The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association welcomes its newest Tier 3 member: Baker Botts L.L.P. Baker Botts is an international law firm of approximately 750 lawyers practicing throughout a network of 14 offices around the globe. Based on their experience and knowledge of their clients' industries, they are recognized as a leading firm in the energy and technology sectors. Since 1840, Baker Botts has provided creative and effective legal solutions for their clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence.

Click here to learn more about Baker Botts' work with hydrogen.

FCHEA and the industry will be celebrating our sixth annual National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day this year on and around Thursday, October 8, 2020.

 

As a reminder, the date of October 8 (10/08) was chosen in recognition of the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008). As in the past, this activity has provided FCHEA and its members a strong platform for establishing a nation-wide campaign to raise broader awareness of fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies.

If you are planning any activities for National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, make sure to let us know! Please contact Connor Dolan by email at cdolan@fchea.org so that we are appropriately coordinated. FCHEA will share all of our member organizations' activities and announcements at the official National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day website at hydrogenandfuelcellday.org.

On August 26, FCHEA member Cummins announced it will provide a 5-megawatt polymer exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to the Douglas County Public Utility District in Washington state to enable renewable hydrogen production. Cummins states that the facility, expected to commence operations in 2021, would be the largest electrolyzer system deployed in the U.S.

The renewable hydrogen facility will electrolyze water from Wells Dam on the Columbia river, and will be powered by the dam's clean hydropower. According to Cummins, the electrolyzer facility will help to store energy when it is not in demand by converting the dam's power to hydrogen. The energy would have otherwise been sold at a financial loss, or completely lost.

On August 31, FCHEA members Toyota and Honda announced they were partnering to develop a mobile power generation system using a fuel cell bus outfitted with a large amount of hydrogen, portable batteries, and portable external power output devices. The companies are planning demonstration testing to confirm actual needs and to verify the usability.

Toyota states the system, known as "Moving e," can be used in what the company refers to as a "phase-free" system, where it can be used both under normal circumstances, and in times of emergency, such as natural disasters that have disconnected people from the power grid.

The system utilizes Toyota's CHARGING STATION fuel cell bus, Honda's Power Exporter 9000 portable external power output device, two types of Honda batteries and a Honda Mobile Power Pack. The CHARGING STATION bus generates 454 kilowatt-hours of energy with a maximum power output of 18 kilowatts.

On September 8, FCHEA member General Motors (GM) announced it was partnering with Nikola to develop an electric pickup truck called the Badger, with both fuel cell and battery variations. GM is providing its Hydrotec fuel cell system and Ultium battery technology for the truck, and will engineer, homologate, validate, and manufacture the truck. GM will receive a $2 billion equity stake in Nikola in exchange for its contributions, and the Badger will retain the Nikola brand name. The agreement is subject to final regulatory approval, with an anticipated closing at the end of September. Badger production is expected to start in late 2022.

On September 10, FCHEA member Hyundai launched the Hydrogen to You (H2U) campaign to raise awareness of the company's hydrogen fuel cell technology and position in the greater scope of sustainable mobility, infrastructure, and lifestyles. H2U focuses on the Hyundai NEXO fuel cell SUV and has recruited ambassadors from a wide range of industries including music, fashion, science, photography and technology to demonstrate how hydrogen fuel cell mobility can make a difference in the world.

Click here for the full press release from Hyundai.

On September 9, FCHEA member BayoTech announced it has signed a letter of intent with Ariel Re, a member of global specialty property and casualty insurance company Argo Group, for reinsurance and managed risk solutions. Under the agreement, Ariel Re will develop a performance risk solution guaranteeing uptime and output of hydrogen generators produced by BayoTech. BayoTech seeks to deliver client-focused risk insurance while supporting commercial growth.

Click here for the full press release from BayoTech.

On August 26, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) announced it has received over $7.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for clean automotive transportation projects, including one in collaboration with Cummins. Together, Cummins and SoCalGas will develop a fuel cell system that can power both Class 8 heavy-duty trucks and transit buses.

The fuel cell will be modular, scalable, and fully integrated within buses and trucks. The project aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in California and will provide a single fuel cell package for both trucks and buses to reduce maintenance costs for vehicles.

Click here for the full press release from SoCalGas.

On September 3, General Motors and Honda announced the companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a North American Automotive alliance. The MoU includes a range of vehicles to be sold under each brand as well as cooperation in purchasing, research and development, and connected services.

The new MoU builds upon a previous agreement signed in April based around electric vehicles. The two companies will continue collaboration on fuel cell vehicles under the new agreement.

Click here for the full press release from General Motors.

On September 10, Hyundai announced the expansion of the NEXO fuel cell SUV’s availability in California. The fuel cell vehicle is now offered at Roseville Hyundai near Sacramento, California. It is the fourth dealership in California to offer the Hyundai NEXO.

Click here for the full press release from Hyundai.

On September 15, Frontier Energy, an energy consulting firm, announced the launch of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project known as Demonstration and Framework for H2@Scale in Texas and Beyond, to demonstrate renewable hydrogen as a cost-effective fuel for multiple end-use applications such as fuel cell vehicles and stationary power. Partners of the project include FCHEA members Toyota, Air Liquide, and PowerCell, as well as University of Texas at Austin, SoCalGas, Shell, Mitsubishi, GTI, OneH2, and Texas Gas Service.

The full demonstration is broken into two related projects. The first focuses on commercial hydrogen production, distribution, and storage via solar and wind electrolysis and renewable natural gas reformation. The hydrogen will power a stationary fuel cell and supply a hydrogen station with fuel for a fleet of Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicles. The second project focuses on the Port of Houston for a feasibility study, scaling up hydrogen production and use. The project will assess resources, users, and infrastructure, as well as policies, regulations, and economics.

On September 15, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) announced selected projects for grant funding as part of the Small-Scale Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems (SOFC) and Hybrid Electrolyzer Technology Development grant funding opportunity. FCHEA members FuelCell Energy, Aris Energy, and Cummins, among others, received funding.

FuelCell Energy and its partner, the Center for Power Electronics Systems at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), was awarded $3,000,000 to advance high efficiency and low cost reversible SOFC technology for the hybrid operation of water electrolysis for hydrogen production, as well as for power generation using hydrogen.

Aris Energy Solutions was awarded $2,659,212 in collaboration with the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the University of West Virginia, Gaia Energy Research Institute, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/West Virginia facility data center, and Velocity Data Centers to advance SOFC system price compression for data centers and other critical power users.

Cummins and its partner, the University of Connecticut, were awarded $2,601,046 to design and develop a 20-kilowatt small-scale SOFC power system for data center and commercial building applications, with a goal of demonstrating sub-$1,000/kilowatt prices. Cummins was also awarded $2,000,824 for advancing reversible SOFCs to enable $2/kilogram-hydrogen with 30 percent product cost reduction.

Click here for the full press release and full awardee list from DOE FE, and click here for FuelCell Energy's press release.

On September 15, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced Cummins as the awardee of a $1 million grant to develop H2Rescue, a hydrogen fuel cell truck designed to provide relief at disaster sites with power, heat, and water. Cummins was chosen under a previously-issued industry solicitation to develop H2Rescue. The project is in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Click here for the full press release from DOE EERE.

On August 26, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $33 million in funding for projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND) and Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency (REEACH) programs. Several fuel cell projects were included in the funding. Many projects included solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology integrated into engine systems. In total, $13,129,103 was awarded to fuel cell-related projects.

Click here for the press release from ARPA-E, and click here for the awardee list.

On September 4, the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued a Notice of Proposed Award (NOPA) detailing recipients of subsidies to support hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

First Element Fuel was awarded $15.5 million to build 21 stations with an option of 28 more. Iwatani was awarded $11 million to build 7 stations with an option of 16 more.

Equilon Enterprises, a subsidiary of Shell Oil, was awarded $40.8 million to install hydrogen refueling equipment at 48 existing Shell retail stations, upgrade two Shell Hydrogen stations, and add light-duty fueling dispensers and positions at one existing Shell Hydrogen heavy-duty truck station. The funding is subject to formal CEC approval. Toyota and Honda have agreed to expand fuel cell vehicle sales in California to support the Shell hydrogen stations.

Click here for the full press release from Toyota, and click here for the original Grant Funding Opportunity announcement.

On August 28, R. Rex Parris, Mayor of Lancaster, California, announced plans to the City Council to transition to hydrogen as part of the City's renewable energy portfolio. Mayor Parris plans to integrate hydrogen power into the grid and fuel energy plans, as well as encouraging fuel cell vehicle use.

Click here for the full press release from the City of Lancaster.

On September 17, Toyota, in partnership with Denyo, a Japanese power supply company, announced the development of a hydrogen fuel cell power supply vehicle. The two companies will start verification tests with the aim of commercialization and to help increase sustainability in society. The project was selected by Japan's Ministry of the Environment as a "Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program."

The vehicle is based on Toyota's "Dyna" light-duty trucks, equipped with the Toyota Mirai fuel cell system. The truck carries about 65 kilograms of hydrogen contained in 27 tanks for long distance traveling and long power generation times. Toyota plans to begin verification tests in September 2020, comparing the truck against conventional engine-based power generators.

On September 2, FCHEA member Bloom Energy along with SK Engineering and Construction, a South Korean engineering firm, announced they have begun powering two facilities with fuel cell technology at the cities of Hwasung and Paju, in the South Korean province of Gyeonggi.

The Hwasung power plant uses a 19.8 megawatt (MW) Bloom Energy Server, Bloom's largest South Korean project and the company's second largest in the world. Bloom estimates the facility can power approximately 43,000 homes. According to Bloom Energy, it is the first solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) project financed in Korea, at a total project value of KRW 141 billion (~$120 million). The Paju power plant uses an 8.1 MW Bloom Energy Server, powering 18,000 homes.

On August 31, FCHEA member Plug Power announced its entry into the Japanese renewable hydrogen market. Spring-boarding off of the company's recent purchase of the electrolyzer company Giner ELX, Plug Power has delivered a 25-kilowatt GenFuel electrolyzer to Nagasaki, Japan. Plug Power states this deployment and market entry will help the company reach its revenue goals, as well as its environmental goal to use more than 50 percent renewable hydrogen by 2024.

Click here for the full press release from Plug Power.

On September 16, Hyundai Motor Company announced it has begun shipping its proprietary fuel cell system to Europe for use by non-automotive companies as a way to diversify the use of Hyundai's fuel cells. Hyundai's export is a response to South Korea's Green New Deal policy and is part of the company's Fuel Cell Vision 2030 roadmap.

One of the recipients of the fuel cells is Swiss hydrogen solution firm GRZ Technologies Ltd., a company with hydrogen storage technology that Hyundai expects to collaborate with again in the future. GRZ plans to use the current fuel cell system for building electricity at peak times. Hyundai has also shipped a fuel cell system to an energy solutions startup for the production of mobile generators.

On September 8, PowerCell announced it has signed a cooperation agreement with Soltech Group, a Swedish solar energy company, to jointly develop stationary-based energy systems based on fuel cells and solar energy. The first project includes a feasibility study for a stationary power solution for Amokabel AB, a Swedish cable manufacturer and energy company, in Alstermo, Sweden. The study will investigate if solar energy combined with hydrogen storage can improve the Alstermo's problems with grid capacity.

Click here for the full press release from PowerCell.

On August 28, Toyota and Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) signed a cooperation agreement to advance hydrogen technology in Poland. Under the agreement, the companies will be actively involved with the development of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy, and joint operations between the two will introduce hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel for fuel cell vehicles in Poland.

On September 10, Toyota announced it has delivered a Mirai fuel cell vehicle to ZeroAvia, a fuel cell aviation company, to help with ground operations at Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire, England. The Mirai will help operations and maintenance of the airport's zero-emission hydrogen production, storage, and refueling system.

On August 28, Toyota and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the name of the fuel cell manned pressurized rover "LUNAR CRUISER" under a joint research between the automotive company and national space agency. The research agreement, signed last year, includes working on test part manufacturing and the prototype rover itself. It is expected to launch in the latter half of the 2020s.

Click here for the full press release from JAXA.

On September 11, Australia and Germany signed an agreement to jointly study the feasibility of a renewable hydrogen supply chain between the two countries. The study will span production, storage, transport, and use of renewable hydrogen, as well as assessing technology, research, and identifying barriers for development of a hydrogen industry.

NECEC will convene stakeholders in all aspects of the hydrogen industry from both the public and private sector to discuss the opportunities and challenges of developing the infrastructure for a local green hydrogen economy. You will hear from industry leaders about case studies from other parts of the world and learn lessons about what is working and what is not, about appropriate steps in building up a green hydrogen economy, and how the public sector is working in partnership with private investors and industry to build out early projects.

Click here to register for the webinar.

The World Hydrogen Congress is the annual meeting place for senior decision-makers right across the hydrogen production and distribution value chain. An outstanding executive line up augmented by strong association support from both the blue and green hydrogen markets is leading to what promises to be a unique event for all hydrogen executives. The World Hydrogen Congress invites you to be part of an innovative platform of thought leaders, exchanges and debates between key hydrogen stakeholders, technology & science providers and world-leading industry views in just 3 intense, information-rich days.

Click here for more information.

FCHEA and the industry will be celebrating our sixth annual National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day this year on and around Thursday, October 8, 2020.

As a reminder, the date of October 8 (10/08) was chosen in recognition of the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008). As in the past, this activity has provided FCHEA and its members a strong platform for establishing a nation-wide campaign to raise broader awareness of fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies.

If you are planning any activities for National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, make sure to let us know! Please contact Connor Dolan by email at cdolan@fchea.org so that we are appropriately coordinated. FCHEA will share all of our member organizations' activities and announcements at the official National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day website at hydrogenandfuelcellday.org.

Click here for a recap of last year's events.

ACT Expo, the advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event in North America, serves as a meeting place for transportation executives looking to gain insight and hands-on access to the fuels, technologies, and vehicles driving the future of transportation. ACT Expo features dozens of product debuts and major announcements from leading OEMs and suppliers, unparalleled networking opportunities with the most influential and progressive leaders in the industry, peer-to-peer learning for progressive fleet operators, and access to the most comprehensive assembly of advanced commercial vehicles anywhere.

Click here for more information.

The primary goal of the State Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Clean Fuels Incentive Program (CFIP) is to reduce consumption of imported petroleum through the use of homegrown alternative fuels that will result in a cleaner and greener transportation sector within Maryland, improving the state's economy and environment in the process. With a program budget of $1.3M, there are 2 areas of interest (AOI) under the FY21 CFIP.

Click here for more information.

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund the electric vehicle (EV) charging or hydrogen-refueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of transit bus fleets to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) at multiple transit agencies serving diverse geographic regions and populations.

Click here for more information.

To fund the design, integration, and demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell systems and hydrogen fueling infrastructure for locomotive and commercial harbor craft applications at California ports to reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. Projects should seek to advance technologies that can enable ports as high throughput clusters for low-cost and low-carbon hydrogen and achieve scaled demand across multiple applications.

Click here for more information.

With a new call under the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP 2), the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is funding the purchase of waste collection vehicles and road sweepers with hydrogen fuel cell drives.

Depending on the size of the company, the funding rates range between 40 and 60 percent of the extra investment costs. For operators performing state duties through the public sector however, a rate of 90 percent is permitted. Equally eligible are hydrogen-specific adaptations of the maintenance infrastructure as well as the retrofitting of existing hydrogen refueling stations for the refueling of yet-to-be-procured municipal vehicles.

Click here for more information.

The Maryland Energy Administration has announced the Fiscal Year 2021 Combined Heat and Power Grant Program, which will be offered in two application rounds. This first-come, first served program invests in the adoption of qualified CHP technologies across Maryland’s commercial, industrial, institutional, critical infrastructure, and agricultural sectors to improve the State’s energy landscape and bring lasting operational and economic benefits to the businesses and public and private organizations that serve Marylanders every day.

MEA offers the FY21 CHP Grant Program to Maryland facilities which seek to improve their energy resiliency, efficiency, affordability, and environmental sustainability. The strategic integration of CHP systems into Maryland’s energy landscape reduces the environmental impact associated with traditional fossil-fuel sources and improves the State’s energy grid integrity through increased presence of distributed energy resources and reduced reliance on centralized generation.

Click here for more information.

Maryland Energy Association (MEA) is providing the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Commercial, Industrial & Agricultural (CI&A) grant program to support improving the energy efficiency and reducing the energy costs of enterprises in Maryland’s commercial, industrial, and agricultural sector. The FY21 program will be divided into three separate application periods to best support energy efficiency projects for agriculture, manufacturing, and businesses that may be in varying planning stages or at various stages of readiness due to COVID-19.

Up to $1.65 million is available for award from in the FY21 CI&A Program , subject to availability. The Program budget will be divided between three application windows, as follows. If MEA does not award the full application period budget, any remaining funds will be added to the remaining application period’s budget. There will be three funding periods with $550,000 available each period. Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis by an evaluation team. Award announcements will be made as applications are competitively selected for award.

Period Due Dates:

Click here for more information.

This Special Issue of a new journal called Fuels will feature several new peer-reviewed articles on the topic of “Clean and Renewable Hydrogen Fuel”. Articles will be solicited in June 2020 with expected submissions in February 2021 and publication of the Special Issue later in 2021. Key topics include biological production methods including fermentation and algae, gasification/pyrolysis, electrolysis, and other emerging methods for clean hydrogen production.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Click here for more information.

There are $90 million in funds allocated to this category, for which the first installment was allotted $27 million. The first solicitation is scheduled for release pending approval by the South Coast AQMD Board on Friday, August 7, 2020. If approved, applications will be accepted online beginning Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. (PST) and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Both public and private entities that own and operate eligible vehicles may apply. Funding is available to replace the following vehicles with zero emission technologies:

Class 8 only:

Click here for more information.

CORE is designed to accelerate deployment of cleaner off-road technologies by providing a streamlined way for fleets ready to purchase specific zero-emission equipment to receive funding to offset the higher cost of such technologies. This project is analogous to the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), but will specifically target zero-emission off-road freight equipment that is currently in the early stages of commercial deployment.

Click here for more information.