- Email: [email protected]
Nikola awards major electrolyser, fueling station contract to Nel
NEWS bench, which is expected to deliver 50 Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles in the region by the end of 2018 [FCB, February 2018, p2]. Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC) recently opened the first retail hydrogen refueling station in Canada, in partnership with Shell, to serve the growing number of FCEVs hitting the road in British Columbia [see page 8]. Hydrogenics: www.hydrogenics.com Transition Énergétique Québec: www.transitionenergetique.gouv.qc.ca/en Harnois Groupe pétrolier: www.harnoisgroupepetrolier.com/en-CA/
Nikola awards major electrolyser, fueling station contract to Nel
U
S-based Nikola Motor Company has awarded a contract to Nel ASA in Norway for the delivery of 448 electrolysers and associated fueling equipment, as part of Nikola’s development of a hydrogen refueling station infrastructure in the US for truck and passenger vehicles. Under the multi-billion NOK [potentially >US$500 million] contract, to be deployed from 2020, Nel will deliver up to 1 GW of electrolysis plus fueling equipment. The contract includes an initial $1.5 million order for a pre-engineering package, where Nel will develop a station design, including electrolysers, specifically made for fast fueling of Nikola trucks. Nel will collaborate with Nikola to finalise the detailed station design and other technology elements to be deployed for the commercial stations. Nikola has already placed an initial order amounting to more than $9 million for two demonstration hydrogen stations, with delivery commencing in late 2018 [FCB, December 2017, p9 and April 2018, p10]. The electrolyser stacks will be manufactured in Norway, and the fueling equipment in Denmark. Other supporting components and subsystems will be sourced locally in the US, to reduce costs and minimise transportation needs. ‘We’re looking at a total contract volume which is many times higher than the current annual production capacity at Notodden [the Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser facility],’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel [see also pages 6, 8 and 11]. ‘While we have not reached any conclusions on an expansion to accommodate the order, we want to reiterate our plans to develop the Notodden facility into the world’s largest electrolyser stack manufacturing facility, aiming at a cost reduction of around 40%.’
July 2018
In late 2017 Nikola and Nel announced an exclusive partnership to develop low-cost, renewable hydrogen production and fueling sites as part of a US-wide network of hydrogen refueling stations [December 2017, p9]. This will support Nikola’s vision of replacing the current fleet of diesel trucks in America with zeroemission hydrogen trucks. Earlier this year US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch placed an order for up to 800 hydrogen-electric powered semitrailer (articulated) heavy trucks from Utahbased Nikola, for integration into its dedicated fleet beginning in 2020 [May 2018, p4]. Nikola unveiled its Nikola One™ semi-trailer tractor unit, a Class 8 truck powered by lithium-ion batteries recharged by a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell, at the end of 2016 [January 2017, p13]. ‘We’ll begin fleet testing the Nikola hydrogen electric semi-trucks in 2019,’ says Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motor. ‘The first two stations will be installed in Arizona and California, depending on permit timelines. The next 28 stations will be installed on each route outside of Anheuser-Busch’s Breweries or their distribution centres. Each station will produce 700 bar, and will be compatible with Class 8 trucks and consumer cars.’
state in a broad temperature range from –39°C to +390°C at ambient pressure. This allows considerably easier installation at industrial locations as well as commercial and public hydrogen refueling stations, even close to or within residential areas. It also offers the handling flexibility required to enable a widespread rollout of hydrogen production from renewable power sources (e.g. for Power-to-Gas, P2G). The first commercial-scale units in operation – for example, at United Hydrogen Group in Tennessee, USA [FCB, June 2016, p9] – have confirmed the anticipated technical and economic advantages. The LOHC technology is being deployed for the first time at a hydrogen refueling station in Germany, at Erlangen in Bavaria [May 2018, p8]. Earlier this year Hydrogenious entered into a collaboration agreement with Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co Ltd in China, to accelerate production of LOHC hydrogen refueling stations and establish a large-scale hydrogen mobility infrastructure in China starting in 2019 [February 2018, p8]. Hydrogenious Technologies: www.hydrogenious.net Clariant Catalysts: www.clariant.com/en/Business-Units/Catalysts
Nel Hydrogen: www.nelhydrogen.com
ENERGY STORAGE & P2G
Nikola Motor Company: www.nikolamotor.com
Hydrogenious, Clariant partner for hydrogen storage, logistics tech
S
pecialty chemicals giant Clariant Catalysts has formed an alliance with German-based Hydrogenious Technologies, to provide reliable, scalable and safe hydrogen supply solutions for a wide variety of applications, based on the latter’s Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology. Hydrogenious has developed an innovative technology to transport hydrogen, by chemically binding the molecules to LOHCs. Hydrogenation of the liquid organic hydrocarbon dibenzyltoluene using Clariant’s EleMax® H catalyst allows hydrogen to be stored, while its dehydrogenation with EleMax D releases hydrogen on demand. The highly active Clariant catalysts are designed to offer exceptional selectivity for loading and unbinding hydrogen, in order to optimise the life-cycle and efficiency of the LOHC. The diesel-like hydrogen-bound compound is non-explosive, non-toxic and has low flammability, so is not classified as hazardous. It remains in a usable and convenient liquid
GRHYD project inaugurates first P2G demonstrator in France
T
he first Power-to-Gas (P2G) demonstrator in France has been inaugurated in Cappelle-la-Grande, on the edge of Dunkirk in the Nord department. The GRHYD project will test the injection of hydrogen into the regional natural gas distribution grid to meet residents’ needs. The GRHYD project – Gestion des Réseaux par l’injection d’HYdrogène pour Décarboner les énergies [grid management through the injection of hydrogen for energy decarbonisation] – has a key role in the industrial evolution strategy for the Hauts-de-France region. The five-year, E15 million (US$17.5 million) project kicked off in 2014 [FCB, December 2012, p10 and February 2014, p9]. It aims to build, install, and demonstrate three containers containing cuttingedge technologies for electrolysis, storage, and injection into the gas grid. GRHYD is coordinated by electric utility Engie (formerly GDF Suez) through its Engie Lab Crigen research centre, working in partnership with AREVA H2Gen (formerly CETH2) [see also page 10], CEA French Alternative Energies
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
Nikola awards major electrolyser, fueling station contract to Nel
U
S-based Nikola Motor Company has awarded a contract to Nel ASA in Norway for the delivery of 448 electrolysers and associated fueling equipment, as part of Nikola’s development of a hydrogen refueling station infrastructure in the US for truck and passenger vehicles. Under the multi-billion NOK [potentially >US$500 million] contract, to be deployed from 2020, Nel will deliver up to 1 GW of electrolysis plus fueling equipment. The contract includes an initial $1.5 million order for a pre-engineering package, where Nel will develop a station design, including electrolysers, specifically made for fast fueling of Nikola trucks. Nel will collaborate with Nikola to finalise the detailed station design and other technology elements to be deployed for the commercial stations. Nikola has already placed an initial order amounting to more than $9 million for two demonstration hydrogen stations, with delivery commencing in late 2018 [FCB, December 2017, p9 and April 2018, p10]. The electrolyser stacks will be manufactured in Norway, and the fueling equipment in Denmark. Other supporting components and subsystems will be sourced locally in the US, to reduce costs and minimise transportation needs. ‘We’re looking at a total contract volume which is many times higher than the current annual production capacity at Notodden [the Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser facility],’ says Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel [see also pages 6, 8 and 11]. ‘While we have not reached any conclusions on an expansion to accommodate the order, we want to reiterate our plans to develop the Notodden facility into the world’s largest electrolyser stack manufacturing facility, aiming at a cost reduction of around 40%.’
July 2018
In late 2017 Nikola and Nel announced an exclusive partnership to develop low-cost, renewable hydrogen production and fueling sites as part of a US-wide network of hydrogen refueling stations [December 2017, p9]. This will support Nikola’s vision of replacing the current fleet of diesel trucks in America with zeroemission hydrogen trucks. Earlier this year US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch placed an order for up to 800 hydrogen-electric powered semitrailer (articulated) heavy trucks from Utahbased Nikola, for integration into its dedicated fleet beginning in 2020 [May 2018, p4]. Nikola unveiled its Nikola One™ semi-trailer tractor unit, a Class 8 truck powered by lithium-ion batteries recharged by a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell, at the end of 2016 [January 2017, p13]. ‘We’ll begin fleet testing the Nikola hydrogen electric semi-trucks in 2019,’ says Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motor. ‘The first two stations will be installed in Arizona and California, depending on permit timelines. The next 28 stations will be installed on each route outside of Anheuser-Busch’s Breweries or their distribution centres. Each station will produce 700 bar, and will be compatible with Class 8 trucks and consumer cars.’
state in a broad temperature range from –39°C to +390°C at ambient pressure. This allows considerably easier installation at industrial locations as well as commercial and public hydrogen refueling stations, even close to or within residential areas. It also offers the handling flexibility required to enable a widespread rollout of hydrogen production from renewable power sources (e.g. for Power-to-Gas, P2G). The first commercial-scale units in operation – for example, at United Hydrogen Group in Tennessee, USA [FCB, June 2016, p9] – have confirmed the anticipated technical and economic advantages. The LOHC technology is being deployed for the first time at a hydrogen refueling station in Germany, at Erlangen in Bavaria [May 2018, p8]. Earlier this year Hydrogenious entered into a collaboration agreement with Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co Ltd in China, to accelerate production of LOHC hydrogen refueling stations and establish a large-scale hydrogen mobility infrastructure in China starting in 2019 [February 2018, p8]. Hydrogenious Technologies: www.hydrogenious.net Clariant Catalysts: www.clariant.com/en/Business-Units/Catalysts
Nel Hydrogen: www.nelhydrogen.com
ENERGY STORAGE & P2G
Nikola Motor Company: www.nikolamotor.com
Hydrogenious, Clariant partner for hydrogen storage, logistics tech
S
pecialty chemicals giant Clariant Catalysts has formed an alliance with German-based Hydrogenious Technologies, to provide reliable, scalable and safe hydrogen supply solutions for a wide variety of applications, based on the latter’s Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology. Hydrogenious has developed an innovative technology to transport hydrogen, by chemically binding the molecules to LOHCs. Hydrogenation of the liquid organic hydrocarbon dibenzyltoluene using Clariant’s EleMax® H catalyst allows hydrogen to be stored, while its dehydrogenation with EleMax D releases hydrogen on demand. The highly active Clariant catalysts are designed to offer exceptional selectivity for loading and unbinding hydrogen, in order to optimise the life-cycle and efficiency of the LOHC. The diesel-like hydrogen-bound compound is non-explosive, non-toxic and has low flammability, so is not classified as hazardous. It remains in a usable and convenient liquid
GRHYD project inaugurates first P2G demonstrator in France
T
he first Power-to-Gas (P2G) demonstrator in France has been inaugurated in Cappelle-la-Grande, on the edge of Dunkirk in the Nord department. The GRHYD project will test the injection of hydrogen into the regional natural gas distribution grid to meet residents’ needs. The GRHYD project – Gestion des Réseaux par l’injection d’HYdrogène pour Décarboner les énergies [grid management through the injection of hydrogen for energy decarbonisation] – has a key role in the industrial evolution strategy for the Hauts-de-France region. The five-year, E15 million (US$17.5 million) project kicked off in 2014 [FCB, December 2012, p10 and February 2014, p9]. It aims to build, install, and demonstrate three containers containing cuttingedge technologies for electrolysis, storage, and injection into the gas grid. GRHYD is coordinated by electric utility Engie (formerly GDF Suez) through its Engie Lab Crigen research centre, working in partnership with AREVA H2Gen (formerly CETH2) [see also page 10], CEA French Alternative Energies
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9