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At the 6th International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Conference organized by Climate Change Solutions in Birmingham this spring, Sandy Taylor, Head of Climate Change at the City Council, said that they are very impressed by the level of investment in hydrogen in the USA. It is beginning to happen here in the UK, with initiatives by the Regional Development Agencies. Birmingham was at the forefront of the global industrial revolution and car manufacturing and is now taking the lead in the UK with clean energy and car production. The West Midlands is the low carbon area for the automotive industry and also leads the region‟s EU Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Climate Change, which will oversee research and help develop new markets and business opportunities, with hydrogen as a key player. Birmingham City Council is involved in green innovation and has a resolution to only purchase vehicles powered by electricity or liquefied petroleum gas by 2015. They are taking action against climate change and aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2026. Gareth Stanley of Advantage West Midland added that they are making significant investment in the area as an international hydrogen centre.
 DEVELOPING THE SMART GRID INCORPORATING FUEL CELLS
The Chairman of the conference, Kevin Kendall, Prof of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, introduced Prof Jack Brouwer of the National Fuel Cell Research Centre (NFCRC), Irvine, California. Prof Kendall said that he was also very impressed by the long term investment in hydrogen being made in the USA and believes that something like this is needed in the UK. Jack Brouwer‟s presentation focused upon their work with smart energy and power for California, which has implications for the rest of the world. The present concerns with the electricity grid are demands for peak energy, greenhouse gas emissions and health problems caused by pollution with fossil fuels, as well as energy security. The limitations of the present grid are centralized control, slow response time and one way power flow.
The smart grid will have to deal with multiple points of connection and with electricity for charging electric vehicles. The smart grid will be flexible, it will integrate renewables, be sustainable and ensure security of supply. Data from wind farms shows how intermittent and unpredictable wind actually is. There is less wind energy at periods of peak demand in summer so that almost as much back up generation is required as previously. Solar power is more predictable but this can be affected by clouds. A lot more electricity will be needed for electric vehicles and people will want to recharge when they return home from work, which coincides with the peak demand at 5pm. A smart grid is essential to deal with this. Prof Brouwer considered the dynamics of the grid and the resources needed to meet the growing demand. The grid will incorporate several different types of fuel cells, including molten carbonate, solid oxide and PEM systems. By 2018 the hydrogen infrastructure in California will be needed to recharge over 50,000 fuel cell vehicles, which are planned by General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes and Hyundai Kia. California already has 24 hydrogen fuelling stations which are used by plug-in hybrid fuel cell vehicles (PHFCV) powered by fuel cells and batteries. The NFCRC set up the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration with other participants, including Boeing, GE, A123 Systems, SunPower Corp, Itron Inc and the Electric Power Research Institute. The production, transmission, storage and use of electric energy in the future will be fundamentally intertwined with computation, control and communications. They have set up two new smart grid circuits which include 30 „smart‟ homes employing Edison SmartConnect™ meters, In- Home Displays, Programmable Communicating Thermostats, Home Energy Management Systems, Smart Appliances and Smart Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. They are renewable-based, energy secure communities (RESCOs) incorporating efficient building envelopes and lighting, CHP, photovoltaics and energy storage. The project is addressing the intermittency of renewables, using a gas turbine to balance the load and monitoring the number of times it is shut down or started up.
Plug Power has contributed their Gensys Blue fuel cell but other fuel cells would be welcome in the demonstration! They would very much like to include wave or other types of marine power as soon as possible. Demand side management, with intelligent control of appliances, is very important. In the USA peak energy demand is in the summer and Europe is now changing from winter to summer peak demand. All these factors are being taken into account in the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, which is costing $40 million. In summary, they are bringing together energy for stationary and transport technologies, incorporating advanced sensors and controls, innovation and sustainability.
HYDROGEN STORAGE FOR THE SMART GRID
Dr Rupert Gammon of Bryte Energy explained where hydrogen fits into the energy system. There has historically been separation between the heat, power and transport sectors but new energy sources of wind, solar, tidal, wave, nuclear and clean coal will go into the electricity grid before being transferred to the other sectors. Smart electrolysis will enable electric vehicles, whether powered by batteries or fuel cells, to help balance the electricity loads. „Dispatchable‟ power sources will be needed, that is their power output can be easily turned up or down to meet requirements.
Renewable energy sources are good for sustainability, but they are not dispatchable. For load balancing, gas turbines can be used, or pumped hydro, although there are not many suitable sites for this. Coal, with precombustion carbon capture and storage, could provide hydrogen, which is dispatchable.
Smart metering enables time shifting over short periods, for instance there can be sectoral transfer to battery electric vehicles. Hydrogen can be used to do this on a much larger scale. Wind power is usually available over several days, but electricity storage is expensive and hydrogen turns this into a high value fuel. By 2050 there will have to be an 80% cut in carbon dioxide emissions and electricity storage could all be transferred to hydrogen vehicles. All future smart grid projections, with the exception of large scale battery electric vehicle use, rely upon hydrogen storage. In response to questions, Dr Gammon said that batteries are much more efficient than hydrogen for storage, but you would need a vast bank of them. He would not recommend storing hydrogen as a liquid.
ITM Power is aiming to get the hydrogen infrastructure in place by 2015 to meet the automotive industry‟s target for volume production of fuel cell cars, said Stephen Jones. This will be subject to achieving large cost reductions in vehicle components and the recharging infrastructure. Regulations to reduce emissions and rising oil prices will help to close the price gap. He said that we should start with commercial vehicles, either i.c. engine or fuel cell powered, leading up to fuel cell cars. Storing hydrogen at 700 bar rather than 350 bar will not double the vehicle range, although the increase will be more significant with efficient vehicles. The deployment of hydrogen powered vehicles is being held back by the lack of the refueling infrastructure and the high cost of fuel cells, but he was glad to see the lead which Germany is taking with hydrogen fuelling stations, using some existing hydrogen pipelines. The initiatives in California are also important. ITM is aiming to get „green‟ hydrogen from renewable electricity. They are developing the „HFuel‟, a transportable hydrogen fuelling station for small fleets of i.c. engine or fuel cell powered vehicles, which will reduce the infrastructure costs for the field trials.
REPLACING PETROL WITH ELECTRICITY OR HYDROGEN
Neil Butcher, Associate Director ARUP, was unable to deliver his presentation, which was read by Prof Kendall in his place. This outlined progress with the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrator (CABLED), which is part of a UK wide demonstration ranging from London to North East England and Glasgow. It is supported by the UK Technology Strategy Board. Neil Butcher put the case for battery electric vehicles, which are already efficient if they are powered by the grid. Their efficiency will improve substantially as more renewable energy sources are employed and the losses incurred in the generation of electricity from fossil fuels are reduced. With the correct grid mix, battery powered vehicles could cut C02 emissions by 40%. CABLED involves 110 ultra low carbon vehicles powered by batteries, hydrogen fuel cells or plug-in hybrid technology. E.ON installed charging points for the battery electric vehicles and a new hydrogen station for fuel cell vehicles is being built in Coventry. ARUP is working with new energy technologies in cities around the world. Prof Kevin Kendall suggested that although the battery electric vehicle would be more energy efficient and have good performance for a range up to 80 miles, it would require 5 hours to recharge or 30 minutes for rapid recharging. In comparison, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle would have a range of 200 miles and could be recharged in 3 minutes.
Iain Staffell of Birmingham University presented technical data about the operation of the fleet of Microcab fuel cell/battery hybrids which deliver mail on the campus. A 1.2 kW Ballard fuel cell operates in series with a 1.5kWh lead-acid battery to power a 10kW motor. The Microcabs are refueled at the University‟s hydrogen fuelling station and another station is being installed at the University of Coventry. In addition to the one at the University of Loughborough, this brings to three the number of hydrogen stations starting the „Midlands Hydrogen Ring‟. Iain Staffell believes that manufacturers will have to adopt whole-system optimization and vehicle downsizing in order to offer a more sustainable solution for personal transport.
BATTERY - OR FUEL CELL ELECTRIC VEHICLES – OR BOTH?
Robert Steinberger-Wilckens of H20 e-mobile outlined the problems of urban mobility: air pollution, congestion and the very low efficiency of engines in urban driving, with petrol only15% efficient and diesel 18%. C02 emissions are also far above EU goals. Battery charging is much more efficient than hydrogen refueling, but high power levels are required. Hydrogen refueling costs more than battery charging but is much quicker and gives four or five times the range. There is a large surplus of hydrogen from industry which could be used to refuel vehicles. New lightweight vehicle designs are needed. A combination of batteries and fuel cells in a hybrid design allows for a reduction of the power rating of the fuel cell and extends the lifetime of the system components, thus reducing costs. In Phase II of their programme, H20 e-Mobile is aiming to reduce the vehicle weight to 600 kgs. A delegate said that high efficiency of battery electric vehicle assumes that the grid is powered by renewable energy, but it is at present much lower due to the losses in generating electricity from fossil fuels.
 Denis Hayter of Intelligent Energy explained that their hydrogen fuel cell taxi will substantially cut the C02 emissions of taxis, which are very high in the London driving cycle. The fuel cell/battery hybrid taxi has been developed with Lotus Engineering and London Taxis International, with part funding from the Technology Strategy Board. It has 250 kms range, 120 kph top speed and hill climbing gradeability is over 25%. The drive train developed for the taxis will be suitable for other fleet vehicles.
A STEP CHANGE NEEDED FOR GLOBAL TRANSPORT
Hugo Spowers said that Riversimple is concerned with the whole system design for transport, moving from chemical to electrical power, with efficiency as the dominant factor. The key barriers to fuel cell powered vehicles are not technical but are due to people, politics and business. He does not regard the auto industry fuel cell car developments as technically feasible. They are forged by the constraints of yesterday, by a highly optimized business model, which is stuck at 38 mpg and does not meet today‟s needs. At present the petrol internal combustion engine meets all our needs, but does so very inefficiently and will be replaced by different fuels and power trains. Riversimple‟s regenerative braking efficiency is about 50%, compared with that of the Prius at only 10%. They cruise at 50 kph powered by a 6 kW fuel cell. They have 52% net system efficiency, with the ultracapacitors achieving 95%. It is important to note that their fuel cell costs 25 times less than a conventional system. By decoupling constant and transient power demands, they have been able to size the fuel cell for constant demand only, which is generally about 20% of peak demand. Although it is generally recognized that cost is proportional to power, it is not realized that cost is also proportional to power density. This means that in automotive use, to all intents and purposes, fuel cell cost is pro rata to the square of power. Jack Brouwer of NFCRC commented that innovative thinking is much needed. Concerning the regenerative braking system of the Prius, the batteries may not be as efficient as ultracapacitors but may be the better option if energy density is required rather than power. Hugo Spowers said that this was a possibility for hill climbing.
The aim of Riversimple‟s sustainable business model is to live off revenue not capital. Compared with other fuel cell cars, the Riversimple has the lowest top speed and lowest C02 emissions at 31g/km. They can maximize profits, with low running costs and longevity replacing high running costs and obsolescence. Rather than increasing costs, future changes, such as resource depletion, will add value to their energy saving technology and recyclable materials. They will not have to invest in technical improvements to meet any likely future environmental regulations. The Riversimple is a local car, tethered to its base with a range of 240 miles. They aim to start operations in 2012 with several more cities involved in 2014. Competition encourages the auto industry to make incremental changes but Riversimple‟s open source intellectual property stimulates major step changes. Cars will be manufactured in quantities of 3,000 to 5,000 per annum, with end of life recycling and ensuring a balanced value stream for all stakeholders. Riversimple is planning to have 50 to 100 operational vehicles by 2012 and commercial operation by 2013.
 REGIONAL DEPLOYMENT OF HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELLS
Jonathan Williams of the University of Glamorgan explained that the use of ultracapacitors in their „Tribrid‟ fuel cell bus substantially improves the efficiency of the regenerative braking system. The revolutionary lead acid battery they are using weighs 42% less than standard and is complemented by a 12kW fuel cell with a fuzzy logic controller. The bus has a range of 190 miles in the urban driving cycle, top speed of 55 mph and reduces C02 emissions by over 30% if hydrogen is reformed from natural gas with electricity from the existing grid. In small volume production the Tribrid bus costs £100,000 but 50% grants are available. Richard Dinsdale of the University of Glamorgan outlined their programme to develop the hydrogen infrastructure, starting with two hydrogen refueling stations powered by renewable energy. This will enable the storage of energy from wind, tidal and wave energy. They are using PEM and solid oxide fuel cells, as well as i.c. engines, with the aim of building up critical mass in their hydrogen infrastructure. Their region has been designated by the UK Government as the Low Carbon Economic Development Area for Hydrogen and their aim is that Wales should gain commercial advantage by the early adoption of sustainable hydrogen technologies.
Marieke Reijalt of the European Regions and Municipalities Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (HyRAMP) said that they started in 2008 with nine European regions installing the hydrogen infrastructure and they now have thirty regions involved. In the UK, the Midlands, Outer Hebrides, the North East and London are members. Germany, Italy and Spain are also well represented. They work with the EU Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (FCH JTI) and the Directorates for research and energy. New EU regulations allow fuel cell vehicles to operate on the road in all member states. HyRAMP‟s members already operate about 50 buses and cars fuelled by 20 filling stations and around 70 special vehicles like bikes, scooters, fork lift trucks, boats and a plane. There are concrete plans for an additional 180 hydrogen buses and 500 passenger cars, which will be fuelled by up to 50 filling stations. The EU had been proud that Hamburg had the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in the world, but her presentation jokingly showed the bus fleet upside down! Europe no longer has the biggest fleet of fuel cell buses but this can now be claimed by Vancouver. In stationary applications, around a hundred fuel cells are already operating and a further 850 units are planned. This compares with around 600 units operating in the USA and 3,300 residential units in Japan - with a further 5,000 by the end of 2010. HyRAMP is working to improve co-ordination with electric transport, including the EU Green Car Initiative, Smart Cities, the European Investment Bank and the Covenant of Mayors. They also collaborate with the International Energy Agency.
Alexander Franke of Baxi Innotech gave the latest details about the German Callux programme to install fuel cell CHP in domestic applications. They are concerned that emissions trading has had no effect on reducing C02 emissions. Decentralized micro CHP generation can make a major contribution to reducing the primary energy used in domestic buildings and fuel cell CHP is the most efficient technology available. They are now demonstrating 800 of their GAMMA 1.0 PEM 1 kWe fuel cell CHP units, with commercial launch planned for 2013. Iain Staffell from Birmingham University would like to see the UK Government doing something similar to reduce the capital cost of fuel cells.
INVOLVING COMMUNITIES
Prof Martin Hills of the PURE Energy Centre discussed two communities using hydrogen to store renewable energy, one in a rural and the other in an urban area. Electrical power is abundantly available from hydro, wind and solar power in the Faroe Islands, but the grid could not cope with much more renewable energy. They solved the problem by using hydrogen storage and set up a wind turbine with an electrolyzer and fuel cell within a few months. At the Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC) in Yorkshire, the down time of the 30kW fuel cell depends on the sun and the wind. The hydrogen technology is working well and more urban and remote communities could make use of this to power transport, as well as for electricity generation, cooling, heating and cooking.
Clare Barnett outlined progress with the Hydrogen Village Program in Ontario, which aims to open new markets and expedite the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cells. They are demonstrating the benefits of hydrogen, including improved energy security and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. They are dealing with regulatory issues and helping to overcome people‟s misconceptions about hydrogen safety. Small stationary fuel cells provide back up power and a larger 2.2 MW stationary fuel cell improves the efficiency of the natural gas distribution network. They are operating fuel cell powered electric vehicles, both on and off road, and are waiting for approval for a hydrogen train to be powered from forestry waste. Many early uses will be community based and will be integrated with alternative energy technologies such as nuclear, wind and solar power. The first system to come to market is likely to be the Toronto delivery truck.
OPENING UP MARKETS FOR FUEL CELLS IN BUILDINGS
Bill Ireland of Logan Energy explained the role of fuel cells in meeting Government emission reduction targets. Natural gas powered fuel cell CHP systems cut C02 emissions by 40% or, if biofuels are used, there are zero carbon emissions. Other benefits of the fuel cell include greater energy security and cutting emissions of particulates. There are only a small number of fuel cells in the UK but the operational capacity is increasing to 0.5MWe this spring when a 200kW tri-generation system in the HQ of Southern Electricity starts up. For small fuel cells used for uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) payback can be in months not years, due to maintenance savings. The recent Feed in Tariff is abysmal, it is a major obstacle to the introduction of larger stationary fuel cells in the UK as it supports renewable energy, not fuel cells. At current gas and electricity prices, the payback for CHP fuel cell units is 13 years, but the price of electricity compared to gas will increase as new plant powered by wind, nuclear energy or coal with carbon capture and storage are introduced. They are aiming for payback in 3 years. The electricity price increase projected by OFGEM is 5% per year. That would be about 60% by 2020, which would give a 20% return on investment. Fuel cells will have an important role in the new smart grid.
Availability is over 95% and they can be operated anywhere as they are so clean and quiet. The latest fuel cell system employs quad generation - that is electricity, heating and cooling, as well as producing hydrogen, which can be used on site to power electric vehicles. The first markets are for data centres, hospitals, industry, commercial developments, universities and leisure facilities. Fuel Cells UK is continuing to campaign for larger fuel cells, up to 5MW, to be eligible for payments under the UK‟s Feed In Tariff scheme.
TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTED ENERGY IN ASIA
From China, Prof Wei Guo Wang, Deputy Director of the Ningbo Institute, said that about 200 fuel cell vehicles were running at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Solid oxide fuel cells are now ready for commercialization in 10 to 100 kW units. They are supplying fuel cells around the world at €4000/kW but the system cost is projected to reduce to a fifth of this in three years time.
Dr Rajendra Basu of the Glass and Ceramic Institute, India, said that the energy sector is the predominant source of carbon dioxide and methane emissions and a long term programme is needed to move from carbon to the hydrogen economy. India has a high economic growth rate and much expertise. They need distributed power and fuel for transport and are interested in SOFC, PEM, PAFC and AFC as well as hydrogen technology. Many large companies are involved, including Bharat, GE, General Motors, Reliance Industries, Tata, Reva and Mahindra. Their National Hydrogen Energy Board road map projects 1 million hydrogen powered vehicles and 1,000MW of hydrogen based distributed power by 2020.
 VALESWOOD SPONSORS HYDROGEN FUEL CELL AWARD
Valeswood Fuel Cells launched its 12 volt „Powerbox‟ at the exhibition. The Powerbox is easy to use and refuel and powers computers, cameras, phones, lighting systems and small electric motors. The Powerbox uses green hydrogen gas to create silent and pollution free energy. It is easy to transport and can be used in all sorts of locations. The Powerbox stores hydrogen in a unique metal hydride canister which fuels an air cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell. It contains an advanced electric and gas monitoring system to deliver a reliable and long lasting source of electricity in the workplace, home or in remote places in the countryside. It meets all European and British safety standards.
Valeswood Fuel Cells sponsored the 2010 British Midlands Hydrogen Forum Award presented to Professor Rex Harris of Birmingham University for his lifetime achievement in the development of hydrogen fuel cells. The Award was made by Dr Rupert Gammon (right) to Professor Harris at the conference. Prof. Harris has been using hydrogen for the past 40 years and it powers his boat, the Ross Barlow. |
