NEWS
ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111, www.itm-power.com
in hydrogen production. The technology is patented, and has been verified through extensive testing. The transaction combines an upfront cash payment, plus milestone and royalty payments, although the terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. The transaction is subject to due diligence, and is expected to close by the end of September. NEL – originally as Norsk Hydro – was split off from the Norwegian oil & gas giant Statoil in 2011, and is the first dedicated hydrogen company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Operating as NEL Hydrogen, it is a global supplier of hydrogen solutions, from hydrogen production to the refueling of vehicles through the partly owned company Hyme AS and its recently acquired Danish subsidiary H2 Logic [FCB, June 2015, p8]. H2 Logic is a leading manufacturer of H2Station® hydrogen refueling stations that provide fuel cell electric vehicles with the same fast fueling and long range as conventional vehicles [see the H2 Logic feature in FCB, May 2013].
ITM Power GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Tel: +49 6084 950012.
NEL Hydrogen, Notodden, Norway. Tel: +47 3509 3838, www.nel-hydrogen.com
Thüga Group: www.thuega.de [in German]
H2 Logic, Herning, Denmark. Tel: +45 9627 5600, www.h2logic.com
of the German Gas and Water Association at the Engler-Bunte-Institut (DVGW-EBI), the first test was carried out earlier this year [FCB, December 2014, p10]. It included analysing the efficiency, reaction speed, load behaviour, and output gas quality. This test will be repeated twice more before the project ends in December 2016. In addition to analysing the plant’s technical parameters, the project will also investigate how to integrate it into a future intelligent energy system with a high proportion of renewable energy. To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is developing software for real-time plant control in intelligent energy system operation. Earlier this year ITM Power delivered the first of its second-generation P2G PEM electrolyser systems to RWE Deutschland in Germany, as part of its Power-to-Gas installation in Ibbenbüren, North RhineWestphalia [FCB, March 2015, p9].
COMMERCIALISATION
RotoBoost AS: www.rotoboost.com
NEL in deal to acquire RotoLyzer for scalable electrolyser systems
SAFCell, UltraCell in global licensing deal for remote area power
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orwegian-based NEL ASA has entered into a binding agreement to acquire RotoBoost H2 AS, a subsidiary of RotoBoost AS, which holds all assets related to the RotoLyzer®, a compact water electrolyser that is scalable from small to large installations. ‘The technology is fundamentally different from all other products in the electrolyser industry,’ explains Bjørn Simonsen, director of market development and public relations at NEL. ‘The RotoLyzer is a pressurised, compact electrolyser, which provides full operational flexibility while allowing for low production costs, as no noble materials are used for manufacturing.’ ‘This opens up new market segments for NEL, and provides an ideal solution for hydrogen refueling stations where space is limited, or integration with renewable energy sources,’ he continues. ‘It is a potential gamechanger.’ The RotoLyzer utilises a vertical, rotating cell pack, which offers several advantages
September 2015
alifornia fuel cell developers SAFCell and UltraCell have signed a worldwide licensing agreement that gives SAFCell broad access to UltraCell’s knowledge in developing and manufacturing rugged power systems for use in remote areas. The agreement will reduce lead times for developing low-cost, fuel-flexible power solutions for the oil & gas industry. Under the agreement, UltraCell will license its know-how and expertise in manufacturing commercially available fuel cell systems to SAFCell. SAFCell has also engaged UltraCell to aid its system development efforts, enabling SAFCell to meet growing customer needs in a significantly shorter timeframe with reduced costs. The combination of SAFCell’s rugged, low-cost solid acid fuel cell (SAFC) stack with UltraCell’s durable system design, will enable oil & gas industry customers to deploy remote area power systems that offer a lower total cost of ownership compared to incumbent technologies.
‘By taking the unprecedented step of licensing our know-how to SAFCell, the combination of SAFCell’s exceptional stack technology and our expertise in system engineering will allow remote area power products to meet the growing power demand in the oil & gas sector,’ says Ian Kaye, general manager and CTO of UltraCell. Last year SAFCell and UltraCell demonstrated the world’s first stand-alone SAFC system running on propane, to meet the increasing demand for portable battlefield power [FCB, October 2014, p6]. The year before, SAFCell integrated its stack into UltraCell’s existing micro fuel cell system [FCB, July 2013, p8]. SAFCell is working with the US Army, oil & gas companies, and power system manufacturers to commercialise its solid acid fuel cell systems. These quiet, clean systems operate on existing commercially available fuels such as methanol, propane, diesel, and natural gas. UltraCell – a wholly owned subsidiary of Long Island-based Bren-Tronics – designs and manufactures portable power systems for military and civilian applications using PEM fuel cell technologies [FCB, March 2015, p7]. The company has developed new technologies and intellectual property in the field of reformed methanol fuel cells (RMFCs), and its fuel cells are the only systems in the 25–50 W range to have undergone extensive Military Specification qualification testing and field trials. SAFCell Inc, Pasadena, California, USA. Tel: +1 626 795 0029, www.safcell.com UltraCell LLC, Livermore, California, USA. Tel: +1 925 455 9400, www.ultracell-llc.com
Ballard working with Zenyatta on graphite purity, UQM order
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C-based Ballard Power Systems is collaborating with Zenyatta Ventures in Ontario to develop high-purity graphite for fuel cell components. Ballard has also placed follow-on orders for fuel cell compressor modules from Coloradobased UQM Technologies. Zenyatta says that a first-step screening process on its Albany graphite confirmed its suitability for use in bipolar plates and gas diffusion layers in PEM fuel cells, where high thermal stability and corrosion resistance are critical to performance. This research was
Fuel Cells Bulletin
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