The e-Journal on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
The city of Perth in southwestern Australia was already one of twelve cities worldwide at the beginning of the 21st century that tested fuel cell buses in local transport. After that, however, the energy-rich country no longer emerged as a major promoter of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. And why should it? After all, the country has huge reserves of fossil fuels, precious metals and rare earth metals. But is that really reason enough not to look for alternatives?
The Institute of Space Propulsion of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Lampoldshausen is one of Europe‘s largest hydrogen consumers. The organization primarily uses cryogenic hydrogen to test the main and upper stage engines of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket. The experiences made during those tests will now be expanded even further: Together with ZEAG Energie, the DLR is planning to implement a regenerative hydrogen process chain. It creates the required hydrogen in a 1 MW PEM electrolysis system, which draws its power from the neighboring wind farm Harthäuser Wald
Roland Käppner‘s journey continues: After he had worked for Siemens for many years, he became CEO of McPhy Energy Germany. In August 2015, he then left for GKN Sinter Metals (see Roland Käppner Leaves for GKN). On July 1, 2016, he changed jobs and took on the position of head of business development and sales at the industrial division of thyssenkrupp.
The 2014 version of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) allows operators in case of a grid overload to “reduce the feed-in” of green power, but with the obligation to log the incident. The ones who pay for it are the utility customers because the owners of wind farms receive their usual feed-in payment – even if the network operator takes the park off the grid. Use of the permission is rampant
In May 2015, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) presented the long-awaited funding instrument for the market launch of fuel cell heating devices. As announced by Minister of Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel, the market launch is to be supported via the so-called Energy Efficiency Incentive Program. The program is part of the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE), which was passed by the German federal government at the end of 2014. With other projects, it aims to contribute to a big improvement in the level of effectiveness in the construction sector. The package of measures has an annual funding volume
It’s a moment many have been long been waiting for: at the Hanover trade show, the companies of the Fuel Cells Initiative [Initiative Brennstoffzelle IBZ] presented many of the fuel cell heating devices which are currently available on the market. After the home energy providers showed off their products and services at the ISH in Frankfurt am Main in mid March 2015 with their own stands – an event which claims to be the biggest exhibition for energy-efficient heating and air conditioning technology in the world, in Hanover they shared a single shared booth. The Logapower BZH192iT from Buderus was on show there for the first time. SOLIDpower also made its debut at the IBZ. And Ceramic Fuel Cells (CFC) was