On February 10, in Washington, D.C., the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) and Korea’s Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2Korea), a South Korean hydrogen trade association, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase collaboration to advance the hydrogen and fuel cell industry around the world. 

The MoU outlines different areas of cooperation, including information-sharing, codes and standards advancement, message development, and encouraging growth of the fuel cell industry and expansion of hydrogen supply.

The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association welcomes its newest Tier 3 member: PowerCell Sweden AB!

PowerCell develops and produces PEM fuel cell stacks and systems for both stationary and mobile applications, including marine, buses, trucks, and construction equipment.

Click  here to visit PowerCell Sweden's homepage.

On January 31, FCHEA member Air Products announced the opening of the nation's largest transit-operated hydrogen bus fueling station in Santa Ana, California. The project is a collaboration with the Center for Transportation (CTE), Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), manufacturing company New Flyer, and alternative fuel company Trillium.  The station is equipped with Air Products’ SmartFuel hydrogen refueling technology, with multiple fueling lanes and a capacity of 1,500 kilograms of hydrogen.

The project was funded in part by cap-and-trade programs through CARB, which provided $12.47 million. Additional funding was provided as part of California Senate Bill 1 and the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Clean Fuels Fund.

On February 10, FCHEA member PDC Machines announced a joint project with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Hyundai Motor Company, and IVYS Energy Solutions, a energy engineering company, to install a SimpleFuel hydrogen refueling station in Washington, D.C., in Fall 2020.

The SimpleFuel station combines electrolyzer production, PDC Machines compression, onboard storage, controls, safety, and dispensing in one package. According to PDC Machines, DOE managers and National Laboratories will have access to station data for real-world operations monitoring of hydrogen and fuel cell applications. The collection of data is meant to guide future DOE research and development. As part of the partnership, Hyundai will support the installation and will provide five NEXO fuel cell vehicles to DOE.

On February 13, FCHEA member Plug Power announced the details of its new 125 kilowatt (kW) ProGen hydrogen fuel cell engine, which focuses on heavy-duty and off-road applications that includes Class 6, 7, and 8 trucks, transit buses, and port applications.

According to Plug Power, the heavy-duty ProGen module is designed to simplify original equipment manufacturer's system integration into commercial products. Plug Power expects shipments to begin in the third quarter of 2020.

Click  here for the full press release from Plug Power.

On January 16, FCHEA member Altergy Systems announced a Rapid Response Program (RRP) to deploy fuel cell backup power systems in response to California’s recent public safety power outages caused by wildfires. According to Altergy, the RRP shortens overall lead times to acquire the company's fuel cell Freedom Power Systems. The program assists with planning, permitting, deployment, fueling and operation of the systems.

Click  here for the full press release from Altergy.

On February 20, Plug Power announced a partnership with Colorado-based Lightning Systems to design several fuel cell-powered Class 6 trucks, capable of supporting middle-mile delivery logistics between warehouses and distribution centers. This collaboration will use Plug Power’s ProGen fuel cell engines and Lightning Systems’ electric vehicle and battery technology to develop the zero-emission trucks.

On February 13, FCHEA member FuelCell Energy announced the company had closed on a tax equity sale-leaseback for the 2.8 megawatt Tulare BioMAT Project in Tulare, California, a fuel cell-biogas project, with Crestmark Equipment Finance, a financial solution business. Crestmark has committed $14.4 million through a ten-year sale-leaseback structure.

Click  here for the full press release from FuelCell Energy.

On February 14, the third Shell hydrogen station opened in San Francisco, California, on Mission Street. The station will have larger capacity and more fueling positions than San Francisco’s two previous stations in order to meet the needs of the growing fuel cell vehicle market in the Bay Area. The station offers 100 percent renewable hydrogen, has a capacity of 560 kilograms, and carries two fueling nozzles that allow for multiple cars to fuel simultaneously.

In December 2019, the Colorado Hydrogen Network (CHN) was founded as a non-profit, membership-based business league to promote the use of hydrogen across the state of Colorado. CHN, sponsored by the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association, a Colorado-based clean technology association, highlights the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

Click  here to visit the CHN website.

On January 27, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced it has set technical targets for fuel cell heavy-duty Class 8 trucks. According to  Green Car Congress, the targets are meant to guide early-stage research and development and serve as benchmarks for tracking the technology.  Green Car Congress states the fuel cell targets were developed with input from 21  ^st Century Truck Partnership, a government and industry research collaboration, for long-haul usage with the assumption that trucks can be driven the maximum daily range of 750 miles between refueling.

Click  here for the full article from  Green Car Congress, and click  here to access the targets from DOE.

On January 28, the California Energy Commission announced the launch of "Empower Innovation," a social networking platform designed to connect clean energy professionals in California. The platform is designed for a variety of organizations including grant applicants, entrepreneurs, research institutions, community-based organizations, and more. Featured on the site is a collection of both public and private funding opportunities.

On January 28, FCHEA member Air Liquide announced it began pumping hydrogen through a pipeline network in the city of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, to assist the kingdom's transition towards cleaner sources of fuel. The Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery, a joint venture between oil company Saudi Aramco and a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, will be the first company to use the $400 million Yanbu hydrogen grid. According to  Reuters, ALAR, a joint venture between Air Liquide and energy company TAQA, plans to provide hydrogen to three other clients in 2020.

Click  here for the full article from  Reuters.

On February 4, FCHEA member Toyota announced the development of a fuel cell system for the Energy Observer, a hydrogen maritime vessel on a six-year tour around the globe. The system produces hydrogen from seawater and a mix of on-board renewable energy sources. The installation of Toyota fuel cells in the Energy Observer is part of Toyota's Environmental Challenge 2050, a goal to reduce emissions and improve environmental conditions.

According to Energy Observer, Toyota Technical Center Europe, Toyota’s research and development center, re-designed fuel cell stacks used in the Toyota Mirai to be compact and deliver more power and efficiency for maritime applications. Energy Observer stated the fuel cell module was tested in the vessel late last year and is currently undergoing final full power testing before embarking on its 2020 tour beginning mid-February.

On February 10, FCHEA member PowerCell announced the company has delivered a MS-30 fuel cell system to Fincantieri S.p.A, an Italian ship building company. According to PowerCell, Fincantieri will test the system for maritime propulsion and power generation. Fincantieri has previously developed a fuel cell-powered luxury yacht.

Click  here for the full press release from PowerCell.

On January 20, Air Liquide announced two of the company's proposals for the French Environment & Energy Management Agency (ADEME) were awarded funding as part of the country’s Hydrogen Mobility Ecosystems program.

The first project is a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) fleet initiative in partnership with a French taxi company Hype and Toyota. Through this program Hype currently operates a fleet of approximately 100 FCVs. The award from the French government will allow the program to expand to 600 vehicles by the end of 2020, as well as provide investments for electrolyzer-based hydrogen production facilities and development of 3 new hydrogen fueling stations in the area. 

The second project is HyAMMED (Hydrogen in Aix-Marseille for an Ecological and Sustainable Mobility), which aims to operate hydrogen trucks for long-distance transport in the South-East France. HyAMMED plans to use low-carbon hydrogen produced in Marseille-fos port area to demonstrate heavy-duty fuel cell transportation.

 

Click  here for the full press release from Air Liquide.

On February 17, PowerCell Sweden announced it signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Japanese trading company Inbata & Co for the Japanese fuel cell market. The agreement allows Inabata to market and sell PowerCell’s fuel systems in Japan to increase the hydrogen and fuel cell market presence in the area. In addition, Powercell and Inabata will host a joint booth at the upcoming Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Expo from February 26 to 28 in Tokyo, Japan.

Click  here for the full press release from PowerCell Sweden.

On January 28, TÜV SÜD, a German development company, reported that as of December 2019, German companies had collectively planned around 600 megawatts (MW) in electrolysis projects. According to TÜV SÜD, this is more than a tenfold increase from 50 MW measured at the beginning of 2019. TÜV SÜD states that by the end of 2019, over 300 power-to-gas projects, including hydrogen electrolysis, were announced.

On January 16,  Reuters reported Tokyo Gas Co Ltd has opened a new hydrogen station in Tokyo, Japan. The station is the fourth and largest hydrogen refueling station to come to Tokyo; it is capable of refueling 20 fuel cell buses per day. According to Reuters, the new station is part of efforts to showcase Japan's clean energy technology at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Launched in January by U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC) is a comprehensive program to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of next-generation energy storage technologies and sustain American global leadership in energy storage. The ESGC builds on the $158 million Advanced Energy Storage Initiative announced in President Trump's Fiscal Year 2020 budget request.

While research and development is the foundation of advancing energy storage technologies, the Department recognizes that global leadership also requires addressing associated challenges. To begin to address these challenges, the Department will hold a series of workshops to receive input on the approaches and activities for the ESGC initiative.

Workshop locations and dates are as follows:

Please note that due to space constraints, seating is limited. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received.

Click   here to register, and click  here for more information on the Energy Storage Grand Challenge.

March 10 - 11, 2020 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

The World Hydrogen Fuels Summit will take place March 10-11, 2020, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The two-day event will focus on finding practical approaches to infrastructure, developing international integrated hydrogen supply chains, and cover everything from hydrogen production to storage, transportation, and use.

Click here for more information about the summit.

April 1 - 2, 2020

Vancouver Convention Centre | Vancouver, Canada

Hydrogen and fuel cell events f-cell and HFC join together in Vancouver, Canada – the “cradle of fuel cells”. Renowned international specialists discuss solutions for clean energy with hydrogen and fuel cells as game changers during the 2-day conference and international trade fair. The intriguing and dynamic program brings the World’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Community together to create further projects and connections benefiting the industry for the years to come.

Click   here for more information and to register for the event.

April 29 - 30 | Stark State College | North Canton, OH

Join the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition and our industry stakeholders as OFCC celebrate 20 years of hosting the Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium! Join OFCC this year as we come together to network, discover opportunities, and create solutions to advance your organization and our industry. OFCC invite you to listen and learn from fuel cell industry leaders who will share their expertise, knowledge and vision.  

Click  here to visit the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition's website.

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0002250

The objective of the Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management (SMARTFARM) program is to bridge the data gap in the biofuel supply chain by funding the development of technologies that can replace national averages and emissions factors for feedstock-related emissions with field-level estimates. The value of such technologies will be evaluated by their ability to reliably, accurately (i.e. low uncertainty), and cost-effectively quantify feedstock production lifecycle emissions (in g CO2e/acre) at the field level (i.e. scalable to >80 acres).

If successful, the technologies funded by this phase of the SMARTFARM program will catalyze new market incentives for efficiency in feedstock production and carbon management, reducing annual U.S. emissions by ~1%, and with substantially greater potential emissions reductions implications if expanded to other agricultural products beyond biofuels.

Full Application Submission Deadline: TBD

Click here to apply for this funding opportunity.

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0002249

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Building Technologies Office (BTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Connected Communities.” The goal of this planned FOA would be to demonstrate the ability of efficient buildings to interact with the grid to provide demand flexibility. This includes the ability to shift and modulate load in both existing and new communities across diverse climates, geography, building types and grid/regulatory structures, while maintaining (if not enhancing) occupant satisfaction and productivity. This builds on BTO’s current Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) work. Improving the energy efficiency and demand flexibility of buildings alleviates pressure on the electric grid and extends our energy resources.

Full Application Submission Deadline: TBD

Click  here for more information.

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0001817

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Nuclear Energy (NE) Office is accepting applications for its U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development solicitation. This funding opportunity will support first-of-its-kind nuclear demonstration readiness projects, advanced reactor development projects, and regulatory assistance.

This solicitation aligns with the H2@Scale initiative led by the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE's) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO). Under the H2@Scale effort, DOE's NE and EERE's FCTO are collaborating to identify synergies that accelerate nuclear and hydrogen technologies deployment. As one example, hydrogen and nuclear energy can be coupled by utilizing heat and electricity from advanced nuclear reactors to produce hydrogen and use it as a fuel or industrial commodity, in energy storage, or for other industrial purposes. Additional hydrogen opportunities also exist to optimize nuclear production when generation exceeds load on the grid. Click here to learn more about the synergies between hydrogen and nuclear energy.

Application Due Date: February 28, 2020

Click here to apply for this funding opportunity.

Solicitation Type: Grant Funding Opportunity

Solicitation Number: GFO-19-306

This solicitation will focus on demonstrating the value of energy storage technologies that can support different customer needs, including for grid outages.  The solicitation will have three groups focused on non-Lithium ion technologies that can provide a minimum of 10 hours of energy storage and one group will focus on any energy storage technology for residential new construction.  

Group 1: Demonstrate non-Lithium ion energy storage for 10 hours or longer at a minimum rating of 400 kW ($10M total; $5M - $10M per award); 

Group 2: Demonstrate non-Lithium ion energy storage for 10 hours or longer at a minimum rating of 50 kW to support Native American Tribal communities ($4M total; $500k - $2M per award);

Group 3: Demonstrate non-Lithium ion energy storage for 10 hours or longer at a minimum rating of 50 kW to support disadvantaged/low-income communities ($4M total; $500k - $2M per award);

Group 4: Demonstrate energy storage to support a minimum of 15 new construction homes in three climate zones (a minimum of a coastal climate zone, central valley climate zone and a northern California climate zones) to support Title 24 Joint Appendix 12 compliance ($2M total; $500k - $1M per award).

Submission Deadline: February 28, 2020, 5:00 PM PT

Click here for the full solicitation and for a schedule of pre-application and safety workshops.

Solicitation Type: Grant Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Number: W81EWF20FOA0001

An  interagency collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DoD) will support an opportunity to address disaster mitigation through the use of an advanced fuel truck technology concept known as H2Rescue. The H2Rescue is a fuel cell/battery hybrid truck that first responders and the military can drive to disaster mitigation sites. It can provide sufficient hydrogen to provide power, heat, and even potable water for up to 72 hours.

The  solicitation to support this opportunity can provide up to nearly $1 million in federal funds and requires an equal match of industry contributions. The U.S. Army Corps is leading the solicitation, which includes support from DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's  Fuel Cell Technologies Office and  Vehicle Technologies Office, as well as DoD's Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center. This demonstration will help identify hydrogen, fuel cell, and battery R&D gaps to ensure the technology not only meets the needs, but provides additional value to the emergency management field.

Original Closing Date for Applications: Mar 31, 2020.  

Current Closing Date for Applications: Mar 31, 2020.

Click  here for the full solicitation.

Solicitation Type: Grant Funding Opportunity

Solicitation Number: GFO-19-504

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund applied research and development and technology demonstration and deployment of innovative approaches and technologies to decarbonize healthcare facilities and large commercial buildings. The focus is reducing the carbon intensity on heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems (HVAC) and hot water systems.

This solicitation is guided by two of the overall goals of the Natural Gas Research Program: a) reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from natural gas sources through increased efficiency and b) drive customer adoption of energy-efficient and low-carbon technology solutions for natural gas end uses.

Click here for information on the pre-application workshop on February 7, 2020, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM PT.

Application Submission Deadline: March 16, 2020 by 5:00 PM PT

Click here for the full solicitation.

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0002197

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled, “Fiscal Year 2020 Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research Funding Opportunity Announcement.”

This FOA seeks research projects to address priorities in the following areas: advanced batteries and electrification in support of the recently-announced DOE Energy Storage Grand Challenge; advanced engine and fuel technologies, including technologies for off-road applications and alternative fueled engines; lightweight materials; new mobility technologies (energy efficient mobility systems); and alternative fuels technology demonstrations.

Refer to Area of Interest (AOI) 12: Gaseous Fuels Technology Demonstration Projects and AOI 15: Technology Integration Open Topic for applicable hydrogen topics.

Full Application Submission Deadline: April 14, 2020, 5:00 PM ET

Click here to apply for this funding opportunity.

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0002229

The technology improvements necessary to advance H2@Scale encompass four main focus areas—better ways to MAKE, MOVE, USE, and STORE hydrogen. The initial H2@Scale FOA, released by EERE in FY19, focused on enabling R&D in these areas—and also funded first-of-kind pilot demonstrations of integrated systems with on-site nuclear power and multiple renewable energy sources. The key to continued advancement of H2@Scale is scaling up affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technology options for expanded supply and demand, enabled in part by continued R&D.

This “H2@Scale New Markets FOA” will provide more than $64M in Federal funding to advance the focus areas of H2@Scale and support EERE’s core priorities. Highlighting the importance of scaling up hydrogen use across sectors, this FOA will include more novel demonstration projects for several emerging new markets and applications.

Full Application Submission Deadline: April 20, 2020, 5:00 PM ET

View Full Application Reviewer Comments Period: May 27, 2020, 8:00 AM ET – May 29, 2020, 5:00 PM ET

Click here to apply for this funding opportunity.

Solicitation Type: Grant Funding Opportunity

Solicitation Number: GFO-19-602

This is a competitive grant solicitation. The California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program (formerly known as the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program) announces the availability of up to $115.7 million in grant funds, subject to future appropriations and Clean Transportation Program Investment Plan funding allocations, for hydrogen refueling infrastructure projects that will expand California’s early commercial light duty hydrogen refueling and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) markets and to accommodate the projected FCEV roll-out in 2021-2024. Of the up-to amount, $45.7 million is currently available.

This solicitation encourages projects with fueling agreements with fleets of commercial vehicles and transit buses to increase station throughput and to aid in the transition of California’s commercial vehicle and bus fleets to a zero-emission alternative. The network of hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen fuel supply, and the use of FCEVs will support California’s air quality improvement and climate change goals. Hydrogen is one of the alternative fuels that contributes to reducing the carbon intensity (CI) of transportation fuels.

Submission Deadline: April 30, 2020, 5:00 PM PT

Click here for the full solicitation and for a schedule of pre-application and safety workshops.

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.