NEWS

August 2013 Fuel Cells Bulletin7

Nuvera’s PowerTap onsite hydrogen generation, compression, and storage equipment will all be located on a small pad located adjacent to the new facility. Dispensers will be located indoors, making refueling convenient for operators. Ace will also take advantage of Nuvera’s PowerTap+ service, which eliminates most of the upfront costs of bringing hydrogen to the site. Under this supply agreement, Nuvera retains ownership of the equipment, monitors performance remotely, and performs regular maintenance to ensure efficient, uninterrupted hydrogen delivery.

Nuvera Fuel Cells, Billerica, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 617 245 7500, www.nuvera.com

Ace Hardware: www.acehardware.com

Plug Power: www.plugpower.com

Construction starts on ITM Power-to-Gas pilot unit in Germany

In Germany, the Thüga Group has started construction of its Power-to-

Gas pilot plant in Frankfurt am Main. The core of the 360 kW Power-to-Gas energy storage plant is the PEM electrolyser supplied by UK-based ITM Power [FCB, April 2013, p9].

The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Thüga Group’s Power-to-Gas pilot plant recently took place on the Mainova site in Schielestrasse. Over the course of the plant’s operation, 13 Thüga partners will test Power-to-Gas storage technology using the gas distribution network. In addition to testing the technical feasibility, the companies are calling for framework conditions that will enable reliable and economical operation of this technology.

The ITM plant will be delivered to Frankfurt in September, and onsite commissioning and all necessary compliance (including CE marking and any local permitting) will have been completed by the end of December. The first permission, from the Frankfurt Water Authority, has already been achieved. By the end of 2013 the plant should be converting electricity into hydrogen for the first time, and feeding into the local gas distribution network. The plant will produce around 60 m3/h of hydrogen, and so feed 3000 m3/h of natural gas enriched with hydrogen into the grid. An expansion of the pilot plant is planned from 2016, and the hydrogen will then be converted to methane and fed into the gas distribution network.

The project partners include badenova, Erdgas Mittelsachsen, Energieversorgung Mittelrhein, erdgas schwaben, ESWE Versorgungs, Gasversorgung Westerwald, Mainova, Stadtwerke Ansbach, Stadtwerke Bad Hersfeld, Thüga Energienetze, WEMAG, and e-rp GmbH, with Thüga as project coordinator. The operational phase will be supervised by scientific project partners and by the Hesse ministry for environment, energy, agriculture and consumer protection.

In other news, ITM Power has joined the newly formed Mediterranean Power-to-Gas platform (MP2G), which will develop projects based on the integration of both wind and solar PV for Power-to-Gas energy storage across the Mediterranean region. The MP2G platform includes EDP and REN in Portugal, Enagas and Gas Natural in Spain, GDF Suez and TIGF in France, and Edison, Hydrogenics and SNAM in Italy.

The MP2G platform, managed by DNV KEMA, has been established to develop energy storage projects in the Mediterranean region for intermittent energy based on wind power and solar PV, whereas the recently established North Sea Power-to-Gas platform (NSP2G) is focused on wind power in the North Sea region [FCB, May 2013, p8].

Thüga Group: www.thuega.de (in German)

ITM Power: www.itm-power.com

DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability: www.dnvkema.com

Acta in UK trial for domestic wind turbine energy storage

Italian-based Acta SpA is participating in a renewable energy storage trial

in the UK, to demonstrate the use of electrolysers to produce hydrogen from rainwater, utilising the excess energy produced by a domestic wind turbine.

The trial, paid for by the end-user, was initiated by Clean Power Solutions Ltd, which will install the trial this summer. Clean Power Solutions has encountered numerous situations where turbine permits have not been granted because the electricity grid is unable to accept the intermittent energy supply produced by renewable energy sources.

To cope with the increasing renewable energy supply in the UK, the national grid is starting to impose restrictions on how much renewable energy can be exported to the grid. This restriction is already in place in several Scottish Islands, South West England and Northern

ENERGY STORAGE

I N B R I E F

ISRO, Tata demo first Indian fuel cell busIn India, Tata Motors (www.tatamotors.com) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (www.isro.org) have unveiled the country’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered bus. The new bus – developed after several years of research – was demonstrated in a 5 km trial at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, an ISRO facility in Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, according to IndiaTimes.com.

ISRO has three decades of experience in producing, storing, and handling gaseous and liquid (cryogenic) hydrogen, including expertise in hydrogen safety. An ISRO team generated the technical specifications for all the components, and general specifications for the bus, which has the 150 bar hydrogen storage cylinders stored on its roof.

According to ISRO honorary adviser V. Gnana Gandhi, who led the technical team in this five-year project, ISRO and Tata Motors entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 to design and develop a bus using hydrogen with fuel cells [FCB, January 2008, p9]. The bus project also involved the government’s Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

Savannah, EngenuitySC hydrogen linkupThe US Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory (http://srnl.doe.gov/energy-secure.htm) has partnered with public/private partnership EngenuitySC (www.engenuitysc.com), to formally establish technology-based economic development collaborations between the South Carolina Midlands and SRNL to bring new innovations out of the lab and into the marketplace.

As part of the partnership, SRNL will join EngenuitySC’s NuHub initiative, a collaborative group of public, private, higher education, and workforce development stakeholders working to maximise economic and job creation opportunities for the nuclear industry in the Midstate region.

And because of its commitment to the development of hydrogen fuel cell technologies, SRNL will also play a pivotal role in providing technical expertise on hydrogen innovation to the region’s Fuel Cell Collaborative (www.fuelcellcollaborative.com) for selected projects over the next several months. Launched in 2006, the Fuel Cell Collaborative is a collaboration between the SCRA applied research and commercialisation agency, City of Columbia, University of South Carolina, Midlands Technical College, and EngenuitySC to discover, develop, and deploy the world’s top hydrogen and fuel cell innovations from Columbia [see the South Carolina feature in FCB, March 2010].

NEWS

8Fuel Cells Bulletin August 2013

Ireland, where the maximum exportable energy from domestic renewable energy installations is 3.68 kW per phase. For potential turbine owners this means that they will have to use all the surplus energy from their turbine in a useful way in order to receive their permit.

Clean Power Solutions therefore proposes using Acta electrolysers to convert excess energy from the wind turbine into hydrogen [see the Acta feature in FCB, September 2012]. This hydrogen can then be used in a fuel cell to power a house or other equipment, or by installing a hydrogen boiler to heat water for the house. If the trial is successful, Clean Power Solutions plans to promote this to current and potential turbine owners, to obtain permits which are currently blocked and maximise use of their renewable energy.

This initial trial will be for a farm in Cheshire. The farm has a 20 kW wind turbine, with the farmhouse using about 6 kW of this. Clean Power Solutions will ensure that 3.68 kW of the produced energy will constantly be exported to the grid, and 6 kW reserved for the house. Excess power will go to the electrolyser, which will convert water into hydrogen for storage. In this trial a hydrogen boiler from Italian-based Giacomini SpA will be installed in the farmhouse to use the hydrogen to heat water.

Giacomini’s H2ydroGEM® system uses a non-combustion catalytic reaction in a thermal generator, reacting hydrogen and oxygen to produce water while releasing heat. This thermal energy is removed by an integrated heat-exchanger, with the water (at 35–40°C) ideal for feeding to heating systems such as radiant floor, wall or ceiling panels.

The total investment for the end-user, covering the wind turbine, electrolyser, storage system and hydrogen boiler, is expected to have a payback time (depending on wind speed) of less than six years. Acta’s part of the solution, which incorporates the electrolyser and hydrogen storage tanks, is worth E21 000 (US$28 000).

In other news, Acta has received a E182 000 ($242 000) first stage payment for the Alkammonia project, which is developing ammonia-fed alkaline fuel cells [FCB, January 2013, p9]. The project – led by UK-based AFC Energy – is receiving E1.96 million ($2.6 million) in funding from the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU).

Acta will provide an ammonia cracking reactor and catalysts. Its ammonia catalyst contains no precious metals, yet performs better than commercial platinum group metal catalysts in converting ammonia to hydrogen. Alkaline fuel cells such as those from AFC Energy can tolerate ammonia traces in the fuel stream.

Acta SpA, Crespina (Pisa), Italy. Tel: +39 050 644281, www.actagroup.it

Clean Power Solutions Ltd: www.cleanpowersolutions.co.uk

Giacomini SpA, H2ydroGEM: www.giacomini.com/en/systems/h2ydrogem

Alkammonia project: www.afcenergy.com/projects/alkammonia.aspx

ITM Power to operate hydrogen mini-grid facility in Rotherham

In the UK, Sheffield-based ITM Power has been selected by the Homes

and Communities Agency (HCA) as the preferred bidder in a recent competitive tender process to become the operator of a Hydrogen Mini Grid System in nearby Rotherham.

The Hydrogen Mini Grid System (HMGS) is a unique UK asset consisting of a 225 kW wind turbine coupled directly to an electrolyser, 200 kg of hydrogen storage capacity, and a hydrogen dispensing unit, as well as a 30 kW fuel cell system for backup power generation for nearby buildings. The facility is located on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, close to the M1 motorway network. This gives the facility a very large catchment area, and provides the perfect position for a commercial hydrogen refueling station.

The facility will be upgraded as a showcase for ITM Power’s equipment, and used to provide retail hydrogen fuel services in the Sheffield region. The HMGS will also serve to develop ITM Power’s modular commercial platform for hydrogen generation systems, Power-to-Gas, and hydrogen refueling solutions [see the ITM Power feature in FCB, January 2012].

The M1 motorway was highlighted as a key route for the early deployment of hydrogen refueling in the UK, in the recently published UKH2Mobility Phase 1 Report [FCB, February 2013, p1] The Rotherham HMGS already has planning permission for hydrogen systems, and much of the required infrastructure and groundwork is already in place, which allows for very low setup costs to install and use ITM Power’s non-invasive hydrogen generation technology.

Subject to final contract, ITM Power will sign a five-year lease on the site, and will work in collaboration with local authorities, businesses, Sheffield and De Montfort universities, and UPS Systems to provide retail fuel services for a range of low-carbon vehicles.

The project will also provide educational material for the hydrogen sector.

ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111,

www.itm-power.com

SFC acquires Simark to target NA oil & gas, links with Mastervolt

German-based SFC Energy is to acquire Simark Controls, a

Canadian value-added reseller with product integration and manufacturing expertise for the North American oil & gas industry. SFC is also cooperating with Mastervolt International in the Netherlands, a leading expert for maritime, automotive, and solar energy solutions.

Simark Controls provides instrumentation and measurement systems, power components and drives, security and surveillance equipment for applications in the oil & gas industry, as well as for mining, forestry, and community supply. SFC says the E18.5 million (US$24.5 million) acquisition will offer major growth potential through direct access to the North American oil & gas industry. Simark is well established in the expanding Canadian oil & gas sector, one of the fastest growing markets for SFC energy solutions.

The deal will also strengthen system solution competence, with Simark’s product integration and manufacturing expertise complementing SFC’s direct methanol fuel cell products. Simark’s product integration and manufacturing capabilities will enable the expanded SFC Group to develop and manufacture market-specific solutions which contain SFC fuel cells and PBF power supplies [FCB, November 2011, p10].

Simark’s head office in Calgary will be established as a competence centre for oil & gas solutions. SFC will also integrate its non-government business in North America into the new joint organisation and run it out of Calgary as the regional headquarters.

SFC is steadily pushing into the North American oil & gas industry. Convergint Technologies is using the company’s EFOY Pro generators as off-grid power sources in surveillance trailers for the Canadian oil & gas industry [FCB, July 2013, p8]. Two years ago SFC announced cooperation with Ensol Systems, to integrate EFOY Pro units into packages for oil & gas pipelines and remote facilities [FCB, July 2011, p5]. And SFC has

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