European Hydrogen Association » National News

Hydrogenics Wins Electrolyser Contract for Netherlands Hydrogen Station

moshoula — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:34:44 +0000

Hydrogenics Corporation has announced a contract with Ballast Nedam IPM, awarded at the end of 2011, to supply a HySTAT^®30 electrolyser for a Netherlands-based hydrogen fuelling station. The station owner will be WaterstofNet, a non-profit organisation financed by the Flemish and Dutch governments.

The electrolyser, which is capable of producing up to 65 kilograms per day of pure hydrogen, is anticipated to be delivered in mid-2012 and be operational by the end of the year. Hydrogenics’ HySTAT electrolyser products have been used in over 35 hydrogen fuelling installations worldwide. This is the fourth hydrogen fuelling station contract awarded to Hydrogenics in 2011.

Hydrogenics has also acknowledged the valuable role WaterstofNet plays in the Dutch/Flemish region, where it has for a number of years provided strong leadership in promoting hydrogen technology development and deploying hydrogen solutions.

Ballast Nedam IPM specialises in the design and construction of filling stations and plays a leading role in developing refuelling stations for alternative fuels.

Source: FuelCellToday

The Launch of UKH2Mobility

moshoula — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:30:14 +0000

Today saw the launch of UKH2Mobility at the Royal Society in London. The project brings together thirteen industry participants with three UK Government departments and the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). All participants have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to share knowledge and expertise towards the shared goals.

See document: UKH2Mobility

Source: FuelCellToday

EU project development course in Hungary

MLinkova — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:48:21 +0000

The FP7 Winter Academy offers a three-day winter course covering all stages of an EU project development.

Participants will learn the difference between FP7 and other EU programmes and get an in-depth look at the entire life-cycle of an EU project, including financial reporting and post project audits. They will learn how to identify a call and submit a proposal in FP7. The course combines 1, 5 days of proposal development and evaluation, and 2 days of project management.

The training will take place at Velence Resort Spa hotel near Lake Velence in Hungary from February 7^th until February 10^th.

The entrance fee is EUR 1990. There is also an early bird rate available for those who register before the 16^th of December (1790 EUR).

You can also attend the whole course for free if you solve a puzzle on http://www.eutrainingsite.com/game.php.

The course is organized by Europa Media, an independent, non-profit organisation based in Budapest, Hungary. Its mission is to provide the public and other stakeholders with clear and structured information on the complex funding system of the European Union and the available funding opportunities under the different EU programmes and funding schemes.

For more information please visit Europa Media Trainings

Hera Group to open a Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy (HLab) in Forly, Italy

MLinkova — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:20:34 +0000

The HLab will be one of the few labs in Italy that receives energy from renewable sources (photovoltaic) and uses a fuel cell cogeneration system. All new technologies will be carefully studied to identify the most efficient and more attractive for industrial production. The laboratory is expected to become fully operational in 2012 and will focus on research on renewable and alternative energy sources.

The HLab activities will concentrate on:

measuring energy efficiency of different systems installed
monitoring how systems evolve over time
identifying systems’ shortcomings
assessing actual costs;

The lab will have two sections: the one dedicated to photovoltaic and the other dedicated to hydrogen.

The HLab project is developed by the R&D Unit of Hera Group. Its staff will be actively involved in the lab’s research projects supported by Department of Mechanical, Nuclear, Aviation and Metallurgical Engineering of Bologna University.

Source: Italian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Organisation

Status Report for German National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology

moshoula — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:38:18 +0000

Climate change objectives can be achieved only when more efficient engines and emission-free fuels are implemented into the transport sector simultaneously with increased energy efficiency of buildings.

To a large extent, potential for efficiency savings are assisted by products that include hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and can complement the currently known mobility and energy supply solutions.

Supported by the public sector, industry and academia are working diligently to prepare the market of these technologies. The German National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology – NIP – are providing for the period 2006 to 2016 a total of 1.4 billion euros. These funds come from the budgets of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (€ 700 million) and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (200 million euros), plus € 700 million capital contribution of the industry. At the center of politics, industry and science, NOW GmbH National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, can achieve the successful implementation of the program and its content.

NIP implementation status in figures

Since the founding of NOW in 2008, 393 million euros of funding tied was to specific projects. Using funds from the BMWi: 69 projects 159 individual projects, € 28 million funding

Funds from the BMVBS:
15 projects
55 individual projects
for € 65 million funding

For more information see: NOW Press Release (German)

Environment: 19 cities across Europe apply to become the European Green Capital for 2014

moshoula — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:47:13 +0000

The deadline for submitting applications for the European Commission’s European Green Capital Award (EGCA) recently closed. The Award recognises and rewards local efforts to improve the environment, the economy and the quality of life in cities. The EGCA is given each year to a city, not necessarily a capital, which is leading the way in environmentally friendly urban living and which can act as a role-model for other cities. Some 19 cities from 14 European countries have applied for the 2014 award. The applicants are: Antwerp, Brasov, Bristol, Brussels, Bursa, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Ghent, Ljubljana, Newcastle, Paris, Rotterdam, Stoke-on-Trent, Tampere, Thessaloniki, Torino, Trabzon, Vienna and Zaragoza. The applications will now be evaluated by an expert panel and this will include qualitative evaluations and a peer review of each application based on 12 indicator areas. Following these evaluations, 3-4 cities will be shortlisted for the 2014 title. The shortlisted cities will be invited to present their action plans and communication strategies to a Jury, which will deliberate and then make a final decision. The announcement of the European Green Capital for 2014 is planned to take place in June 2012 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Europe’s first Green Capital in 2010 was Stockholm, Hamburg is this year’s winner, the Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz will inherit the title in 2012 and, in 2013, the crown will be passed to Nantes in France.

For more information about the Award, see www.europeangreencapital.eu

Hybrid plant opened ENERTRAG

moshoula — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:41:05 +0000

Brandenburg Minister, Matthias Platzeck opened the world’s first wind-hydrogen hybrid power plant, on the 25 October near the town of Prenzlau Uckermark. The plant, built by ENERTRAG AG together with TOTAL Germany, Vattenfall and the Deutsche Bahn is a hydrogen-Hybrid plant which combines wind energy sources, Biogas and hydrogen. The three wind turbines power generated is proportional to the production of CO2-free hydrogen is used. This green hydrogen is stored at times of high supply of wind energy, the hydrogen-Biogas CHP plant generates electricity and heat production. In addition, the hydrogen is also used in hydrogen refueling stations located in Berlin and Hamburg.

The total investment for the hybrid power plant amounts to € 21 M. Funding. The pioneer project runs until the end of 2012, by the State of Brandenburg and the Federal Ministry of Transport.

For more information see: Link (German)

Fleet of New Microcab FCEVs for West Midlands CABLED Trials

moshoula — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:29:03 +0000

Microcab, the FCEV spinoff of Coventry University, is launching its next-generation H2EV hydrogen vehicle this week with a fleet to be deployed to the UK’s West Midlands CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrator) trials.

The car, the brainchild of the University’s Professor of Sustainable Transport Design John Jostins, combines a 3 kW PEMFC with a Lotus-engineered chassis and has a claimed range of 100 miles.

The role of Microcab and Coventry University in the CABLED trial will be to help examine and evaluate (through the University’s Low Carbon Vehicles Grand Challenge applied research programme) the social and economic impacts of running hydrogen fuel cell vehicles within a city environment, and ultimately gain a better understanding of the market potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

The fleet launch follows the installation of a hydrogen refuelling station at the University earlier this year and last week’s public hydrogen station opening in Swindon.

Source: Fuel Cell Today

Hydrogen in Nottingham’s “Creative Energy Homes” project

moshoula — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 07:50:48 +0000

McPhy Energy has announced that Nottingham University has chosen the company’s solution for mid-term storage of renewable energy in a residential micro-grid under its “Creative Energy Homes” (CEH) project. The ongoing CEH project aims to stimulate sustainable design ideas and promote new ways of providing affordable, environmentally sustainable housing that are innovative in their design. The energy will be stored as solid hydrogen and will be used for storage of surplus solar and wind energy under a new phase of the CEH project, which targets greater energy-autonomy for the homes via a dedicated micro-grid.

Nottingham University’s Creative Energy Homes represent a unique research facility. The homes built under the program incorporate a range of low carbon technologies including renewable micro generation from solar, wind and ground source heat pumps. The houses have operated individually using only the renewable energy generated at that property. However, a practical, multi-home storage solution for surplus energy is needed to cover peak periods, especially after sundown and during periods of little or no wind.

To respond to this challenge, this new phase of the CEH project is building a microgrid that will provide an energy management system across several houses. The project will investigate the optimum performance for storing surplus energy as solid hydrogen in McPhy Energy’s MCP-N-4, a magnesium hydride (MgH2)-based storage tank, within the microgrid. The hydrogen will then be used to feed the fuel cells on an as-needed basis.

Source: FuelCell Today

The Norwegian Hydrogen Prize 2011

tanya — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:50:09 +0000

The Norwegian Hydrogen Forum will award a high-level university student (masters or PhD level) with the Hydrogen Prize 2011 worth of 10,000 NOK. The award will be given to the most outstanding thesis work which focuses on hydrogen as an energy carrier. The proposals must be submitted by 31 October 2011 together with a brief explanation and summary of the work (maximum two pages). The candidates must either have completed their studies within a Norwegian institution or be Norwegian citizens undertaking studies abroad.

Further information on applications and award criteria can be found here.