- Email: [email protected]
Proton OnSite's 1 MW PEM electrolyser for Europe energy storage
NEWS environment, with six other partners: Air Liquide, the French National Association for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (AFHYPAC), the Copenhagen Hydrogen Network (CHN), the European Association for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Electro-mobility in European Regions (HyER), Hydrogen Link Denmark, and Hydrogen Sweden. The project is supported by an EU grant issued through the TEN-T Programme, contributing 50% to the project’s realisation. The project includes a pilot station from Air Liquide in Rotterdam, and two in Denmark from the Copenhagen Hydrogen Network. It will also link to initiatives already under way in Germany [FCB, June 2012, p1] and the UK [FCB, January 2012, p1].
the prototype to the hydrogen research centre at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, where it will be tested at an operating pressure of up to 60 bar (870 psi). The goal with such systems is to connect to pressurised networks. Using hydrogen produced under high pressure, i.e. already compressed in the production process, removes the need for an energy-intensive, intermediate compression step. The ultimate aim is to build electrolysers that meet the requirements of the energy industry in all respects. Central concepts in this context are integrated Power-to-Gas power plants and CO2-free mobility based on hydrogen.
HyER Secretariat: www.hyer.eu
Enertrag, Hybrid Power Plant: http://tinyurl.com/d7lp8wj
ENERGY STORAGE
Enertrag HyTec starts production, deliveries of 2 MW electrolysers
I
n Germany, Enertrag HyTec GmbH has begun pre-series production of large-scale alkaline electrolysers, and has already delivered three 2 MW electrolysers to customers. Parent company Enertrag, a major European energy utility, is building up expertise in energy storage technologies based on hydrogen. In late 2011, the company started up its Hybrid Power Plant in Prenzlau, about 100 km north of Berlin, using wind energy and a prototype electrolyser to produce hydrogen that is being shipped to a hydrogen fuelling station in the German capital [see the news feature in FCB, May 2012, p14]. The 600 kW prototype in Prenzlau provided the opportunity to examine materials and durability, and enhance efficiency in advance of pre-series production. Within a year, Enertrag HyTec has realised pre-series production of atmospheric-pressure electrolysers with a module capacity of 2 MW. ‘With the atmospheric [pressure] electrolyser in Prenzlau, we have a proven system with an installed capacity of 600 kW and more than 120 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour,’ says hydrogen project leader Michael Wenske. ‘We have acquired the know-how to meet the demands of customers, which was a 10 times greater capacity of 6 MW and 1000 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour.’ Research and development work is ongoing, with pressurised alkaline electrolysers on another product line. Enertrag HyTec has delivered
December 2012
Enertrag AG: www.enertrag.com or www.enertrag.de (in German)
ITM funded to study feasibility of synthetic methane production
I
n the UK, ITM Power has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to undertake a £100 000 (US$160 000), 12-month engineering feasibility study into synthetic methane production. The project is one of 13 recently announced as part of the government’s £20 million ($32 million) Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Innovation Competition, which are expected to leverage approximately the same amount in industry cost-share. ITM Power is leading a consortium which includes SSE, Scotia Gas Networks, Logan Energy Ltd, and Kiwa Gastec at CRE in an investigation of the technological, financial, and operational feasibility of producing synthetic methane using CO2 from industrial processes and hydrogen produced by electrolysis. The process will convert waste CO2 and renewable hydrogen to produce pure methane for injection into the gas grid and other natural gas substitution applications. The potential of the process for managing renewable power curtailment and exploiting onshore wind power assets will also be assessed. Initial applications could use CO2 from whiskey distilleries. Synthetic natural gas can be produced by methanation, i.e. the reaction of CO2 with hydrogen. The CO2 can be sourced from industrial processes including CCS, and the hydrogen can be produced from electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources. The production of synthetic methane in this way has the potential to make significant
contributions to reducing the cost of CCS, by creating revenue streams from the sale of methane, while the electrolysis plant offers grid balancing, stabilisation, and energy storage services to the electricity industry. The UK’s Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum is planning an R&D showcase conference for CCS researchers and entrepreneurs, taking place 20–21 February 2013 in London, to enable networking between the many different projects and organisations involved in the UK’s four-year, £125 million CCS R&D programme. ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com DECC Carbon Capture and Storage Innovation Funding: http://tinyurl.com/c5lwaxd Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum: www.apgtf-uk.com
Proton OnSite’s 1 MW PEM electrolyser for Europe energy storage
C
onnecticut-based Proton OnSite is developing a largescale PEM electrolyser solution for the emerging renewable energy storage market in Europe. The onsite gas generation leader has announced the development of a 1 MW electrolyser, which it says will be the largest PEM electrolyser on the market.
Proton OnSite says that PEM electrolyser technology has become the preferred technical solution for renewable energy storage systems. Independent testing has proven its ability to dynamically respond to the fluctuating power of intermittent renewable energy sources. The company’s PEM electrolysers can act as a rapid-response variable load, providing a tool for ancillary services such as frequency regulation, and allowing for higher penetration of renewable power in grid-connected systems. ‘Proton OnSite is the only PEM electrolyser producer that can boast documented longterm reliability and an established commercial base,’ says Mark Schiller, VP of business development, referring to more than 15 years’ experience in applications from power generation to labs. ‘With this new electrolyser, we can help companies in the renewable energy industry deliver a clean and constant source of electricity through the grid.’ PEM is already the established form of electrolysis for the vehicle fuelling sector, so this move aims to expand the use of PEM electrolysis
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
NEWS in the energy storage industry. Proton OnSite is currently working with international wind, solar, and biogas energy companies to commercialise a 1 MW electrolyser by 2014. Proton OnSite, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, www.ProtonOnSite.com
GDF Suez, McPhy in French GRHYD project on methane, hydrogen
T
he French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) is funding the GRHYD project, on the injection of hydrogen into natural gas networks and the production of Hythane® natural gas/hydrogen blended fuel. The GRHYD project, led by GDF Suez with 12 partners, aims to transform electricity from renewable energy produced outside peak periods into hydrogen, and also to utilise this hydrogen in combination with natural gas for heating, hot water production, as a fuel etc. Providers of intermittent renewable energy will thus have a new application of their energy, and a new way to achieve further greenhouse gas reductions. Various other countries are investigating this energy storage method, including Power-to-Gas in Germany [FCB, July 2012, p7 and October 2012, p9], GridGas in the UK [FCB, September 2012, p8], and in Canada with Hydrogenics and Enbridge [FCB, April 2012, p1]. The five-year project will begin with a preliminary two-year study phase, consisting of two demonstration projects: UÊ Ê`ÕÃÌÀ>ÃV>iÊÞÌ >iÊvÕiÊ«ÀiVÌ]ÊÊ which a natural gas vehicle fuelling station will be adapted to a hydrogen/natural gas mixture, with 6% hydrogen at first, then 20%. UÊ iVÌÊvÊ Þ`À}iÊÌÊÌ iÊ>ÌÕÀ>Ê}>ÃÊ distribution network. A new residential neighbourhood of some 200 housing units will be heated using a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas, with the hydrogen content varying up to 20% by volume. These two pilot projects will provide a basis for evaluating the technical, economic, and environmental soundness of this new energy field, and for collaborating with local jurisdictions and residents. Their results will allow evaluation of the effectiveness of using hydrogen for renewable energy storage to optimise the value of renewable energy; produce and market lower-carbon natural gas to meet the environmental standards of municipalities and new eco-districts; 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
and provide a lower-carbon fuel for public transportation and/or municipal vehicles. The GRHYD project, coordinated by the GDF Suez Centre for Research & Innovation in Gas and New Energy Sources (CRIGEN), also includes McPhy Energy, natural gas network operator GrDF, natural gas fuel distributor and station operator GNVERT, AREVA Hydrogen and Energy Storage, CEA Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission, INERIS National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, CETIAT Technical Center of the Aerodynamic and Heating Industries, and the electrolyser and reformer manufacturer CETH2. McPhy Energy has developed a unique solid hydrogen storage technology using magnesium hydride, which offers safe, reversible hydrogen storage and transport together with excellent energy efficiency [FCB, October 2011, p8]. The McPhy hydrogen storage units will help to control and smooth sudden fluctuations in the production of hydrogen from renewable energies, reconciling supply and demand, explains Pascal Mauberger, CEO of McPhy Energy. GDF Suez Centre for Research & Innovation in Gas and New Energy Sources: http://tinyurl.com/d8qu8y7 McPhy Energy: www.mcphy.com
COMMERCIALISATION
UK to develop supply chain, manufacturing, foster Euro partnering
I
n the UK, the Technology Strategy Board – the government’s innovation agency – is launching a programme of funding for business-led innovation to stimulate the development of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, starting with two competitions for feasibility studies. The TSB, through the Building Fuel Cell Manufacturing and the Supply Chain competition, will invest up to £5 million (US$7.9 million) through grant funding to encourage the development of manufacturing capabilities and novel supply-chain partnerships to support fuel cell production. The aim is to enable businesses to make step changes in fuel cell production volumes and in lifetime cost reduction, through the innovative application of approaches and capabilities available from other business sectors or the academic community. Up to £1 million ($1.6 million) is available for feasibility studies that explore the potential for innovative ideas and new partnerships as a
precursor to further development. A further £4 million ($6.3 million) will then be available for collaborative research and development, to take the most promising ideas forward in a second phase that will open once the feasibility projects have concluded. And in a second competition, Supporting European Collaboration in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, the TSB will invest up to £1 million in feasibility studies to encourage businesses working in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies to explore potential partnerships with EU businesses, as a precursor to further development. The aim is to facilitate collaboration with potential European partners to enable the development of European supply chains, strengthen access to markets, and increase the level of UK business participation in EU programmes. In the summer the TSB announced funding for five projects to demonstrate the use of fuel cell systems and hydrogen technologies in lowcarbon energy systems and transportation [FCB, July 2012, p1], including the integration of an electrolyser-based refueller with renewable energy in the EcoIsland initiative in the Isle of Wight [see the EcoIsland feature in FCB, October 2012]. Technology Strategy Board: www.innovateuk.org Building Fuel Cell Manufacturing and the Supply Chain competition: http://tinyurl.com/cx43c3r Supporting European Collaboration in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen competition: http://tinyurl.com/bnd4mpr
Altergy, Hy9 working on methanol reformerfuel cell integration
C
alifornia-based Altergy Systems is collaborating with hydrogen generation and purification specialist Hy9 in Massachusetts to develop and market an integrated methanol fuel processor for use in Altergy’s Freedom Power™ PEM fuel cell systems. The collaboration combines Altergy’s leading position in small stationary fuel cell systems with Hy9’s capabilities in point-of-use hydrogen generation and purification products. In addition to the collaboration agreement, Hy9 and Altergy Systems have announced a three-year distribution agreement that allows Altergy to co-market the Hy9 platform. The Hy9 HGS platform generates greater than 99.9999% pure hydrogen on-demand to meet the needs of fuel cell applications in locations where bottled hydrogen is not available. Altergy’s hydrogen PEM fuel cell systems are being used in telecoms, data centres, and other mission-critical applications that
December 2012
the prototype to the hydrogen research centre at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, where it will be tested at an operating pressure of up to 60 bar (870 psi). The goal with such systems is to connect to pressurised networks. Using hydrogen produced under high pressure, i.e. already compressed in the production process, removes the need for an energy-intensive, intermediate compression step. The ultimate aim is to build electrolysers that meet the requirements of the energy industry in all respects. Central concepts in this context are integrated Power-to-Gas power plants and CO2-free mobility based on hydrogen.
HyER Secretariat: www.hyer.eu
Enertrag, Hybrid Power Plant: http://tinyurl.com/d7lp8wj
ENERGY STORAGE
Enertrag HyTec starts production, deliveries of 2 MW electrolysers
I
n Germany, Enertrag HyTec GmbH has begun pre-series production of large-scale alkaline electrolysers, and has already delivered three 2 MW electrolysers to customers. Parent company Enertrag, a major European energy utility, is building up expertise in energy storage technologies based on hydrogen. In late 2011, the company started up its Hybrid Power Plant in Prenzlau, about 100 km north of Berlin, using wind energy and a prototype electrolyser to produce hydrogen that is being shipped to a hydrogen fuelling station in the German capital [see the news feature in FCB, May 2012, p14]. The 600 kW prototype in Prenzlau provided the opportunity to examine materials and durability, and enhance efficiency in advance of pre-series production. Within a year, Enertrag HyTec has realised pre-series production of atmospheric-pressure electrolysers with a module capacity of 2 MW. ‘With the atmospheric [pressure] electrolyser in Prenzlau, we have a proven system with an installed capacity of 600 kW and more than 120 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour,’ says hydrogen project leader Michael Wenske. ‘We have acquired the know-how to meet the demands of customers, which was a 10 times greater capacity of 6 MW and 1000 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour.’ Research and development work is ongoing, with pressurised alkaline electrolysers on another product line. Enertrag HyTec has delivered
December 2012
Enertrag AG: www.enertrag.com or www.enertrag.de (in German)
ITM funded to study feasibility of synthetic methane production
I
n the UK, ITM Power has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to undertake a £100 000 (US$160 000), 12-month engineering feasibility study into synthetic methane production. The project is one of 13 recently announced as part of the government’s £20 million ($32 million) Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Innovation Competition, which are expected to leverage approximately the same amount in industry cost-share. ITM Power is leading a consortium which includes SSE, Scotia Gas Networks, Logan Energy Ltd, and Kiwa Gastec at CRE in an investigation of the technological, financial, and operational feasibility of producing synthetic methane using CO2 from industrial processes and hydrogen produced by electrolysis. The process will convert waste CO2 and renewable hydrogen to produce pure methane for injection into the gas grid and other natural gas substitution applications. The potential of the process for managing renewable power curtailment and exploiting onshore wind power assets will also be assessed. Initial applications could use CO2 from whiskey distilleries. Synthetic natural gas can be produced by methanation, i.e. the reaction of CO2 with hydrogen. The CO2 can be sourced from industrial processes including CCS, and the hydrogen can be produced from electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources. The production of synthetic methane in this way has the potential to make significant
contributions to reducing the cost of CCS, by creating revenue streams from the sale of methane, while the electrolysis plant offers grid balancing, stabilisation, and energy storage services to the electricity industry. The UK’s Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum is planning an R&D showcase conference for CCS researchers and entrepreneurs, taking place 20–21 February 2013 in London, to enable networking between the many different projects and organisations involved in the UK’s four-year, £125 million CCS R&D programme. ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com DECC Carbon Capture and Storage Innovation Funding: http://tinyurl.com/c5lwaxd Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum: www.apgtf-uk.com
Proton OnSite’s 1 MW PEM electrolyser for Europe energy storage
C
onnecticut-based Proton OnSite is developing a largescale PEM electrolyser solution for the emerging renewable energy storage market in Europe. The onsite gas generation leader has announced the development of a 1 MW electrolyser, which it says will be the largest PEM electrolyser on the market.
Proton OnSite says that PEM electrolyser technology has become the preferred technical solution for renewable energy storage systems. Independent testing has proven its ability to dynamically respond to the fluctuating power of intermittent renewable energy sources. The company’s PEM electrolysers can act as a rapid-response variable load, providing a tool for ancillary services such as frequency regulation, and allowing for higher penetration of renewable power in grid-connected systems. ‘Proton OnSite is the only PEM electrolyser producer that can boast documented longterm reliability and an established commercial base,’ says Mark Schiller, VP of business development, referring to more than 15 years’ experience in applications from power generation to labs. ‘With this new electrolyser, we can help companies in the renewable energy industry deliver a clean and constant source of electricity through the grid.’ PEM is already the established form of electrolysis for the vehicle fuelling sector, so this move aims to expand the use of PEM electrolysis
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
NEWS in the energy storage industry. Proton OnSite is currently working with international wind, solar, and biogas energy companies to commercialise a 1 MW electrolyser by 2014. Proton OnSite, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 678 2000, www.ProtonOnSite.com
GDF Suez, McPhy in French GRHYD project on methane, hydrogen
T
he French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) is funding the GRHYD project, on the injection of hydrogen into natural gas networks and the production of Hythane® natural gas/hydrogen blended fuel. The GRHYD project, led by GDF Suez with 12 partners, aims to transform electricity from renewable energy produced outside peak periods into hydrogen, and also to utilise this hydrogen in combination with natural gas for heating, hot water production, as a fuel etc. Providers of intermittent renewable energy will thus have a new application of their energy, and a new way to achieve further greenhouse gas reductions. Various other countries are investigating this energy storage method, including Power-to-Gas in Germany [FCB, July 2012, p7 and October 2012, p9], GridGas in the UK [FCB, September 2012, p8], and in Canada with Hydrogenics and Enbridge [FCB, April 2012, p1]. The five-year project will begin with a preliminary two-year study phase, consisting of two demonstration projects: UÊ Ê`ÕÃÌÀ>ÃV>iÊÞÌ >iÊvÕiÊ«ÀiVÌ]ÊÊ which a natural gas vehicle fuelling station will be adapted to a hydrogen/natural gas mixture, with 6% hydrogen at first, then 20%. UÊ iVÌÊvÊ Þ`À}iÊÌÊÌ iÊ>ÌÕÀ>Ê}>ÃÊ distribution network. A new residential neighbourhood of some 200 housing units will be heated using a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas, with the hydrogen content varying up to 20% by volume. These two pilot projects will provide a basis for evaluating the technical, economic, and environmental soundness of this new energy field, and for collaborating with local jurisdictions and residents. Their results will allow evaluation of the effectiveness of using hydrogen for renewable energy storage to optimise the value of renewable energy; produce and market lower-carbon natural gas to meet the environmental standards of municipalities and new eco-districts; 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
and provide a lower-carbon fuel for public transportation and/or municipal vehicles. The GRHYD project, coordinated by the GDF Suez Centre for Research & Innovation in Gas and New Energy Sources (CRIGEN), also includes McPhy Energy, natural gas network operator GrDF, natural gas fuel distributor and station operator GNVERT, AREVA Hydrogen and Energy Storage, CEA Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission, INERIS National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, CETIAT Technical Center of the Aerodynamic and Heating Industries, and the electrolyser and reformer manufacturer CETH2. McPhy Energy has developed a unique solid hydrogen storage technology using magnesium hydride, which offers safe, reversible hydrogen storage and transport together with excellent energy efficiency [FCB, October 2011, p8]. The McPhy hydrogen storage units will help to control and smooth sudden fluctuations in the production of hydrogen from renewable energies, reconciling supply and demand, explains Pascal Mauberger, CEO of McPhy Energy. GDF Suez Centre for Research & Innovation in Gas and New Energy Sources: http://tinyurl.com/d8qu8y7 McPhy Energy: www.mcphy.com
COMMERCIALISATION
UK to develop supply chain, manufacturing, foster Euro partnering
I
n the UK, the Technology Strategy Board – the government’s innovation agency – is launching a programme of funding for business-led innovation to stimulate the development of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, starting with two competitions for feasibility studies. The TSB, through the Building Fuel Cell Manufacturing and the Supply Chain competition, will invest up to £5 million (US$7.9 million) through grant funding to encourage the development of manufacturing capabilities and novel supply-chain partnerships to support fuel cell production. The aim is to enable businesses to make step changes in fuel cell production volumes and in lifetime cost reduction, through the innovative application of approaches and capabilities available from other business sectors or the academic community. Up to £1 million ($1.6 million) is available for feasibility studies that explore the potential for innovative ideas and new partnerships as a
precursor to further development. A further £4 million ($6.3 million) will then be available for collaborative research and development, to take the most promising ideas forward in a second phase that will open once the feasibility projects have concluded. And in a second competition, Supporting European Collaboration in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, the TSB will invest up to £1 million in feasibility studies to encourage businesses working in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies to explore potential partnerships with EU businesses, as a precursor to further development. The aim is to facilitate collaboration with potential European partners to enable the development of European supply chains, strengthen access to markets, and increase the level of UK business participation in EU programmes. In the summer the TSB announced funding for five projects to demonstrate the use of fuel cell systems and hydrogen technologies in lowcarbon energy systems and transportation [FCB, July 2012, p1], including the integration of an electrolyser-based refueller with renewable energy in the EcoIsland initiative in the Isle of Wight [see the EcoIsland feature in FCB, October 2012]. Technology Strategy Board: www.innovateuk.org Building Fuel Cell Manufacturing and the Supply Chain competition: http://tinyurl.com/cx43c3r Supporting European Collaboration in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen competition: http://tinyurl.com/bnd4mpr
Altergy, Hy9 working on methanol reformerfuel cell integration
C
alifornia-based Altergy Systems is collaborating with hydrogen generation and purification specialist Hy9 in Massachusetts to develop and market an integrated methanol fuel processor for use in Altergy’s Freedom Power™ PEM fuel cell systems. The collaboration combines Altergy’s leading position in small stationary fuel cell systems with Hy9’s capabilities in point-of-use hydrogen generation and purification products. In addition to the collaboration agreement, Hy9 and Altergy Systems have announced a three-year distribution agreement that allows Altergy to co-market the Hy9 platform. The Hy9 HGS platform generates greater than 99.9999% pure hydrogen on-demand to meet the needs of fuel cell applications in locations where bottled hydrogen is not available. Altergy’s hydrogen PEM fuel cell systems are being used in telecoms, data centres, and other mission-critical applications that
December 2012