FuelCellsWorks

Persons in front of fuel cell car and hydrogen station (from left to right): - Canadian Ambassador of Denmark, Peter Lundy, Technical & Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam, Director H2 Logic A/S, Jacob Krogsgaard, Danish Transport Minister, Lars Barfoed, Board Chairman of HyRAMP, Andreas Ziolek

Now the City of Copenhagen is also getting around on hydrogen
The City of Copenhagen is on track to achieve its ambitious goal of being carbon-neutral by 2025 – and today’s milestone was the opening of Copenhagen’s first hydrogen filling station. Here, the city’s eight new hydrogen-powered vehicles were  introduced – and filled up.

Driving home the green message – on hydrogen
Today the ribbon was cut at the city’s first hydrogen filling station, and the city’s eight hydrogen-powered vehicles were introduced – and celebrated. This takes the City of Copenhagen another step along the long road to achieving its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital city. Later this year it will also acquire 25 electric cars, bringing the total number of environmentally friendly vehicles to thirty-three.

The opening of the hydrogen station in Copenhagen (persons in the picture: from left to right): Board Chairman of HyRAMP, Andreas Ziolek, Canadian Ambassador of Denmark, Peter Lundy, Danish Transport Minister, Lars Barfoed, Director H2 Logic A/S, Jacob Krogsgaard, Technical & Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam

The ribbon to the hydrogen filling station was cut by Technology and Environment Mayor Klaus Bondam, allowing the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to trundle in and be filled up by Director of H2 Logic Jacob Krogsgaard in the presence of, among others, Danish Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed, Canadian Ambassador Peter Lundy, and Chairman of the Board of HyRamp Andreas Ziolek. The hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen filling station were also shown to the press, cooperation partners and other parties with an interest in climate-friendly transport.

Running on hydrogen
Once the City of Copenhagen’s eight new hydrogen-powered vehicles, comprising two working vehicles and six cars, had been filled up with hydrogen, they were taken for a test-drive. Technology and Environment Mayor Klaus Bondam, Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed and Ambassador Lundy all enjoyed a trip around the city.

Championing clean transport
At the opening ceremony, Klaus Bondam said: “Today we are putting Copenhagen on the map as a champion of clean transport. Together with H2 Logic, Copenhagen is setting in motion the development of hydrogen transport in Denmark and in Northern Europe because the hydrogen filling station in Copenhagen will help provide future hydrogen-powered vehicles from Scandinavia and Germany with hydrogen. The project is a visionary investment in the future and one of many that will ensure that we achieve our goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025.”

Danish Transport Minister Lars Barfoed in fuel cell car at the hand-over on 12. Nov. 2009

Many projects to be launched
The opening included various speeches, including from Danish Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed, who said: “The Danish government is keenly focused on the development of sustainable transport solutions that can help us achieve our goal of reducing carbon without losing mobility. We will therefore be closely monitoring developments in this project and listening to the lessons learned by the City of Copenhagen and H2 Logic. I think it is extremely important for us to launch as many projects as possible within sustainable transport solutions so that we ensure broad coverage of the possibilities rather than focusing solely on one technology or another. The Centre for Green Transport under the Road Safety and Transport Agency is
currently in partnership with the City of Copenhagen to establish a network between the municipalities and the Centre to gather experience and share knowledge on electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles.”

Canadian Ambassador to Denmark Peter Lundy believes that the project is the result of a very exciting collaboration between two nations – Denmark and Canada – that are world leaders in the development of green technology: “The collaboration is bringing new technologies to the market that are having an immediate positive effect on the environment and our daily lives.”
Copenhagen an ambassador for hydrogen technology
Chairman of the Board of HyRamp Andreas Ziolek is an expert on the establishment of regional and private partnerships in Europe when it comes to the development of hydrogen transport. Ziolek also made a speech, stressing the important role that Copenhagen will be playing for the future of the climate at the upcoming summit meeting. He also expressed delight that Copenhagen now has a hydrogen filling station so that the city can be an ambassador for hydrogen technology during the summit.

Impetus for developments
The purpose of the hydrogen-powered vehicle project is to provide impetus for developments in the area. The City of Copenhagen has therefore taken the lead with the acquisition of hydrogen vehicles, while a private partner, H2 Logic, has invested in the hydrogen filling station.
Jacob Krogsgaard, Director of H2 Logic, congratulated the City of Copenhagen on the acquisition of the eight hydrogen-powered vehicles and thanked it for the collaboration: “The transfer of the hydrogenpowered vehicles to the City of Copenhagen and the opening of the hydrogen filling station are another big step towards commercial use of hydrogen for transport. The City of Copenhagen’s daily use of the vehicles will bring major operating experience. And the vehicles and filling station could not have been delivered today without a successful public-private partnership.”

Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff Machine technician Mike Mandel refuels one of 19 forklifts powered by hydrogen fuel cells at the Bridgestone/Firestone plant in Aiken County.

AIKEN — A year after Aiken County officials announced plans to become a part of a nationwide hydrogen energy initiative, usage of this alternative fuel source has increased but its everyday potential still seems years in the future.

Last November, Aiken County received a loan of more than $500,000 to open a hydrogen fuel station at Sage Mill Industrial Park, said Fred Humes, executive director of Aiken-Edgefield Economic Development and the Center for Hydrogen.

The station opened in late March — the second one in the state and the first outside Columbia. That station and a nearby Bridgestone/Firestone plant’s use of hydrogen-fueled forklifts were cited as signs of the initiative’s success. However, few strides have been made locally or nationally in creating hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

“Right now, the focus is on using the energy for forklifts and back-up units for cell phone towers,” Mr. Humes said. “We’ll probably see the first vehicles in 2014 or 2015 in greater populations, and some time after that in Aiken.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy proposed a $68 million stimulus budget for hydrogen and fuel cell energy and research. Unfortunately that was a decrease of more than $144 million from the budget last year, said Patrick Serfass, National Hydrogen Association spokesman. Last month, Congress voted to restore most of the budget, with more than $180 million approved for the program and hydrogen cars research.

“Congress reviewed the budget and determined that it didn’t make sense to cut the budget so low,” Mr. Serfass said. “They put more money in so that there could be continued work on hydrogen vehicles and other projects.”

Though the Obama administration has shown its support, there is still a lack of interest in the energy source by businesses and the community, primarily because it costs more, Mr. Humes said.

The station in Aiken fuels a truck that is used for educational purposes at schools, fairs and other events, Mr. Humes said. It also has the capability to fuel several vehicles and other power sources with about 400 kilograms of hydrogen fuel available weekly, but there is a lack of hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the area, Mr. Humes said. There is also no nearby hydrogen source for the station, which affects the cost of hydrogen energy.

“The thing that’s holding a lot of the technology back is the demand for hydrogen,” he said. “It needs to be higher so that we can cut down the prices.”

Bridgestone/Firestone has benefited from the federal funding, with 19 of its forklifts using hydrogen, said Mitch Musetter, engineering team leader for the company. The tire plant has saved time and money by using hydrogen fuel cells to power its forklifts as opposed to electric batteries, which had to be replaced three times a day.

“We get a longer run time out of the hydrogen fuel cells, more consistent operation of the trucks and it’s better for the environment,” he said. “It gives us more flexibility in our fleet to have those forklifts.”

One hydrogen energy program that did not see a return on funding is Savannah River National Laboratory, which researches the use of nuclear hydrogen energy.

“It impacts the work and programs they’re doing out there, and it’s a shame that the DOE was short-sighted in not supporting that project,” Mr. Humes said.

Hydrogen supporters, however, aren’t deterred.

The development of hydrogen technology continues to see progress in Aiken and across the state, said Shannon Baxter-Clemmons, the executive director of South Carolina Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Alliance.

Genco Distribution Systems recently received $6.1 million in federal stimulus funds to use hydrogen to run its 25 forklifts at the Kimberly Clark plant, and at four other sites across the country, she said.

More than $15 million in stimulus money will also help add 113 jobs at Kemet, a Simpsonville, S.C., plant that manufactures capacitors for hydrogen fuel cells, Dr. Baxter-Clemmons said. There are also plans to build a hydrogen fuel station in Clemson and place hydrogen-powered cell phone towers throughout South Carolina.

“It’s not just a positive for the environment, Bridgestone is an example of the increased productivity and the future of hydrogen energy,” she said. “It will do away with some industries by using this energy, but it will be a net gain of job creation. That’s our main goal for South Carolina — creating jobs.”

Written by Kimberly Donnelly

Calling it a “watershed” moment for Weston, Don Gary of the Building Committee announced at last Thursday’s Board of Selectmen meeting that it looks like the Weston schools’ fuel cell project would be eligible for the maximum state grant of $1,000,000.

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) finalized its initial review of the pre-application for the fuel cell project, Mr. Gary said. Weston, in conjunction with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the manufacturer of a 400-kW fuel cell, have been invited by CCEF to proceed with a formal application.

“This is terrific news for the project and for the town,” Mr. Gary said.

UTC has provided the town with a draft of its Energy Services Agreement, which is being reviewed by Town Attorney Ken Bernhard. UTC has agreed, in principle, to construct the entire project at its cost and to lease it back to the town for 15 years.

Mr. Gary said UTC is obligated to service and maintain the fuel cell — including replacing it if necessary — for the life of the contract.

Fuel cell project

Mr. Gary and the Alternative Energy Committee came to the town with the fuel cell proposal in April of this year.

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat and hot water. Since the fuel is converted directly to electricity, a fuel cell can operate at much higher efficiencies than internal combustion engines, extracting more electricity from the same amount of fuel.

It is estimated that the 400-kW fuel cell will provide 95% of the electricity needed for both Weston High School and Weston Middle School, all of the heat for the pool at the middle school, a significant amount of the heat and hot water for the middle school, and all of the air conditioning for the middle school.

It will also eliminate approximately 900 tons of carbon dioxide from being released per year.

A fuel cell operates on natural gas, but is considered renewable because it doesn’t burn anything.

When the natural gas gets to the fuel cell, it pulls out the hydrogen and forces it through a stack. Electrons from the hydrogen move from an anode to a cathode and create an electrical current. The byproduct from this process is hot water — which, ideally, could be used in the schools and to heat the middle school pool.

“This is truly a green alternative,” Mr. Gary said.

Instant savings

It is also guaranteed to reap financial benefits for the town.

Because this will be a lease arrangement with no capital expenditures by the town, Mr. Gary said, energy cost savings will start accruing as soon as installation of the fuel cell is complete.

While it is not yet possible to project the exact total amount of energy savings, Mr. Gary said conservative estimates range from $1.5 million to $3 million over 15 years.

One question still remaining is the possible cost of an electrical connection between the middle school and the high school.

Current practice dictates that CL&P may accept electricity to the grid (and give full credit for it) through only one meter. To physically connect both schools to one meter is estimated to cost upwards of $900,000.

However, the town has argued it can combine the two meters by simple accounting (adding together the amount of electricity used at each school).

To reach a determination on this issue, First Selectman Woody Bliss and Mr. Gary met with both engineering officials and the regional director of CL&P to see if there are electrical or engineering reasons that the two meters could not be accounted for as one, or “totalized,” which is the CL&P term.

“Apparently, we did not need to do it for electrical reasons, it was a regulatory issue only,” Mr. Gary said.

Mr. Bliss and Mr. Gary then met with engineering and executive members of the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC), CL&P’s governing body, and presented Weston’s case.

When they told the DPUC the town could just totalize the meters rather than physically connect them, “that was very well received,” Mr. Gary said.

As a result, Weston is requesting a declaratory ruling that using both meters would be acceptable. Mr. Gary, Mr. Bliss and Town Attorney Bernhard drafted the letter of request and sent it to the DPUC, which has indicated that it will expedite its decision and respond to Weston within 30 to 60 days.

“When the town hears back from the DPUC, we will be able to present firm numbers as to the exact savings for the town,” Mr. Gary said.

“Thank you for following up so quickly. This is really a tremendous benefit for the town,” said Selectman Gayle Weinstein, who was sworn in this week as the new first selectman.

Ene-farm, a fuel cell cogeneration system for households that uses natural gas, is increasingly being used by the natural gas industry as a counter to electric power companies that promote the complete electrification of homes.

Fukuoka City-based Saibu Gas, the largest natural gas company in the region, has been selling the Ene-farm system since June. They’ve already sold more than 20 units, which is ahead of the pace required to meet their target of 100 units for the current fiscal year.

Mid-tier regional companies also are preparing to sell the system, which extracts hydrogen from natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, combines it with the oxygen in the air, and creates electricity through the chemical reaction.