- Email: [email protected]
VTT runs PEMFC on by-product hydrogen from process industry
NEWS 2014, p8], and Europe through its FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH joint venture, which last autumn delivered its first Germanmanufactured MCFC power plant to the federal ministry of education and research office complex in Berlin [FCB, November 2013, p7]. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com National Fuel Cell Research Center, UC Irvine: www.nfcrc.uci.edu
Hydrogenics, Kolon to create JV for power generation in Korea
C
anadian-based Hydrogenics has signed a definitive agreement to create a joint venture with Kolon Water & Energy, part of a leading conglomerate in South Korea. The joint venture represents an important step towards MW and multi-MW installations of Hydrogenics’ PEM fuel cell products. Kolon Group is one of Korea’s largest industrial companies, with a focus on chemicals and textiles; its Kolon Water & Energy subsidiary has identified the potential for renewable power generation projects in South Korea and other Asian regions. The new joint venture will look to capitalise on these renewable energy opportunities, since Korea has a significant focus on the deployment of clean, efficient fuel cell technology that is already being exploited by the likes of molten carbonate fuel cell manufacturer FuelCell Energy with its local partner POSCO Energy [FCB, June 2014, p8]. Hydrogenics’ product development work in advanced PEM fuel cell power modules and compact rack-mounted certified systems forms an important platform for larger-scale applications. The joint venture’s initial target market is thought to exceed 100 MW, which represents a significant revenue opportunity in equipment sales, service, and operations. The first 1 MW of production has already been ordered, and is expected to be ready for delivery by early 2015. This contract includes both a fuel cell array as well as a 20-year maintenance and service agreement. Additional fuel cell orders are expected soon, to complete an initial multi-MW project rollout by 2016. ‘This is a major step forward for Hydrogenics, as the joint venture opens up tremendous opportunities in a key market for renewable energy generation,’ says president and CEO Daryl Wilson. ‘This also marks Hydrogenics’ first participation in power purchase agreements with local businesses in South Korea.’
July 2014
Hydrogenics manufactures PEM-based hydrogen generation and fuel cell products for a variety of industrial and clean energy markets. It is supplying a large-scale combination of both technologies for a micro-grid energy storage application in Canada [FCB, January 2014, p1], and a hydrogen fueling station for a new facility in the Netherlands, where it also unveiled a new hydrogen bus concept using its fuel cell technology [FCB, January 2014, p8]. The company is also addressing the Power-toGas (P2G) market, with a 1 MW electrolyser for the P2G-BioCat project in Denmark [FCB, March 2014, p8], and large-scale electrolyser systems for P2G projects in Germany [FCB, September 2013, p9 and October 2013, p8]. Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com Kolon Water & Energy: www.kolonwe.com (in Korean)
VTT runs PEMFC on by-product hydrogen from process industry
T
he VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a pilot-scale PEM fuel cell power plant that utilises by-product hydrogen from the process industry. A few similar plants have been built elsewhere in the world, for example in the Netherlands [FCB, February 2012, p6] and North America [FCB, March 2011, p6], but this is the first of its kind in the Nordic region. The power plant has been in operation at Kemira Chemicals’ site in Finland since January. The system produces electricity from hydrogen generated as a by-product of a sodium chlorate process, at a high electrical efficiency. When scaled up to commercial size, the equipment is expected to reduce the energy consumption of the electrolysis process used for sodium chlorate production by 10–20%. The power output of the pilot plant is approximately 50 kW. The total electrical efficiency of the system, including the fuel utilisation ratio and power losses due to auxiliary equipment and power electronics, is approximately 44%, while the fuel cell itself operates at an electrical efficiency of 54%. At the moment, the PEM fuel cell at the Kemira Chemicals site is operating at approximately 60°C. In the future, utilisation of the waste heat produced by the system is expected to improve, through the development of fuel cell materials which enable higher operating temperatures. The pilot project is part of the two-year, €1.5 million (US$2 million) DuraDemo
project, coordinated by VTT and mainly funded by TEKES, which ran to April. One of the project goals is to gather end-user experience of operating a fuel cell system in a real-world application in an industrial environment. The system performance has been recorded and analysed to confirm the assumed level of practical readiness of PEM fuel cells from both technological and commercial perspectives, and dealing with potential unresolved problems in the by-product hydrogen application. The project also provided important information on the reliability of the auxiliary systems and components, and the impact of using industrial-quality hydrogen in PEM fuel cells. The strict quality standards governing the utilisation of hydrogen as a transportation fuel are currently an important factor in the pricing of hydrogen. In the future, a re-evaluation of these standards may facilitate a major drop in the producer price of hydrogen. The two-year DuraDemo research project has been part of Tekes’ fuel cell technology programme. The project has been financed by corporate partners Kemira Chemicals, Cargotec Finland, Wärtsilä Finland, ABB, Leppäkosken Sähkö, Konecranes, Woikoski, MSc Electronics, and the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries. Contact: Timo Keränen, Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland – Energy. Tel: +358 40 565 8390, Email: [email protected], Web: http://vtt.fi/research/ene/?lang=en Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation: www.tekes.fi/en
PORTABLE & MICRO
myFC PowerTrekk 2.0 now for tablets
S
wedish-based myFC has launched the second generation of its portable device for charging smartphones, action cameras, and tablets. The PowerTrekk 2.0, which is nearly three times more powerful than the company’s first charger, is expected to hit stores worldwide in October. More and more smartphones, tablets, and similar devices consume so much energy that they seldom make it through the day without being recharged, perhaps several times. The difference between battery capacity and what is actually needed is called the ‘power gap’. The new PowerTrekk 2.0 charger addresses this away from the grid. Adding water to a small puck containing sodium silicide and sodium
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
Hydrogenics, Kolon to create JV for power generation in Korea
C
anadian-based Hydrogenics has signed a definitive agreement to create a joint venture with Kolon Water & Energy, part of a leading conglomerate in South Korea. The joint venture represents an important step towards MW and multi-MW installations of Hydrogenics’ PEM fuel cell products. Kolon Group is one of Korea’s largest industrial companies, with a focus on chemicals and textiles; its Kolon Water & Energy subsidiary has identified the potential for renewable power generation projects in South Korea and other Asian regions. The new joint venture will look to capitalise on these renewable energy opportunities, since Korea has a significant focus on the deployment of clean, efficient fuel cell technology that is already being exploited by the likes of molten carbonate fuel cell manufacturer FuelCell Energy with its local partner POSCO Energy [FCB, June 2014, p8]. Hydrogenics’ product development work in advanced PEM fuel cell power modules and compact rack-mounted certified systems forms an important platform for larger-scale applications. The joint venture’s initial target market is thought to exceed 100 MW, which represents a significant revenue opportunity in equipment sales, service, and operations. The first 1 MW of production has already been ordered, and is expected to be ready for delivery by early 2015. This contract includes both a fuel cell array as well as a 20-year maintenance and service agreement. Additional fuel cell orders are expected soon, to complete an initial multi-MW project rollout by 2016. ‘This is a major step forward for Hydrogenics, as the joint venture opens up tremendous opportunities in a key market for renewable energy generation,’ says president and CEO Daryl Wilson. ‘This also marks Hydrogenics’ first participation in power purchase agreements with local businesses in South Korea.’
July 2014
Hydrogenics manufactures PEM-based hydrogen generation and fuel cell products for a variety of industrial and clean energy markets. It is supplying a large-scale combination of both technologies for a micro-grid energy storage application in Canada [FCB, January 2014, p1], and a hydrogen fueling station for a new facility in the Netherlands, where it also unveiled a new hydrogen bus concept using its fuel cell technology [FCB, January 2014, p8]. The company is also addressing the Power-toGas (P2G) market, with a 1 MW electrolyser for the P2G-BioCat project in Denmark [FCB, March 2014, p8], and large-scale electrolyser systems for P2G projects in Germany [FCB, September 2013, p9 and October 2013, p8]. Hydrogenics Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 361 3660, www.hydrogenics.com Kolon Water & Energy: www.kolonwe.com (in Korean)
VTT runs PEMFC on by-product hydrogen from process industry
T
he VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a pilot-scale PEM fuel cell power plant that utilises by-product hydrogen from the process industry. A few similar plants have been built elsewhere in the world, for example in the Netherlands [FCB, February 2012, p6] and North America [FCB, March 2011, p6], but this is the first of its kind in the Nordic region. The power plant has been in operation at Kemira Chemicals’ site in Finland since January. The system produces electricity from hydrogen generated as a by-product of a sodium chlorate process, at a high electrical efficiency. When scaled up to commercial size, the equipment is expected to reduce the energy consumption of the electrolysis process used for sodium chlorate production by 10–20%. The power output of the pilot plant is approximately 50 kW. The total electrical efficiency of the system, including the fuel utilisation ratio and power losses due to auxiliary equipment and power electronics, is approximately 44%, while the fuel cell itself operates at an electrical efficiency of 54%. At the moment, the PEM fuel cell at the Kemira Chemicals site is operating at approximately 60°C. In the future, utilisation of the waste heat produced by the system is expected to improve, through the development of fuel cell materials which enable higher operating temperatures. The pilot project is part of the two-year, €1.5 million (US$2 million) DuraDemo
project, coordinated by VTT and mainly funded by TEKES, which ran to April. One of the project goals is to gather end-user experience of operating a fuel cell system in a real-world application in an industrial environment. The system performance has been recorded and analysed to confirm the assumed level of practical readiness of PEM fuel cells from both technological and commercial perspectives, and dealing with potential unresolved problems in the by-product hydrogen application. The project also provided important information on the reliability of the auxiliary systems and components, and the impact of using industrial-quality hydrogen in PEM fuel cells. The strict quality standards governing the utilisation of hydrogen as a transportation fuel are currently an important factor in the pricing of hydrogen. In the future, a re-evaluation of these standards may facilitate a major drop in the producer price of hydrogen. The two-year DuraDemo research project has been part of Tekes’ fuel cell technology programme. The project has been financed by corporate partners Kemira Chemicals, Cargotec Finland, Wärtsilä Finland, ABB, Leppäkosken Sähkö, Konecranes, Woikoski, MSc Electronics, and the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries. Contact: Timo Keränen, Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland – Energy. Tel: +358 40 565 8390, Email: [email protected], Web: http://vtt.fi/research/ene/?lang=en Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation: www.tekes.fi/en
PORTABLE & MICRO
myFC PowerTrekk 2.0 now for tablets
S
wedish-based myFC has launched the second generation of its portable device for charging smartphones, action cameras, and tablets. The PowerTrekk 2.0, which is nearly three times more powerful than the company’s first charger, is expected to hit stores worldwide in October. More and more smartphones, tablets, and similar devices consume so much energy that they seldom make it through the day without being recharged, perhaps several times. The difference between battery capacity and what is actually needed is called the ‘power gap’. The new PowerTrekk 2.0 charger addresses this away from the grid. Adding water to a small puck containing sodium silicide and sodium
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7