ITM Power to deploy solar-powered hydrogen refueling station at CEME; wind-powered public H2 station opens in South Yorkshire
18 September 2015
UK-based ITM Power signed an agreement with The Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) to deploy a Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) at the CEME site in Rainham, UK. ITM Power also just opened the first public access hydrogen refueling station, funded by InnovateUK, at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in South Yorkshire.
The CEME campus is located on the A13—one of the main East London arterial roads between London City Airport and the M25—providing publicly accessible refueling infrastructure to East London. The CEME site has one of the largest arrays of photo voltaics in the south of England, consisting of 717 panels designed to supply 115 kW, which will provide power to the station. The station will be deployed as part of the HyFIVE project and will open to the public in Q2 2016.
HyFive, funded by the EU FCH JU (Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking), is a £31-million (US$35-million) project involving leading automakers, hydrogen fuel suppliers, the Mayor of London’s Office and energy consultancies to make hydrogen vehicles a viable and environmentally friendly choice for motorists across Europe.
ITM Power was selected by the Hydrogen London to be the Hydrogen Refueling Station partner for London. This resulted in an award of contract to supply three ITM Power electrolyzer-based refueling stations.
These three stations will be part of three European regions deploying six 700bar hydrogen refueling stations and incorporate 12 existing stations in the project. The fuelling station networks will offer hydrogen as a genuine fuelling choice for end users. ITM Power’s first HyFive station will be delivered to the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington in October 2015.
The South Yorkshire refueling station consists of a 225kW wind turbine coupled directly to an electrolyzer, 220 kg of hydrogen storage, a hydrogen dispensing unit and a 30 kW fuel cell system capable of providing backup power generation for nearby buildings.
The facility has been upgraded as a showcase for ITM Power’s hydrogen generation equipment and is used to provide retail hydrogen fuel services. The M1 motorway was highlighted as a key route for the early deployment of hydrogen refueling in the UK in the published UK H2Mobility Phase 1 Report.
The station, which has been supported by Innovate UK, currently offers hydrogen gas at 350 bar. The station will be upgraded early 2016 to provide hydrogen at 700 bar as a result of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). This will provide the fuel cell vehicles with a longer range of between 350 – 400 miles and extend the reach of clean emission transportation in South Yorkshire to hydrogen refueling stations elsewhere in the UK, including London.
That's the way to go with clean H2 from REs for current and future FCEVs and FCs for e-generation.
Posted by: HarveyD | 18 September 2015 at 08:42 AM
P**ing away RE for Greenwashing publicity.
Posted by: dursun | 18 September 2015 at 03:17 PM
@ HarveyD: I'm not sure how viable H2 fuel cells are, but wind power is as good a way as any to generate H2.
@ dursun: Whether or not to actually proceed is a question I'm also wrestling with. What is your suggested alternative?
Posted by: Brent Jatko | 19 September 2015 at 08:41 AM
H2 can be stored for rainy days while Solar and Wind cannot.
Posted by: HarveyD | 20 September 2015 at 05:38 AM
And with just 220 kg of hydrogen storage capability, it won't be many rainy days before the station is out of fuel... or has to draw from the fossil-fired grid.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 22 September 2015 at 02:20 PM
Just add 3 or 6 or 9 zeros to H2 storage capacity?
There are no real limits! Use existing pipelines and large and/or very large empty wells or mines (or empty fresh water underground reservoirs in California) if required.
Posted by: HarveyD | 27 September 2015 at 03:33 PM