A new, broad measure of “energy transition investment”, compiled by BloombergNEF (BNEF), shows that the world committed a record $501.3 billion to decarbonization in 2020, beating the previous year by 9% despite the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. BNEF’s analysis shows that companies, governments and households invested $303.5... Read more →

Schlumberger New Energy, the CEA and partners announced the European Commission’s approval for the formation of Genvia, a clean hydrogen production technology venture. In a private-public partnership model, Genvia combines the expertise and experience of Schlumberger and the CEA with VINCI Construction, Vicat, and the investment vehicle of the French... Read more →

Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy are joining forces to develop an innovative solution that fully integrates an electrolyzer into an offshore wind turbine as a single synchronized system to produce green hydrogen directly. The companies intend to provide a full-scale offshore demonstration of the solution by 2025/2026. Together with Siemens... Read more →

Shearwater Energy Ltd., a United Kingdom-based hybrid clean energy company, is developing a wind-SMR (Small Modular Reactor) and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. The project would provide 3 GWe of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce more than 3 million kilograms of green hydrogen per... Read more →

Mubadala Investment Company and Siemens Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intention of creating a strategic partnership to drive investment and development of advanced technology, manufacture of equipment, and green hydrogen and synthetic fuel production. The initial focus of activity will be in Abu Dhabi; it is... Read more →

Denmark leads the way when it comes to putting zero-emission urban buses on the streets in Europe, with 78% of new vehicles being electric, according to the latest data from green NGO Transport & Environment. In Luxembourg and the Netherlands about two-thirds of new buses were zero-emissions. T&E said other... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) plans to make $160 million in federal funding (DE-FOA-0002400) available to help recalibrate the US’ vast fossil-fuel and power infrastructure for decarbonized energy and commodity production. The funding, for cost-shared cooperative agreements, is aimed to develop technologies for the... Read more →

Wärtsilä Finland, the energy companies Vaasan Sähkö and EPV Energia, and the City of Vaasa, Finland have signed a letter of intent to cooperate in a project aimed at utilizing emissions-free hydrogen in power generation, industry and transportation applications. The project will be based in Vaasa and will focus on... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group signed an investment contract with the government of Guangdong Province to establish an offshore fuel cell system production facility in Guangzhou, China. The investment advances the Group’s global hydrogen leadership and supports its push into China’s rapidly developing hydrogen industry. Construction is scheduled to begin next month... Read more →

Ricardo plc and AFC Energy plc, a leading provider of hydrogen power generation technologies, signed a collaboration agreement on the joint creation of hydrogen fuel cell product and service offerings, with an initial focus on marine, rail and stationary power generation. The collaboration will develop products and services that will... Read more →

Total and Engie signed a cooperation agreement to design, develop, build and operate the Masshylia project, France’s largest renewable hydrogen production site at Châteauneuf-les-Martigues in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur South region. Located at the heart of Total’s La Mède biorefinery and powered by solar farms with a total capacity of more... Read more →

Blue World Technologies, developer and manufacturer of methanol fuel cells, is acquiring Danish Power Systems, a 25-year-old High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (HTPEM) membrane electrode assembly (MEA) research and development company. The transaction follows Blue World’s August 2019 purchase of 15% of the shares in Danish Power Systems. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

Linde will build, own and operate a 24MW PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyzer plant at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany. The new 24-megawatt electrolyzer will produce green hydrogen to supply Linde’s industrial customers through the company’s existing pipeline network. In addition, Linde will distribute liquefied green hydrogen to refueling... Read more →

The German Center for Rail Transport Research at the Federal Railway Office has tasked TÜV Rheinland InterTraffic with developing a standard for hydrogen applications in rail vehicles. TÜV Rheinland is one of the world’s leading testing and certification service providers, and has more than 21,400 employees and an annual turnover... Read more →

Via its subsidiary Pierburg GmbH of Neuss, Germany, the Rheinmetall Group plans to supply hydrogen recirculation blowers to Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, the company which bundles all of Daimler AG’s activities in the field of fuel cell technology. The deal represents sales volume in the two-digit... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Plug Power Inc. have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to launch a 50-50 joint-venture based in France by the end of the first half of 2021, targeting more than 30% share of the fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in Europe. Bringing complementary and competitive... Read more →

Bus manufacturer Solaris has joined the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, an initiative led by the European Commission. The aim of the Alliance is to scale-up, by 2030, the production and deployment of hydrogen as a fuel produced by means of low-emission technologies and renewable energy sources. The European Clean Hydrogen... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Arcola Energy, a UK-based leader in hydrogen and fuel cell integration specializing in zero-emission solutions for heavy-duty vehicles and transport applications, for Ballard FCmove-HD fuel cell modules to power a passenger train planned for demonstration during COP26, to be hosted by Glasgow... Read more →

Tenaris, Edison and Snam have signed a letter of intent to launch a project aimed at decarbonizing Tenaris’ seamless pipe mill in Dalmine, Italy through the introduction of green hydrogen in some production processes. Tenaris, Edison and Snam will collaborate to identify and implement the most suitable solutions for the... Read more →

The OYSTER project consortium—ITM Power, Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, and Element Energy—has been awarded €5 million in funding from The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2-JU) under the European Commission to demonstrate and to investigate the feasibility and potential of combining an offshore wind turbine directly with an... Read more →

Researchers from Oregon State University College of Engineering, with colleagues from Cornell University and the Argonne National Laboratory, have used advanced experimental tools to provide a clearer understanding of an electrochemical catalytic process that’s cleaner and more sustainable than deriving hydrogen from natural gas. Their findings are published in an... Read more →

Governor Gavin Newsom has submitted his 2021-22 State Budget proposal to the state Legislature. Among the many provisions, the Governor’s budget proposes $1.5 billion to achieve the state’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) goals by 2035 and 2045, including securitizing up to $1 billion to accelerate the pace and scale of the... Read more →

Israel-based Urban Aeronautics Ltd. reached an agreement to provide four CityHawk VTOL aircraft to Hatzolah Air for emergency medical service (EMS) applications. In addition, Hatzolah Air will become Urban Aeronautics’ official sales representative and distribution channel to other EMS and Rescue organizations worldwide. In August 2020, the two companies signed... Read more →

Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of hydrogen fuel cell and fueling solutions enabling e-mobility, and SK Group, one of the leading South Korean business groups, intend to form a strategic partnership to accelerate hydrogen as an alternative energy source in Asian markets. Through this partnership, Plug Power and SK... Read more →

BayoTech, Inc., a provider of on-site hydrogen production, received an equity investment of up to $157 million from Newlight Partners LP, a growth equity investor, with participation from existing investors Cottonwood Technology Funds, Sun Mountain Capital and new investor Fortistar. The proceeds will be used to accelerate BayoTech’s strategic growth... Read more →

Fuel Cell Enabling Technologies, Inc. (FCET), a start-up energy technology company that has developed a novel, low-cost solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system, announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NextGenPropulsion, LLC (NGP) indicating NGP’s intent to purchase FCET fuel cells for NGP light-rail trains and freight locomotives. In addition... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) announced $6.4 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) FE-FOA 0002397, University Turbines Systems Research (UTSR) — Focus on Hydrogen Fuels. The UTSR Program conducts research to increase the efficiency... Read more →

A team led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab) Molecular Foundry has designed and synthesized ultrasmall nickel nanoclusters (∼1.5 nm) deposited on defect-rich BN nanosheet (Ni/BN) catalysts with excellent methanol dehydrogenation activity and selectivity. In an open-access paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of... Read more →

Airbus is conducting studies to determine how scalable a hydrogen fuel cell “pod” configuration, among others, could be to large commercial aircraft. The aviation industry has developed numerous configurations—twinjet, s-duct, winglets, contra-rotating propellers—over the last five decades that have enabled aircraft to fly higher, faster and longer. Now, Airbus engineers... Read more →

Using light metal hydrides as hydrogen carriers offers potential for safe and compact storage of hydrogen. Magnesium hydride (MgH2) has attracted significant attention due to its 7.6 wt% hydrogen content and the natural abundance of Mg. However, bulk MgH2 is stable (ΔHf ∼ 76 kJ mol−1) and releases hydrogen only... Read more →

Methanol–water reforming could prove to be a promising solution for hydrogen production/transportation in stationary and mobile hydrogen applications. However, developing inexpensive catalysts with sufficiently high activity, selectivity, and stability remains challenging. A team from Peking University and colleagues have now developed a nickel-supported over face-centered cubic (fcc) phase α-MoC catalyst... Read more →

Toyo Engineering Corporation and　Irkutsk Oil Company (IOC), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), and Itochu Corporation are partnering on a joint feasibility study of a blue ammonia value chain between eastern Siberia and Japan. The project aims to establish a future blue ammonia value chain at a commercial... Read more →

Saga Pure ASA, an investment company focusing on opportunities within renewable energy, hydrogen, circular economy and CO2 reductions, has invested NOK 35 million (US$4.1 million) in a gross NOK 150-million (US$17.6-million) private placement of new shares in Horisont Energi AS, corresponding to an ownership of 11.7% in Horisont Energi. Horisont... Read more →

Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the Hydrogen Accelerator, based at the University of St Andrews, have appointed Arcola Energy and a consortium of industry leaders in hydrogen fuel cell integration, rail engineering and functional safety to deliver Scotland’s first hydrogen powered train. A key objective of the project is to... Read more →

The MAHEPA consortium announced that technology developed as part of the project has been successfully proven in flight on board the Hy4 fuel cell hybrid electric aircraft (earlier post). The sixth-generation of hydrogen propulsion has been completely revised from 2016 to 2020, according to aviation requirements. As part of the... Read more →

Norway-based energy company Equinor Energy and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a low-carbon technology collaboration. The non-exclusive cooperation agreement will see both companies develop and use technology to reduce the carbon footprint of oil & gas operations. In particular, the companies will look at... Read more →

ABB and AFC Energy are partnering to create the next generation of high power sustainable electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions for grid-constrained locations. Utilizing ABB’s energy storage solution and DC EV fast chargers along with AFC Energy’s zero-emission, high-efficiency hydrogen fuel cell, the strategic collaboration will deliver a fully autonomous,... Read more →

Noble Gas Systems, a startup founded to create safe, conformable, lightweight compressed gas storage and delivery systems, has demonstrated its latest generation of conformable gas tanks, which can be configured into existing vehicle architectures. The new tanks, with working pressures of 350 bar (5,000 psi), are lightweight and less than... Read more →

Aker Carbon Capture and Haldor Topsoe have signed a memorandum of understanding with the intention to offer a complete solution for low-carbon hydrogen production. The solution combines Haldor Topsoe’s proven hydrogen process and Aker Carbon Capture’s post-combustion carbon capture technology to achieve low-emission and cost-effective production of ‘blue’ hydrogen. Based... Read more →

Aeristech, a developer of electric motor technology, is expanding into aerospace. Aeristech’s aerospace facility will enable the company to begin offering its expertise in market-leading power-dense electric motors and motor controllers to the aerospace sector, including for hydrogen fuel-cell compressors, which will make it possible to reduce aviation emissions. Aeristech’s... Read more →

ZeroAvia, an innovator in decarbonizing commercial aviation, secured £12.3 million (US$16.6 million) in UK Government funding through the ATI Program to deliver a breakthrough 19-seat hydrogen-electric powered aircraft that is market-ready by 2023: the HyFlyer II project. To accomplish this, ZeroAvia will collaborate with two partners, the European Marine Energy... Read more →

Leading fertilizer company Yara plans to electrify fully its ammonia plant in Porsgrunn, Norway with the potential to cut 800,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions from 300,000 passenger cars. Production from the electrified ammonia unit would be some 500,000 tonnes per year of green ammonia. Ammonia... Read more →

Canadian Pacific plans to develop North America’s first hydrogen-powered line-haul locomotive. CP’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program will retrofit a line-haul locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and battery technology to drive the locomotive’s electric traction motors. Line-haul locomotives move freight and passenger cars between yards and terminals. These are high-powered units—total rated... Read more →

The Wilhelmsen-led Topeka project, which aims to construct the first zero-emission hydrogen vessels, has been awarded NOK 219 million (US$25 million) by the Norwegian government-owned organization Enova. These funds will enable Wilhelmsen to further develop the technology and additional infrastructure required to support the maritime industry’s ambitions towards zero emission... Read more →

Hydrogen produced with renewable electricity could compete on costs with fossil fuel alternatives by 2030, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). A combination of falling costs for solar and wind power, improved performance as well as economies of scale for electrolyzers could make it... Read more →

Toyota Caetano Portugal (TCAP), the joint venture of Toyota Motor Europe (TME) and Salvador Caetano, strengthened its strategic alliance with CaetanoBus and Finlog by becoming the direct shareholder of the two Portuguese companies. The enhanced strategic alliance with bus manufacturing and sales company CaetanoBus, and Finlog, a passenger car financial... Read more →

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) released its latest Guidance Report, Making Sense of Heavy-Duty Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tractors. Almost every day there is a new announcement about hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks. Even with all the information, there are a lot of unanswered questions. We published this... Read more →

With clean hydrogen gaining recognition worldwide as a carbon-free fuel capable of making a significant contribution to addressing climate change, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will field test a new technology that can simultaneously separate and compress hydrogen from a blend of hydrogen and natural gas. Created by Netherlands-based HyET... Read more →

For 2021, Toyota has fully rebooted the Mirai, originally offered in 2016, as a premium rear-wheel drive sports-luxury fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) with striking design, cutting-edge technology, more engaging driving performance and a significantly longer EPA-estimated range rating. The 2021 Mirai is powered by the latest evolution of the... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Van Hool, a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Belgium, for 10 fuel cell modules to power Van Hool A330 buses to be deployed in Emmen, the Netherlands, under the JIVE2 funding program. Van Hool A330 Fuel Cell Buses powered... Read more →