [see page 2]. In a second stage, 30 more vehicles from partnering communities and buses will use the station. Air Liquide already operates publicly accessible hydrogen stations in Europe, including Rotterdam in the Netherlands [FCB, October 2014, p7] and Düsseldorf in Germany. Last summer the company announced the installation of four new hydrogen stations in Denmark [FCB, July 2014, p8], part of the first national hydrogen infrastructure network in Europe, and in the autumn it announced plans to develop and supply an integrated hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the northeastern US, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Sales USA [FCB, December 2014, p8]. Air Liquide, Hydrogen Filling Station: http://tinyurl.com/airliquide-h2filling Air Liquide Japan: www.jp.airliquide.com/en/welcome.html Toyota Tsusho Corporation: www.toyota-tsusho.com/english

Air Liquide hydrogen stations for Japan, Linde to build its first French regional council hydrogen fueling ndustrial gases giant Air Liquide station in Sweden

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recently completed two hydrogen fueling stations in Aichi Prefecture in Japan. These two stations are the first public-use hydrogen stations for fuel

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he Linde Group, via its Scandinavian business branch AGA, is building its first hydrogen refueling

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NEWS station in Sweden, at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The new station will be the country’s largest so far, and accompanies the introduction of seriesproduction fuel cell electric vehicles by several car manufacturers. The ‘green’ hydrogen will be produced by electrolysers running on renewable electricity from hydroelectric power in AGA’s new production plant in Sandviken, about 180 km (110 miles) north of Stockholm. The station’s core components, based on Linde’s proprietary ionic compressor technology, are designed and assembled in Linde’s small-series manufacturing facility in Vienna, Austria [FCB, July 2014, p1]. The new station will be operated by AGA, and is envisaged to become part of a larger network with links to similar infrastructure initiatives in Norway, Denmark, and Germany. Built with EU funding support, the Arlanda facility – located next to a recently acquired biogas station – is planned to go in operation in September. The station will be a ‘full size’ unit, with a maximum capacity of 180 fillings per day. Normal refueling at a pressure of 700 bar (10 000 psi) will take only about three minutes. Linde is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hydrogen plants, and a pioneer in the hydrogen mobility sector, covering the technology spectrum from hydrogen generation to refueling [see the Linde feature in FCB, September 2014]. The company has equipped more than 90 fueling stations in 15 countries with innovative hydrogen refueling technology, supporting fuel cell cars, buses, and forklift trucks. Linde’s US operation recently completed its first retail hydrogen station in the US, at a multi-fuel facility in West Sacramento, California [FCB, November 2014, p9], and signed a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement with Sandia National Laboratories that will focus on performance-based design approaches to commercial hydrogen fueling stations [FCB, January 2015, p7].

the public. The facility recently passed a rigorous state performance evaluation, and can now begin selling hydrogen by the kilogramme to drivers of fuel cell electric vehicles. Opened last May, the fueling station at Cal State LA is the largest such facility on a university campus in the US [FCB, June 2014, p7]. The station produces hydrogen onsite, and is capable of using renewable sources such as solar and wind power for hydrogen production. The facility uses a HySTAT™-30 alkaline water electrolyser, supplied by Canadian-based Hydrogenics, which provides 65 kg/day of hydrogen. Last year Hydrogenics secured contracts for nine hydrogen fueling stations, including two 700 bar (10 000 psi) facilities. The company is now involved in the building and servicing of more than 10 hydrogen refueling stations in California, and more than 50 stations worldwide [FCB, January 2015, p7]. The hydrogen facility provides key research data on fueling performance and station operations to the Department of Energy and national laboratories, as well as to state agencies such as the California Energy Commission and California Air Resources Board. Honda, Hyundai, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler), Audi and Volkswagen [FCB, December 2014, p2] have all fueled prototype hydrogen vehicles at the Cal State LA station. California Governor Jerry Brown’s office informed the university that the fueling facility had received the certification, known as California Type Approval. The state is leading the effort to develop such facilities, and has allocated $200 million over the next decade to further the construction of a hydrogen fueling network across California [FCB, October 2013, p6]. Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com Cal State LA, Hydrogen Station: www.calstatela.edu/ecst/h2station

The Linde Group, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy AGA Gas AB, Lidingö, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 706 9500, www.aga.com

Cal State LA station first in state certified to sell hydrogen to public

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he Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) has become the first hydrogen station in California to be certified to sell the clean fuel to 8

Fuel Cells Bulletin

ENERGY STORAGE

ITM readies enhanced product range for Power-to-Gas market

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K-based ITM Power will launch an enhanced product range, based on a higher current density that produces 50% more hydrogen for the same stack volume, at the Hannover Messe, Group Exhibit Hydrogen + Fuel Cells in Germany in April [see the Events Calendar on p20]. The company will

also be launching its new 350 kW single stack, with a three-stack 1 MW system on show and for sale. ITM recognises the market pull for ever larger electrolyser systems for Power-to-Gas (P2G) energy storage, and has brought to fruition two key technical initiatives in order to better meet the requirements of widespread uptake [see also page 9]. The first is an ability to generate up to 50% more hydrogen from the existing self-pressurising HGas stack platform. This is achieved by utilising a higher current density, the key parameter in PEM stack cost reduction, helping to reduce electrolyser capacity cost significantly. The second initiative is a larger stack module capable of absorbing up to 350 kW of power. The larger cell area, coupled with 25% more cells per stack, represents beneficial plant simplification while permitting multi-MW installations to occupy smaller sites. The dramatically reduced footprint helps alleviate siting challenges, where space is highly valued, for both energy storage and hydrogen refueling applications. ITM Power also reports two new reference plant sales to technical universities in Germany, both of which are based on the HPac platform for use in Power-to-Gas applications. Reference plants are particularly important for ITM Power in the German market, and with those organisations which advise the German energy ministry. The new orders mean that the company will have four reference plant installations in Germany. ‘This is an important step in developing our German business, given the close tripartite collaboration that exists in Germany between academia, the federal and state governments, and industry,’ explains Phil Doran, managing director of German subsidiary ITM Power GmbH. ‘These sales and the Hannover launch will further highlight ITM Power’s technology as being more than capable of meeting the needs of the Energiewende [energy transition], and of ITM Power’s growing presence in Germany.’ ITM now has £8.7 million ($13.4 million) of projects under contract, and a further £2.5 million ($3.9 million) of new projects subject to final contract negotiation. ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com

Proton launches PEM MW-scale electrolyser for energy storage

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onnecticut-based Proton OnSite has announced the commercial launch of its 1 MW and 2 MW M Series

February 2015