February 4, 2022 Sergio Matalucci

Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a new polymer fuel cell that is supposed to solve the long-standing problem of overheating. The device is based on a polymer electrolyte composed of a phosphonated polymer and a perfluorosulfonic acid that is supposed to be able to operate at higher temperatures. The proton conductivity of the fuel cell was found to improve when a proton from the perfluorosulfonic acid was transferred to the phosphorus polymer. By applying the composite polymer electrolyte, the researchers were able to achieve nearly 800 milliwatts per square centimeter of rated power density for the fuel cell at 160 degrees Celsius, which is a 60% improvement over carbon-based fuel cells. phosphoric acid, New Mexico researchers wrote in an article published by natural energy Last week. By solving the overheating problem, the fuel cell overcomes a technical barrier to the use of medium and heavy fuel cells in trucks and buses, they added.

Mexican cement manufacturer Cemex has invested in HiiROC, a UK-based hydrogen production startup that has developed scalable technology using thermal plasma electrolysis to convert biomethane, flare gas or natural gas into hydrogen at a seemingly lower cost to that of competing solutions. “HiiROC … has developed a new process that efficiently produces high-purity hydrogen and clean carbon black at higher temperatures and pressure,” the company announced Tuesday. “As part of this investment, Cemex and HiiROC aim to increase Cemex’s hydrogen injection capacity in its cement kilns, enabling a higher rate of substitution of fossil fuels with alternative fuels. Cemex did not disclose details of the investment.

Danish Energy Fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is partnering with Spanish companies Enagás, Naturgy, Fertiberia and Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas to develop the first phase of Project Catalina, a gigawatt-scale green hydrogen and green ammonia project that aims to bring the renewable resources of Aragon to industrial consumption points on the eastern coast of Spain. The companies intend to develop 5 GW of combined wind and solar and deploy a 2 GW electrolyser. “When fully implemented, Catalina will produce enough green hydrogen to meet 30% of Spain’s current hydrogen demand,” CIP wrote on Tuesday. The companies expect the first phase of the project to be fully developed and approved in less than two years, while construction is expected to begin in late 2023. The first phase of the project will consist of 1.7 GW of power facilities wind and solar. as well as a 500 MW electrolyser.

CIP also supports a project in Norway. Hydrogen Company Hy2gen plans to produce green ammonia as fuel for the maritime sector in the municipality of Sauda on the southwest coast of Norway, CIP announced on Wednesday. The green ammonia production facility, Iverson eFuels AS, will be owned by Hy2gen, commodity trading company Trafigura and CIP. The pre-study was completed in 2021 and the project owners have now started the initial engineering design (FEED) phase, which will lead to a complete plan for the construction of the facility by 2023. “Following a final investment decision, the start of construction is expected in the first quarter of 2024 and the facility will be fully operational in early 2027,” CIP said in a separate press release.

Polish state oil refiner and gasoline retailer PKN Orlen committed PLN 7.4 billion (€1.63 billion) by 2030 to low- and zero-carbon hydrogen development projects based on renewable energy sources and municipal waste conversion technology . “As a result, ten hydrogen hubs will be developed by the end of the decade, motorists in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will have access to a network of more than 100 hydrogen refueling stations,” the company wrote on Wednesday. Poland, explaining that the move is a key part of the group’s transformation into a carbon-neutral multi-utility. By the end of the decade, the Orlen group aims to install 0.5 GW of new hydrogen production capacity from renewable energies and the recovery of municipal waste. “The Group deployed its first hydrogen hub in Trzebinia in 2021, which manufactures gray hydrogen for transport and should eventually produce decarbonated hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Another hub is under development in Włocławek, which is expected to start producing green hydrogen in the second half of 2023. Two years later, a hub in Płock will be launched to produce green hydrogen for industrial and transport.

Ten Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric cars and one Toyota fuel cell forklift were handed over to the Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport Hub in England. The deliveries took place during the opening of the new Element 2 hydrogen refueling station at Teesside International Airport in Darlington. “As part of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub demonstration programme, the airport has two Mirai, and alongside other regional organizations it will test zero-emissions and hydrogen-powered commercial and support vehicles as part of a £2.5 million Region-led Department for Transport large-scale trial,” Toyota wrote on Thursday, referring to the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub announced by the UK government in September 2020 The multimodal hydrogen transport hub study also focuses on the amount of green hydrogen needed alongside production, storage and distribution facilities.

british energy company bp has obtained approval to become an Aberdeen City Council (ACC) joint venture partner for the construction of a solar power facility connected to a green hydrogen production and refueling facility. “We plan to create a blueprint that can be replicated around the world by cities and regions looking to get to net zero,” said Councilor Ryan Houghton, Aberdeen City Council’s Head of Growth and Resources. .

According to Patrick Plötz, head of the Energy Economy business unit at German Fraunhofer Institute for Systems Research and Innovation. Although there are only two models of fuel cell passenger cars in the world, there are more than 350 models of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, Plötz noted in a commentary published in natural electronics. “With the economies of scale fully in effect for batteries, and with further cost reductions and improved performance of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure to come, fuel cell cars are very unlikely to be able to compete.” As for zero-emission trucks, Plötz said they were in a much earlier market phase and were mostly available in China. He remained doubtful about the potential of hydrogen trucks, despite some recent positive developments. “If truck manufacturers don’t quickly start mass production of fuel cell trucks to reduce costs, these vehicles will never succeed in low-carbon road transport. Policymakers and industry need to decide quickly if the fuel cell electric truck niche is big enough to support the development of hydrogen technology, or if it’s time to cut their losses and focus their efforts. somewhere else.