Industry News & Information Leader
The SunLine Transit Agency will receive two federal grants totaling $326,040 for a replacement clean fuel bus and continued research and development of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, announced the grants early Thursday.
According to a news release, the grant money was requested by Bono Mack to help advance research efforts in fuel cell technology in the Coachella Valley.
MHS Energies, a Business Unit of MHS Equipment SAS (Houilles, France), today announced that ultra-low platinum content PEMFC electrodes (10 µg/cm2) have been manufactured at the GREMI laboratory in University of Orléans (France) using magnetron sputtering of platinum on a commercial E-Tek® uncatalyzed gas diffusion layer in plasma fuel cell deposition devices manufactured by the company.
Particle size, deposition structure and platinum repartition leads to high electrodes efficiency for both hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. PEMFC performance achieved with such low platinum loaded electrodes (anode and cathode) of 400 mW/cm2 corresponding to a specific power of 20 kW/gPt is to our knowledge the highest that has been presented in scientific papers/literature to date. Platinum loadings of 0.16 and 0.01 mg/cm2 have been realized. PEMFC test with symmetric electrodes loaded with 10 µg/cm2 led to maximum reproducible power densities as high as 0.4 W/cm2 and 0.25 W/cm2 with Nafion®212 and Nafion®115 membranes, respectively.
Added to performances improvement described above, this technology also presents several advantages in cost and manufacturing, and is easily transferable to industrial processes.
MHS Equipment’s expertise lies in the conception and manufacturing of ultra high vacuum thin layer deposition systems. The company aims at making use of this know-how for the development and implementation of innovative breakthrough processes for the industries of renewable energy. Capitalizing on the future, MHS Energies proposes an innovative, environmentally-friendly concept for high performance PEMFC MEA manufacturing.
The first products will be branded as TP2L2 (Total Platinum Loading 20 µg/cm2).
Hydrogen-powered cars sound like a great idea, but how do you stuff enough hydrogen into a small, portable volume that’s practical as fuel? Help could be on the way in the form of a hydrogen-rich compound discovered by researchers in the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
The newly discovered material is a high-pressure form of ammonia borane, a solid material which itself is already imbued with ample hydrogen. By working with the parent material at high pressure in an atmosphere artificially enriched with hydrogen, the scientists were able to ratchet up the hydrogen content of the material by roughly 50 percent.
“Including the hydrogen already stored in ammonia borane, this new material can store around 30 weight percent in total,” said SIMES researcher Yu Lin, lead author of a paper describing the work that was published last week in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Department of Energy has set a target for hydrogen-powered vehicles to have an on-board storage system able to hold 9 percent, by weight, of hydrogen, by 2015. The new compound, called ammonia borane-hydrogen, contains more than triple that amount.
But there’s a fly in the hydrogen: the sought-after storage system must function at ambient pressure and temperature. The process Lin used to get the added hydrogen into the ammonia borane has to take place at a minimum pressure that is approximately 60,000 times the usual pressure at the surface of the Earth.
“For energy applications, we need to stabilize the material near ambient conditions,” said Lin, a graduate student in geological and environmental sciences. Currently, most hydrogen-powered machines use either compressed hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen, which needs to be maintained at high pressure or very low temperature, respectively, relative to ambient temperature and pressure. These methods have associated safety concerns in the case of compressed hydrogen and require significant energy for cooling in the case of liquid hydrogen.
There is currently no material that satisfies all of the requirements for on-board fuel storage for hydrogen-powered vehicles, according to Lin, who co-authored the PNAS paper with SIMES physicist Wendy Mao and geophysicist Ho-kwang Mao, senior staff scientist at the Geophysical Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
“If the material can be stabilized at or near ambient conditions with a large amount of hydrogen content, then I think it will be very promising,” Lin said. There are potentially several ways to help do this. For example, there might be some “alternative chemical paths, like adding some catalyst to try to stabilize the system,” Lin said.
If Lin and Mao succeed, ammonia borane could move one step closer to becoming an everyday storage material for hydrogen. Also closer to a reality would be scientists’ and environmentalists’ dream of powering cars wit
ZURICH, Switzerland –C.En Ltd. (www.cenh2go.com), pioneer developer of a hydrogen storage technology, today announced the nomination of the acclaimed Russian Academician Prof. E.P. Velikhov as its honorary president. Prof. Velikhov, stated in his letter of acceptance: “I believe that the fulfillment of the potential of this technology will resolve one of the central issues facing society today.” He believes C.En’s inventive storage technology will enable the optimal usage of hydrogen as the “green energy” source, greatly reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Prof. Dan Eliezer, D.Sc, FASM, C.En’s V.P. and Chief Scientist summarizes the current state of the technology development: “The principles of hydrogen storage in capillary arrays have been firmly established. The development of a final storage system is only a question of engineering.” C.En has developed its novel method for safe storage of highly pressurized hydrogen, using capillaries made of glass materials, for a range of industrial and commercial applications. Prof. Eliezer notes: “Testing and evaluation of C.En’s technology by the Berlin based BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, confirms the trendsetting nature of the company’s innovative approach.” Storage tests conducted by BAM demonstrated a gravimetric storage capacity of 33 wt% and a volumetric capacity of 28 g/L. Results were determined at a comparatively low pressure of 400 bar. Results are significantly higher than other published storage system capacities and have surpassed the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2010 hydrogen storage gravimetric targets, and are expected to meet the DOE’s 2015 storage targets in the near future.
Prof. Velikhov is President of the Kurchatov Institute – Russian Scientific Centre, and the First Secretary (head) of the Public Chamber of Russia. He has achieved international acclaim for his inventions, discoveries and over 1500 publications. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Notre Dame and William Howard Taft University (USA) and the University of London, (UK). Amongst others he has received the American Physical Society and Science and Peace Prizes, as well as the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2003).
Since its earliest days Prof. Velikhov has persistently given C.En his scientific support and encouragement. Moshe Stern, President and CEO of C.En said: “I greatly value Prof. Velikhov’s acceptance of the title of Honorary President of C.En Ltd. I believe that his support is and will be a great factor in the advancement of C.En technology.”
C.En Ltd. is a privately-held company based in Switzerland. The company has developed a technology for the safe storage of hydrogen in Multi-Capillary Arrays. Its technology is lighter, cheaper and safer than competing approaches. The company seeks relationships with global players who can incorporate and adapt C.En’s unique technology to their innovative applications.
DANBURY, Conn. — FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of high efficiency, ultra-clean power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government and utility customers, today announced the sale of a megawatt-class Direct FuelCell(r) (DFC(r)) power plant to California’s Sonoma County to supply 100 percent of the baseload electricity needed to operate a county jail and county office buildings in Santa Rosa.
The DFC1500(tm) power plant will generate 1.4 megawatts of ultra-clean electricity and its byproduct heat will be recovered and used to replace approximately half the natural gas the County currently purchases to make hot water for space heating, cleaning, and cooking. Overall, the County of Sonoma expects significant energy cost savings during the first year of operation.
When operating in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) mode such as this, DFC power plants can achieve up to 80 percent efficiency. This high efficiency will substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions. By comparison, typical grid electricity is only 33 percent electrically efficient. In addition, since DFC power plants produce electricity without combustion, they produce near-zero nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter, and are one of the most effective means of meeting air quality standards with around-the-clock electric generation.
The state of California is one of the country’s leading environmental advocates with over 75 different laws and incentive programs to further the use of clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas production. These include AB32 that caps carbon dioxide emissions; the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring 33 percent clean energy generation by 2020; and its government office building initiative to reduce energy use by 20 percent (1,935 megawatts) by 2015 from a 2003 baseline. Additionally, the California Air Resources Board’s CARB07 strictly regulates distributed generation power plants, specifying limits for nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. DFC fuel cells meet all of these limits.
“Installing a DFC fuel cell power plant is not only a wise financial decision,” said Jose Obregon, head of Sonoma County’s General Service Department. “It also demonstrates we’re being responsible stewards of the environment by dramatically lessening the impact of County operations on our community. No distributed power generation alternative we evaluated was able to compete with its high efficiency combined with its environmentally responsible benefits.”
Sonoma County considered numerous options before deciding that the DFC unit was the best solution for its needs. The fuel cell installation is a major component of the $22 million Comprehensive Energy Project to make Sonoma County buildings energy efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and meet the reduction targets established in the County’s Climate Protection Action Plan.
“Our DFC power plants are efficient, quiet, clean and easy to site,” said Bruce Ludemann, Senior Vice President of FuelCell Energy. “And because they operate 24/7 producing ultra-clean baseload power, they’re an ideal solution when keeping the power on is critical and for customers that want to reduce their carbon footprint like jails, government buildings, hospitals, hotels, and wastewater treatment facilities.”
Sonoma County’s purchase of the DFC unit through its site contractor AirCon Energy was partially funded with a $3 million grant under California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Aircon Energy has been specializing in the design, engineering and installation of comprehensive energy solutions since 1974 with a focus on local governments in the state of California. The DFC power plant is scheduled to be in operation in spring of 2010.
About FuelCell Energy
FuelCell Energy is the world leader in the development and production of stationary fuel cells for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers. FuelCell Energy’s ultra-clean and high efficiency DFC(r) fuel cells are generating power at over 50 locations worldwide. The company’s power plants have generated more than 275 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing, as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers and power companies around the world. The company also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as fuel cells. For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s plans and expectations regarding the continuing development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, competition, and the Company’s ability to achieve its sales plans and cost reduction targets, as well as other risks set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T and FuelCell Energy, Inc. are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC-ERG is a registered trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc. and FuelCell Energy, Inc.
