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Nel building world's largest electrolyser manufacturing plant
NEWS
Manchester team uses nanotech for low-cost electrolyser electrodes
R
esearchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK are screen-printing electrodes using 2D nanotechnology for installation in underwater electrolysers, which will be field-tested in a trial off the Scottish coast to produce hydrogen that can be used in a fuel cell for power generation in remote locations. Manchester Metropolitan’s innovative use of 2D nanotechnology – with graphene-like carbon structures embedded in the printer ink – could be the key to unlocking a sustainable, reliable and affordable ‘green’ source of power for remote communities. It builds on previous MMU proof-of-concept work into finding an alternative way of manufacturing electrodes that are traditionally reliant on components made out of expensive platinum and iridium. The research project, with £100 000 (US$130 000) in funding from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is the flagship initiative of the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre [FCB, December 2016, p13]. The aim is to print large volumes of inexpensive electrodes for use in electrolysers, which create hydrogen that can be stored or transported for supply to fuel cells to create electricity on demand, as a more dependable and efficient power source than solar, wind, wave, and tidal energy. The MMU team – led by Craig Banks, Professor of Electrochemical and Nanotechnology – plans to screen-print a succession of electrodes with the graphene-like nanotechnology embedded in a fluid carbon-based printer ink. The screenprinting technique allows the electrodes to be printed in novel shapes and styles, as well as allowing mass-production for industrial applications. The electrolyser cell casings will be 3D-printed at MMU’s new PrintCity digital training centre and laboratory. There will be six months of electrode development at MMU, followed by installation of the electrolyser stack in Scotland and connection to a renewable energy system, and then a further six months of testing. The prototype electrodes will be fitted into a stack of water electrolysis cells that will then be ‘harsh weather tested’ in the Orkney archipelago, off the northern coast of Scotland, in collaboration with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). ‘EMEC have been pioneering the development of hydrogen production from 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
tidal technologies, and this project will help the team at Manchester Metropolitan University gain a significant understanding of how their technology works in real-life settings,’ says Jon Clipsham, its Hydrogen Development Manager. EMEC is participating in the BIG HIT project (Building Innovative Green Hydrogen systems in an Isolated Territory) on Orkney, to create a replicable, fully integrated model of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilisation for heat, power, and mobility [June 2018, p8, and see the News Feature in October 2016]. Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre: www.mmu.ac.uk/mfcic European Marine Energy Centre: www.emec.org.uk
COMMERCIALISATION
Nel building world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant
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orwegian-based Nel ASA will construct what it says is the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant, fully automated and able to deliver the most efficient electrolysers at a highly competitive cost. The extension of the current facility at Notodden, about 90 km (60 miles) southwest of Oslo, will see total planned investments of around NOK150 million (US$18 million). The total development will have a nominal capacity of 360 MW per annum, approximately 10 times the current production capacity, and will accommodate the $500 million-plus order from Nikola Motor Company in the US [FCB, July 2018, p9, and see page 12 in this issue]. The expansion will add 30–40 new employees. ‘As a market leader, Nel is now stepping up to make available technology that can outcompete fossil alternatives like natural gas reforming,’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel. ‘This will be the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant, fully automated and designed according to lean manufacturing principles, capable of making the most efficient electrolysers at a cost the world has never seen before.’ This year the Notodden facility has already been expanded from a production capacity of 25 MW to 40 MW per annum, through debottlenecking and optimising the existing plant [April 2018, p10]. Nel has subsequently been awarded a contract for 448 electrolysers as part of Nikola’s development of a US hydrogen station infrastructure for trucks and passenger vehicles [e.g. May 2018, p4]. This contract will
see Nel deliver up to 1 GW of electrolysis plus fueling equipment. When fully expanded, optimised and ramped up, the Notodden facility will be able to deliver up to 360 MW worth of electrolysers per annum in a five-shift operation, representing more than 160 A485 units per annum. ‘The expansion is fully aligned with the Nikola roadmap, and we will formally kick off the project during the second half of 2018,’ says Løkke. ‘The facility will be operational early 2020, and ramp-up will be aligned with customer requirements.’ Nel’s hydrogen solutions cover the entire value chain, from hydrogen production technologies to manufacturing of hydrogen refueling stations. The company recently launched a new H2Station product with an innovative dedicated hydrogen compression technology, capable of serving up to 100 fuel cell electric vehicles or 50 buses per day per dispenser [May 2018, p9, and see the H2 Logic feature in May 2013]. Nel ASA: www.nelhydrogen.com Nikola Motor Company: www.nikolamotor.com
Ballard collaboration with Weichai Power to advance China strategy
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems has entered into a strategic collaboration with Weichai Power Co Ltd in China, which will establish a joint venture to support the fast-growing fuel cell electric vehicle market in China. The deal also includes a technology transfer programme to the JV for Chinese bus, commercial truck and forklift applications, and Weichai committing to build and supply fuel cell modules for commercial vehicles in China. Ballard has also entered into a separate agreement to divest certain non-core Power Manager assets of its Protonex subsidiary, to a US-based company. Ballard’s strategic collaboration with Weichai Power includes a substantial equity investment by Weichai in Ballard of approximately US$163 million, representing an almost 20% stake in the company, and making Weichai its largest shareholder. The partners will establish a joint venture to support China’s burgeoning FCEV market, alongside a technology transfer programme to the JV related to Ballard’s next-generation LCS fuel cell stack and power modules for bus, commercial truck, and forklift applications in
September 2018
Manchester team uses nanotech for low-cost electrolyser electrodes
R
esearchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK are screen-printing electrodes using 2D nanotechnology for installation in underwater electrolysers, which will be field-tested in a trial off the Scottish coast to produce hydrogen that can be used in a fuel cell for power generation in remote locations. Manchester Metropolitan’s innovative use of 2D nanotechnology – with graphene-like carbon structures embedded in the printer ink – could be the key to unlocking a sustainable, reliable and affordable ‘green’ source of power for remote communities. It builds on previous MMU proof-of-concept work into finding an alternative way of manufacturing electrodes that are traditionally reliant on components made out of expensive platinum and iridium. The research project, with £100 000 (US$130 000) in funding from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is the flagship initiative of the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre [FCB, December 2016, p13]. The aim is to print large volumes of inexpensive electrodes for use in electrolysers, which create hydrogen that can be stored or transported for supply to fuel cells to create electricity on demand, as a more dependable and efficient power source than solar, wind, wave, and tidal energy. The MMU team – led by Craig Banks, Professor of Electrochemical and Nanotechnology – plans to screen-print a succession of electrodes with the graphene-like nanotechnology embedded in a fluid carbon-based printer ink. The screenprinting technique allows the electrodes to be printed in novel shapes and styles, as well as allowing mass-production for industrial applications. The electrolyser cell casings will be 3D-printed at MMU’s new PrintCity digital training centre and laboratory. There will be six months of electrode development at MMU, followed by installation of the electrolyser stack in Scotland and connection to a renewable energy system, and then a further six months of testing. The prototype electrodes will be fitted into a stack of water electrolysis cells that will then be ‘harsh weather tested’ in the Orkney archipelago, off the northern coast of Scotland, in collaboration with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). ‘EMEC have been pioneering the development of hydrogen production from 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
tidal technologies, and this project will help the team at Manchester Metropolitan University gain a significant understanding of how their technology works in real-life settings,’ says Jon Clipsham, its Hydrogen Development Manager. EMEC is participating in the BIG HIT project (Building Innovative Green Hydrogen systems in an Isolated Territory) on Orkney, to create a replicable, fully integrated model of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilisation for heat, power, and mobility [June 2018, p8, and see the News Feature in October 2016]. Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre: www.mmu.ac.uk/mfcic European Marine Energy Centre: www.emec.org.uk
COMMERCIALISATION
Nel building world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant
N
orwegian-based Nel ASA will construct what it says is the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant, fully automated and able to deliver the most efficient electrolysers at a highly competitive cost. The extension of the current facility at Notodden, about 90 km (60 miles) southwest of Oslo, will see total planned investments of around NOK150 million (US$18 million). The total development will have a nominal capacity of 360 MW per annum, approximately 10 times the current production capacity, and will accommodate the $500 million-plus order from Nikola Motor Company in the US [FCB, July 2018, p9, and see page 12 in this issue]. The expansion will add 30–40 new employees. ‘As a market leader, Nel is now stepping up to make available technology that can outcompete fossil alternatives like natural gas reforming,’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel. ‘This will be the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing plant, fully automated and designed according to lean manufacturing principles, capable of making the most efficient electrolysers at a cost the world has never seen before.’ This year the Notodden facility has already been expanded from a production capacity of 25 MW to 40 MW per annum, through debottlenecking and optimising the existing plant [April 2018, p10]. Nel has subsequently been awarded a contract for 448 electrolysers as part of Nikola’s development of a US hydrogen station infrastructure for trucks and passenger vehicles [e.g. May 2018, p4]. This contract will
see Nel deliver up to 1 GW of electrolysis plus fueling equipment. When fully expanded, optimised and ramped up, the Notodden facility will be able to deliver up to 360 MW worth of electrolysers per annum in a five-shift operation, representing more than 160 A485 units per annum. ‘The expansion is fully aligned with the Nikola roadmap, and we will formally kick off the project during the second half of 2018,’ says Løkke. ‘The facility will be operational early 2020, and ramp-up will be aligned with customer requirements.’ Nel’s hydrogen solutions cover the entire value chain, from hydrogen production technologies to manufacturing of hydrogen refueling stations. The company recently launched a new H2Station product with an innovative dedicated hydrogen compression technology, capable of serving up to 100 fuel cell electric vehicles or 50 buses per day per dispenser [May 2018, p9, and see the H2 Logic feature in May 2013]. Nel ASA: www.nelhydrogen.com Nikola Motor Company: www.nikolamotor.com
Ballard collaboration with Weichai Power to advance China strategy
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems has entered into a strategic collaboration with Weichai Power Co Ltd in China, which will establish a joint venture to support the fast-growing fuel cell electric vehicle market in China. The deal also includes a technology transfer programme to the JV for Chinese bus, commercial truck and forklift applications, and Weichai committing to build and supply fuel cell modules for commercial vehicles in China. Ballard has also entered into a separate agreement to divest certain non-core Power Manager assets of its Protonex subsidiary, to a US-based company. Ballard’s strategic collaboration with Weichai Power includes a substantial equity investment by Weichai in Ballard of approximately US$163 million, representing an almost 20% stake in the company, and making Weichai its largest shareholder. The partners will establish a joint venture to support China’s burgeoning FCEV market, alongside a technology transfer programme to the JV related to Ballard’s next-generation LCS fuel cell stack and power modules for bus, commercial truck, and forklift applications in
September 2018