- Email: [email protected]
USAF contract for Protonex UAV power
NEWS MTI Micro says the agreement fulfils its final 2005 milestone – to have an agreement with a military customer/partner by the end of the year [FCB, May] – and is part of its military product development plans for 2006. Meanwhile, the deal with SES Americom – the largest supplier of satellite communications services in the US – brings MTI Micro closer to Mobion product readiness and commercialization. The companies will work to determine and evaluate the use and integration of Mobion technology into Americom products that may benefit from alternative energy sources. They will also collaborate on market identification, prototype development and delivery, qualification processes and development of a market entry strategy. Contact: MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, Latham, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 533 2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com Or contact: SES Americom, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Tel: +1 609 987 4000, www.ses-americom.com
Automotive stack from PSA Peugeot Citroën, CEA
I
n France, automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën and the CEA nuclear energy research agency have unveiled their first jointly developed PEM fuel cell stack. They claim that the Genepac1 (GENérateur Electrique à Pile A Combustible) is the smallest currently available for automobile applications. The partners’ goal was to develop a compact, modular, efficient fuel cell stack with a rating of up to 80 kWe that was compatible with technical automotive constraints. Designed, developed and produced by CEA to specifications prepared by PSA Peugeot Citroën, the resulting Genepac1 fuel cell stack is the size of a large suitcase at 57 l and is suitable for use in light municipal vehicles. According to a Reuters report, the fuel cell offers a range of up to 500 km (310 miles). To coincide with the Genepac1’s unveiling, PSA Peugeot Citroën also inaugurated a new research facility dedicated to fuel cells, their integration into vehicles, and related technologies. The new unit is located at the company’s research center in Carrières-sous-Poissy. At a news conference to mark the event, the company highlighted the need to reduce the size and start temperature of automotive fuel cells, and also pledged further research to halve the price by 2010. The CEA has close to 10 years’ experience in fuel cell research, and is the only French research organization working on the entire hydrogen chain. It is currently researching the mechanisms that affect fuel cell performance, aging and deterioration.
March 2006
Contact: PSA Peugeot Citroën, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Innovation, Centre Technique de Velizy, Velizy Villacoublay, France. Tel: +33 1 4773 2773, www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com Or contact: Commisariat à l’Energie Atomique, Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 4056 1000, www.cea.fr
USAF contract for Protonex UAV power
M
assachusetts-based Protonex Technology has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to develop compact fuel cell power systems for long-endurance micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The power systems will have significantly higher energy density than batteries, enabling UAVs to fly for a much longer duration with a larger payload. Long-endurance UAVs are used by the military for surveillance, search and rescue, chemical-biological weapons monitoring and other missions that require extended flight times. The AFRL award follows Protonex’s previous success in demonstrating fuel cell power systems for UAVs with the Naval Research Lab. Last fall the NRL flew the 2.5 kg ‘Spider-Lion’ micro UAV for 3 h 19 min with a 100 We Protonex power system fueled by compressed hydrogen as the sole power source [FCB, February]. As development of the Protonex UAV power system continues under the AFRL contract, the company will replace the compressed hydrogen fueling system with an advanced chemical hydride fueling technology for even higher energy densities and longer flight times of 8–12 h. This fueling technology is currently being developed by Protonex and its partners, which include chemical hydride specialist Millennium Cell. Contact: Protonex Technology Corporation, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 508 490 9960, www.protonex.com
Sandia, Sharp collaborate on alternative energy tech
J
apan-based Sharp Corporation recently signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Sandia National Labs in the US to work on renewable and alternative energy technologies, including advanced fuel cells for portable power applications. The broader partnership will focus on energy technologies, specifically photovoltaics and fuel
IN BRIEF India moves on hydrogen power roadmap The National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB) in India has given its go-ahead to the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, submitted last year by the steering group on hydrogen energy, headed by Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group. The NHEB will now seek Cabinet approval and directions, says Vilas Muttemwar, minister of non-conventional energy sources. According to an Asia Pulse report, the hydrogen energy steering group has estimated that an investment of Rs250bn (US$5.6bn) would be needed between 2006 and 2020 to tap the potential from hydrogen. This includes Rs10bn for research, development and demonstration, and about Rs240bn to create the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution. The roadmap, which targets 1m hydrogenpowered vehicles by 2020, has proposed two major initiatives – the Green Initiative for Future Transport (GIFT) and the Green Initiative for Power Generation (GIPG) – to implement the recommendations. GIFT is aimed at developing and demonstrating hydrogen-powered engine and fuel cell based vehicles, while GIPG would develop and demonstrate hydrogen-powered engine/turbine and fuel cellbased decentralized power generating systems. The roadmap also envisages hydrogen-based power generation of about 1000 MWe capacity in India by 2020. Anuvu seeks debt relief California-based PEM fuel cell developer Anuvu, which once had ambitious plans to mass-produce fuel cell cars, has severely scaled back its operations as it negotiates with investors for debt relief, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The company has stopped developing products, and is instead focusing on selling engineering services to other companies for projects revenues of $1–3m this year. Anuvu has put $13m from investors and sales revenue into the company since it was founded in 1994. It owes millions of dollars to a single creditor comprising a group of individuals. Anuvu hopes to negotiate a settlement that would give the creditor more of the rights to Anuvu’s fuel cell technology, but removing the debt would benefit both sides. The company’s ‘Power-X’ PEM fuel cells were incorporated into prototype cars and boats [FCB, October 2003, May 2004]. However, a number of significant projects, such as planned production of Nissan Frontier fuel cell pickup trucks [FCB, January 2004], did not come to fruition. Similarly, a deal with alternative energy vehicle company Zap generated only one order after the expected US debut of DaimlerChrysler’s Smart Car – the intended target for the fuel cells – failed to materialize.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3
Automotive stack from PSA Peugeot Citroën, CEA
I
n France, automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën and the CEA nuclear energy research agency have unveiled their first jointly developed PEM fuel cell stack. They claim that the Genepac1 (GENérateur Electrique à Pile A Combustible) is the smallest currently available for automobile applications. The partners’ goal was to develop a compact, modular, efficient fuel cell stack with a rating of up to 80 kWe that was compatible with technical automotive constraints. Designed, developed and produced by CEA to specifications prepared by PSA Peugeot Citroën, the resulting Genepac1 fuel cell stack is the size of a large suitcase at 57 l and is suitable for use in light municipal vehicles. According to a Reuters report, the fuel cell offers a range of up to 500 km (310 miles). To coincide with the Genepac1’s unveiling, PSA Peugeot Citroën also inaugurated a new research facility dedicated to fuel cells, their integration into vehicles, and related technologies. The new unit is located at the company’s research center in Carrières-sous-Poissy. At a news conference to mark the event, the company highlighted the need to reduce the size and start temperature of automotive fuel cells, and also pledged further research to halve the price by 2010. The CEA has close to 10 years’ experience in fuel cell research, and is the only French research organization working on the entire hydrogen chain. It is currently researching the mechanisms that affect fuel cell performance, aging and deterioration.
March 2006
Contact: PSA Peugeot Citroën, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Innovation, Centre Technique de Velizy, Velizy Villacoublay, France. Tel: +33 1 4773 2773, www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com Or contact: Commisariat à l’Energie Atomique, Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 4056 1000, www.cea.fr
USAF contract for Protonex UAV power
M
assachusetts-based Protonex Technology has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to develop compact fuel cell power systems for long-endurance micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The power systems will have significantly higher energy density than batteries, enabling UAVs to fly for a much longer duration with a larger payload. Long-endurance UAVs are used by the military for surveillance, search and rescue, chemical-biological weapons monitoring and other missions that require extended flight times. The AFRL award follows Protonex’s previous success in demonstrating fuel cell power systems for UAVs with the Naval Research Lab. Last fall the NRL flew the 2.5 kg ‘Spider-Lion’ micro UAV for 3 h 19 min with a 100 We Protonex power system fueled by compressed hydrogen as the sole power source [FCB, February]. As development of the Protonex UAV power system continues under the AFRL contract, the company will replace the compressed hydrogen fueling system with an advanced chemical hydride fueling technology for even higher energy densities and longer flight times of 8–12 h. This fueling technology is currently being developed by Protonex and its partners, which include chemical hydride specialist Millennium Cell. Contact: Protonex Technology Corporation, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 508 490 9960, www.protonex.com
Sandia, Sharp collaborate on alternative energy tech
J
apan-based Sharp Corporation recently signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Sandia National Labs in the US to work on renewable and alternative energy technologies, including advanced fuel cells for portable power applications. The broader partnership will focus on energy technologies, specifically photovoltaics and fuel
IN BRIEF India moves on hydrogen power roadmap The National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB) in India has given its go-ahead to the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, submitted last year by the steering group on hydrogen energy, headed by Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group. The NHEB will now seek Cabinet approval and directions, says Vilas Muttemwar, minister of non-conventional energy sources. According to an Asia Pulse report, the hydrogen energy steering group has estimated that an investment of Rs250bn (US$5.6bn) would be needed between 2006 and 2020 to tap the potential from hydrogen. This includes Rs10bn for research, development and demonstration, and about Rs240bn to create the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution. The roadmap, which targets 1m hydrogenpowered vehicles by 2020, has proposed two major initiatives – the Green Initiative for Future Transport (GIFT) and the Green Initiative for Power Generation (GIPG) – to implement the recommendations. GIFT is aimed at developing and demonstrating hydrogen-powered engine and fuel cell based vehicles, while GIPG would develop and demonstrate hydrogen-powered engine/turbine and fuel cellbased decentralized power generating systems. The roadmap also envisages hydrogen-based power generation of about 1000 MWe capacity in India by 2020. Anuvu seeks debt relief California-based PEM fuel cell developer Anuvu, which once had ambitious plans to mass-produce fuel cell cars, has severely scaled back its operations as it negotiates with investors for debt relief, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The company has stopped developing products, and is instead focusing on selling engineering services to other companies for projects revenues of $1–3m this year. Anuvu has put $13m from investors and sales revenue into the company since it was founded in 1994. It owes millions of dollars to a single creditor comprising a group of individuals. Anuvu hopes to negotiate a settlement that would give the creditor more of the rights to Anuvu’s fuel cell technology, but removing the debt would benefit both sides. The company’s ‘Power-X’ PEM fuel cells were incorporated into prototype cars and boats [FCB, October 2003, May 2004]. However, a number of significant projects, such as planned production of Nissan Frontier fuel cell pickup trucks [FCB, January 2004], did not come to fruition. Similarly, a deal with alternative energy vehicle company Zap generated only one order after the expected US debut of DaimlerChrysler’s Smart Car – the intended target for the fuel cells – failed to materialize.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3