Regional Newsolder posts »

Today saw the launch of UKH2Mobility at the Royal Society in London. The project brings together thirteen industry participants with three UK Government departments and the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). All participants have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to share knowledge and expertise towards the shared goals. See document: UKH2Mobility Source: FuelCellToday

Air Liquide has been continuously running two Hydrogenics Hystat 60 Generators since 2006 at their plant in Calarasi, Romania which has produced 5.0 million cubic meters of Hydrogen between the two units without any performance or service issues. According to plant manager Claudiu Belciu “During this period the units have run without any major problems.” They were more than pleased with the performance and reliability that they are willing to present these units to other prospective customers who are interested in this technology. Hydrogenics has over 1,800 installations worldwide across a wide range of industrial applications, fueling stations, renewable energy storage and conversion systems. Over the past ten years the Hystat has become a go to choice for major gas suppliers such as Air Liquide. Hydrogenics has added over 200 of them to our install base. It’s safety, quality and dependability make it the best choice for customers’ on-site hydrogen generating needs.    

Hydrogenics Corporation has announced a contract with Ballast Nedam IPM, awarded at the end of 2011, to supply a HySTAT®30 electrolyser for a Netherlands-based hydrogen fuelling station. The station owner will be WaterstofNet, a non-profit organisation financed by the Flemish and Dutch governments. The electrolyser, which is capable of producing up to 65 kilograms per day of pure hydrogen, is anticipated to be delivered in mid-2012 and be operational by the end of the year. Hydrogenics’ HySTAT electrolyser products have been used in over 35 hydrogen fuelling installations worldwide. This is the fourth hydrogen fuelling station contract awarded to Hydrogenics in 2011. Hydrogenics has also acknowledged the valuable role WaterstofNet plays in the Dutch/Flemish region, where it has for a number of years provided strong leadership in promoting hydrogen technology development and deploying hydrogen solutions. Ballast Nedam IPM specialises in the design and construction of filling stations and plays a leading role in developing refuelling stations for alternative fuels. Source: FuelCellToday

H2 Logic A/S has recently supplied a hydrogen refuelling station 150 meters north of the polar circle, at the Arctic Driving Centre in Finland. The station is based on H2Station® technology and provides three minutes fast fill of hydrogen at 700 bar for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) being tested by car manufacturers under extreme cold climate conditions. The station is rented by the leading Finish gas company Oy Woikoski Ab which also handles the supply of hydrogen. The decision by the driving centre to install facilities for testing of FCEVs was in response to demand from automotive OEMs. Despite an average temperature of −15°C and sometimes as low as −45°C, FCEVs should be able to refuel for long ranges in a few minutes, just as if they were using gasoline. Fast-fill of hydrogen to any FCEV at any refuelling station worldwide, irrespective of local climate, is possible thanks to various industrial and globally agreed hydrogen refuelling standards such as the SAE J2601 fuelling protocol and because of a globally agreed nozzle design. The H2Station® from H2 Logic provides full compliance with all applicable international standards, including refuelling in accordance with the specifications in SAE J2601, thus offering three minutes fast fill. During 2011 H2 [...]

Turkey’s Istanbul Technical University (ITU) unveiled a hydrogen fuel cell boat last month. The Marti (which means seagull) was developed over four years with funding from various organisations, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and is now ready for use. The Marti can operate for 10 hours on 5 kg of hydrogen with a maximum speed of 13 km/h. The boat will be put into use on the Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul, shuttling between various wharfs and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum – which, fittingly, is a museum dedicated to the history of transport, industry and communications. Source: FuelCellToday

The Canadian company Ballard Power Systems Inc. has now established a branch in Hürth – North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. the aim is to establish projects throughout Germany and Europe.  Ballard is looking at Germany as a key growth market for fuel cell buses, uninterrupted power supplies and systems for combined heat and power (CHP). Europe’s ambitious climate goals can be achieved by implementing Fuel Cell technologies, thus the office in Hürth is a key position for building, distribution, and service for the Fuel Cell Systems.  Two fuel cell hybrid buses PHILEAS of APTS, in the region are used in Cologne and are already in regular service. Ballard is involved in the areas of buses, materials handling vehicles, and small power stations and power backup. For more information see: NRW PR

The 11th Annual meeting of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Network Energy Agency – NRW presented that the region is well on its way to leading research and business area of ​​Energy and Climate Change in Europe. The state government has set ambitious goals. “In order to achieve the ambitious climate protection goals, a dramatic change is needed in our use of energy. A change that affects all sectors: industry, transport, trade, commerce and services, and private households – our whole society. Progress not only combines economics and ecology, but also includes the social and cultural issue with one, “said Dr. Beate Wieland, Head of Research and Technology, Ministry of Science NRW, to welcome around 200 participants of the 11th Annual Meeting of the network of hydrogen fuel cell and the EnergyAgency – NRW in Dusseldorf.
Dr. Wieland continued: “Who wants to tackle this great challenge of the future must mean more than technological development. Innovation is increasingly social processes, services and solutions that impact on people, society and the environment alike have in mind. Particularly in the energy sector, this is clear: Societal consensus and public participation are gaining in importance. ”

More than 150 experts and policy makers gathered to discuss the market potential of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies in Hessen. “Innovation meets the market” was the event’s motto.
Mr. Reinhold Wurster from Ludwig Bolkow Systemtechnik noted that given the climate goals of the EU, European transport, households and industries would be emission-free in 40 years. Therefore, there is a strong need for more renewable energy storage options. 

The final project of the two-year Smart Move EV programme led by Cenex targeted twelve major fleets in the United Kingdom including Indesit, Stagecoach, Asda or national car club Commonwheels. The objective of the trial was to test EVs in real world conditions, measure their technical, economic and emission performance. On the economic side, the project findings estimate that the premium for EV ownership is decreasing and can result in cost reductions in the future.
Main findings of the project:

75% of drivers would be willing to use an EV
100% of fleet managers recognised low running costs and environmental characteristics as the main EV advantages
75% of fleet managers admitted the trial improved their opinion on EVs
Companies would be willing to spend up to 50% more to buy an EV
15% emission saving was achieved using the Cenex Fleet Carbon Reduction tool

Hydrogenics Corporation announced on the 25th of November the award to deliver one HySTAT(TM)60 electrolyser, capable to produce 130kg a day of pure hydrogen. It will be part of a complete electrolysis-based fueling station awarded to Carbagas, a fully owned subsidiary of the Air Liquide group. The electrolyser is expected to be delivered to the city of Brugg in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland at the beginning of 2012. The hydrogen fueling station, delivering green hydrogen at 350bar, will be based at the PostAuto bus garage in Brugg and will be used to operate five Citaro FuelCELL buses. PostAuto (www.postauto.ch) is the biggest public bus operator in Switzerland with over 2,000 vehicles in operation. This project is part of the CHIC initiative, a European demonstration project of fuel cell buses (chic-project.eu). The Aargau bus project will reduce noise and improve air quality in the canton by reducing harmful emissions from public transport. This fueling station will deliver 100% green hydrogen, thanks to the use of green electricity generated by the local energy utility IBB (hydro-electric, solar, wind and biomass) further demonstrating that a complete carbon free chain using electrolysis has its place in the future energy mix for transport applications. Source: Hydrogenics, [...]