Today marked an important step for hydrogen development in Norway, when the Innovation Zone of Hynor Lillestrøm was formally opened. The station has been open for almost a year at Akershus Energy Park and has serviced a number of FCEV´s[1] during that time. The Innovation Zone is a part of the station where innovative new hydrogen technologies will be tested and demonstrated, in conjunction with the operation of the station.

There are two main components in the Innovation Zone. A SESMR reformer, developed by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), and a metal hydride compressor developed by Hystorsys. Both are based on Norwegian R&D, and can play an important role in providing hydrogen to refuelling stations or industry as the demand for hydrogen is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, with commercial production of vehicles expected from 2015.

The reformer will produce hydrogen from purified and upgraded biogas, and will be in operation later this year. The metal hydride compressor is now in operation and has several advantages over traditional types of compressors, as it has almost no moving parts, very low noise, is flexible in size and has very low energy consumption. At the Hynor Lillestrøm station the compressor will receive H2 at 10 bar and will compress it to 200 bar.