When discussing current advances in hydrogen and fuel cell technology, people often start by talking about transportation, along with success and failure in the automotive industry (see Cautious or clueless? and Fuel cells certain to gain traction after 2025). In the past several months, however, other applications have begun to move into focus.
Hydrogeit
BIG HIT opens on Orkney Islands
Orkney, a group of sparsely populated islands in northern Scotland, will soon become the site for a whole systems installation to test a hydrogen supply chain. The project about producing, storing, delivering and utilizing the gas in heat and electricity production, as well as transportation, was inaugurated May 15 through 16, 2018, in Kirkwall.
Hydrogen’s role in energy systems integration
IPHE, the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, was set up in 2003 to expedite the transition to clean and efficient energy and transportation systems based on fuel cells and hydrogen, or FCH. As an intergovernmental organization, it offers a global platform for discussing policies, initiatives, technological advances
Fuel cells certain to gain traction after 2025
Hannover Messe’s show about electric transportation painted an all-too-familiar picture, with Hyundai and Toyota bringing fuel cell cars to market and German automakers being as cautious as ever. A good example was Daimler, whose employee at the H2 Mobility booth wasn’t allowed to go into much detail when asked about the corporation’s electric vehicle strategy.
Five questions for H2 Mobility
Is it desirable that businesses as well as other organizations construct their own hydrogen fueling stations in Germany, independent of H2 Mobility?
H2M: Yes, it is. Moreover, it is essential. To employ a bit of hyperbole, H2 Mobility will have fulfilled its mission when it has been made redundant because enough other market players have taken over the tasks of planning
On to building a hydrogen infrastructure
Germany’s network of hydrogen stations is growing slowly but steadily. This brings to the forefront a whole range of issues that need to be solved. Some are technological or logistical in nature; others are conceptual. At Hannover Messe, attendees and exhibitors could be heard discussing questions of site selection, funding approval and station management.
Nico Rosberg receives GreenTec Award
In mid-May, the GreenTec Awards recognized collaborative efforts that help protect the environment as well as conserve natural resources and promote sustainable choices in everyday life. More than 1,000 guests from the worlds of business, science, politics and entertainment attended the gala, which marked the start of IFAT, the world’s premier show dedicated to the water and waste industries.
Norway in spotlight of f-cell award
In 2018, the f-cell show will take place Sept. 18 through 19 at what used to be its longtime location, called Haus der Wirtschaft, a building in downtown Stuttgart, Germany. As in past years, there is going to be an f-cell award ceremony, but both the ceremony and the symposium will look a bit different this time.
Falkenhagen restarts power-to-gas plant
Store&Go, a European Union research project, entered phase two with a methanation unit being added to the power-to-gas system in Pritzwalk’s Falkenhagen suburb, in the German region of Prignitz. Set up right alongside the facility for producing pure hydrogen, the new unit will create renewable methane at a maximum rate of 57 normal cubic meters, or 600 kilowatt-hours, per hour and inject the gas into the national pipeline network.
Electrolyzer from Japan runs at h2herten
In late April, Asahi Kasei Europe started up one of its alkaline electrolyzers (see image) at the German h2herten Hydrogen Center of Excellence in Herten. The recently established business is part of the Asahi Kasei Group, a Japanese chemical company that employs 30,000 and has intimate knowledge of chloralkaline electrolysis. The electrolyzer in Herten was designed specifically to produce hydrogen from intermittent renewable sources.