Roads2HyCom Reports in Detail

Mapping

A Map of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research and Technology Development Activity in Europe

• The report studies organisations in Europe that are developing Fuel Cell and Hydrogen technologies
• It is based on an online questionnaire conducted in 2006-2007, with data provided by over 400 responding organisations
• Germany and the UK numerically dominated the responses, though other EU-15 countries were significant
• It is shown that the technology development landscape is very diverse in terms of technical focus, application, organisation type and size; with an implied risk to cohesion
• Results reveale that most organisations are spending at pre-commercialisation levels, with high dependency on grants and limited use of debt or equity
• A few significant exceptions appear to be approaching commercialisation

State-of-the-art Assessment

• A study of emerging products and prototypes, identifying early markets and implied progress for the state of the art
• The study found significant market developments in 2008, with large “forward orders” in micro-CHP, uninterruptible power and goods handling sectors, and a small but profitable market in leisure power
• Range-extenders for electric bicycles, and small portable devices for substituting battery power, show potential as next emerging markets
• Emerging prototypes in the transport sector show significant advances in durability, ambient operation and cost reduction

Regulations & Safety

• The report outlines RCS, safety parameters and appropriate measures for the use of hydrogen applications
• It is shown that safety and security aspects of hydrogen applications are well regulated in numerous (industrial) regulations and standards
• For non-industrial use there is a need for appropriate safety regulations
• There is a tendency to move to high pressure (350 bar), cryogenic (20K) storage of hydrogen, but very little experience in the materials behaviour under these conditions is available

Politial Will

• The study aims to provide insight into the political will to switch to sustainable energy and especially hydrogen and fuel cells, by reviewing public RD&D budgets from 1993 until 2004
• The study compares public R&D expenditures for H2FC technologies with expenditures on biomass, wind, photovoltaics, and nuclear
• Estimates of RD&D expeditures for H2FC technologies show that they exceed those for biomass, PV and wind
• Nuclear R&D budgets are still an order of magnitude higher than for biomass, wind, PV and H2FC , but whereas the former budget is decreasing, the latter budgets are constant or increasing (e.g. H2FC)
• Based on RD&D budgets there seems significant and increasing “political will” towards H2FC technologies; since budgets generally increase going from RD&D to deployment, this could be a valuable additional indicator for the commercialisation of H2FC technologies

Public Acceptance

• The study reviews literature on acceptance of hydrogen technologies
• Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are relatively well accepted compared with other technologies such as nuclear energy or genetic engineering
• The theory of constructive technology assessment (CTA) is particularly interesting with regard to hydrogen and fuel cell technology development
• Anticipation of social effects must become an inherent part of the technology design phase

Mapping

• Demonstration projects are first trials of desired large-scale set-ups
• Local knowledge build-up and infrastructure capacities could act as seed for future activities
• Aggregation of demonstration projects could act as first grid on which large scale projects could evolve
• Early clusters currently exist in Rhein-Ruhr/Rhein-Main area

Hydrogen Poduction, Marketing and consumption

• Three types of hydrogen-production exist: merchant, captive, by-product
• Total hydrogen production in EU is 90bn m3
• Total hydrogen consumption in EU is 60bn m3, mainly for the refinery and ammonia industry
• Major production centres in Europe are Benelux and the Rhein/Ruhr area
• Estimated hydrogen surplus capacity in EU is 2-10bn m3 (with varying purity)

Distribution

• 15 larger hydrogen pipeline networks exist, equalling 1600 km of pipelines
• 425m m3 hydrogen are transported via trailer or cylinder (1% of EU H2 merchant market)
• There is only 20t/day liquefaction capacity for hydrogen in EU
• 35 hydrogen fuelling stations are currently in operation in Europe

Potential Sources

• The report analyses the potential of renewables and CO2-neutral fossil energy sources for the production of hydrogen up to 2020/2030
• Due to competition for resources only excess energy (stranded/peak) will be available for hydrogen production
• Total potential of carbon-free energy for hydrogen production is estimated to be in the order of 50-100 TWh p.a. up to 2030
• Considerable contributions will come from offshore wind and wave/tidal energy
• Post 2030 a further increase of renewable energies or clean coal (with CCS) could be expected

Distribution Issue

• The report covers current hydrogen distribution and future developments in hydrogen transport
• From a cost-perspective tube trailers are the most economic transport mode for short distances and low demand, liquid transport for intermediate demand and medium to long distances, and pipeline transport for high demand at whatever distance
• Application specifications, however, will determine the supply route regardless of costs (eg cars running on LH2)
• For the time being pipelines costs will remain a barrier, despite the introduction of PE pipes
• Mixing hydrogen into the NG grid still faces many problems

Grid Development

• The current power infrastructure is centralised
• In order to allow more distributed generation (incl. renewables) the grid needs to become more decentralised and flexible
• Fuel cells could be part of these new control systems and load balances
• H2FC technologies will also be necessary to integrate the huge amount of renewable energy expected to come from wind and wave/tidal energy in the future
• For this scenario also a number of strategic grid lines need to be reinforced since power will enter the grid at its remotest, ie weakest points
• The report shows that surplus power storage is only necessary above a penetration level of 25% (wind) or 15% (photovoltaics) which is not foreseeable before 2020
• Interim storage with hydrogen, however, could be an option for the near future since the produced hydrogen could be used for other purposes than solely for lossy re-conversion into electricity

Cost Structure

• a summary of costs for three hydrogen production methods (central SMR, centralised electrolysis, on-site electrolysis) is presented
• total production cost are estimated at 3 €/kg hydrogen for central SMR, 5-7 €/kg H2 for centralised electrolysis, and 5-20 €/kg H2 for on-site electrolysis
• cost ranges result from varying boundary or purchase conditions and will be sensitive to changing commodity prices

Cost Models

• Generic cost models are presented in this report
• The intention is not to present estimates of current or future hydrogen costs, but to elaborate the calculation procedure
• To such a transparent model any database can be applied today or in the future, thus allowing to take into account varying feedstock prices or changing demands

Reference Group Address

• The report comes as an addressbook of utilities in Europe
• Utilities are or will be relevant players for H2FC projects, either as direct participants or stakeholders for the integration into the grid
• The report distinguishes therefore between H2-players with previous experience, global players with large market influence, and other players which are listed for completeness

Project Study

• This report identifies the success criteria for long-term success of hydrogen community projects
• Critical factors for the success of projects were identified, including:
  • determination of the people involved in the project and good relationship between project promoters and component suppliers
  • local expertise in technical and administrative issues and political and institutional support at different levels
  • public acceptance of the project in the local community

Success factors

• The reports aims to provide a basis upon which the "goodness of fit" of H2FC technologies for different community types can be evaluated
• It gives recommendations for three community-types (islands, regions, and cities) and analyses different scenarios of capacities and drivers
• Support of local public authorities is found to be fundamental to enable a quick start of hydrogen energy integration
• Public-Private-Partnerships are shown to be an important step to H2FC adoption as well as a clear communty long-term strategy

Mapping analysis Results

• This report presents the results of the first mapping analysis on potential hydrogen community sites in the EU
• Projects analysed are either policy or technology driven, involve public organisations, and feature some form of H2 production
• Most projects feature multiple applications, whereas in communities with a single applications public transport or residential projects prevail
• Lack of public funding is being identified as the main barrier to the development of H2FC projects

Comparision Study

• The study compares scenarios, roadmaps, pathways studies and R&D plans envisaging hydrogen and fuels cells as future energy technologies
• All reviewed studies (except the R&D plans) foresee that the main application of hydrogen will be in the transport sector with a possible share of 30-75% for hydrogen fuelled passenger cars by 2050
• Cars will mainly deploy low temperature PEMFC, while internal combustion engines only play a minor role
• The introduction of hydrogen on a large scale requires a stringent and consistent climate policy, high oil and gas prices and adequate progress in technological learning
• During the first 10-15 years by-product and decentralised hydrogen production will dominate, shifting to central production as demand increases
• CHP applications with high-temperature stationary fuels cells will mainly run on syngas or natural gas instead of hydrogen

Regional and Community

• Energy usage and relevant parameters of a number of European cities and regions are analysed in this report
• It was not found that technical capacities like infrastructure, or the economic or financial situation of a community restricts a community in successfully running a hydrogen or fuel cell project
• Instead, political will and support sems to be the most influential driving force for the initiation and the continuation of H2FC projects

Well to Tank Technology

• The report defines the major technical and economical evolution steps of H2FC technologies to produce, transport, store and distribute hydrogen
• The analysis uses a common scenario taking into account high energy prices (140 $/bbl)
• Results include a mean cost scenario for all analysed pathways with cost for hydrogen ranging between 25 €/GJ H2 (biomass pathway) to more than 100 €/GJ H2 (on-site electrolysis pathway)

Tank to User Technology

• In this study transport and stationary applications are studied
• Costs are identified as the primary concern
• For the time being costs will remains high but major cost reductions are expected from the development of larger fuel cells and the scaling up of production volumes when reaching mass production (>100,000 units/year)
• From these scenarios fuel cell costs for transport applications are estimated between 22-88 €/kW by the year 2020
• Stationary fuel cell costs are expected to vary, depending on the fuel cell type, between 600 €/kW (PEFC) and >1200 €/kW (SOFC) by 2020

Opportunities and Synergies

• An economic and environmental analysis of 23 potential H2FC applications was carried out to help stakeholders in their choice of considered applications
• Light duty trucks, forklifts in 24/5 operation, outdoor utility vehicles, license-free cars and back up systems for telecommunications have been identified as near- to mid-term market opportunities
• Passenger cars show the highest potential for a decrease of CO2 emissions, but need further cost reductions in order to be cost-competitive
• This cost reductions applies to the drivetrain where research should focus on decreasing the use of platinum and increasing durability and power density
• Stricter regulations on emissions, leading to additonal cost for the use of reference technologies and favourable taxation of hydrogen compared to coventional fuels will help hydrogen technologies in entering economic windows of opportunities

Case Studies

• This reports features accompanying case studies to the above report

Research and Development Agendas

• In this report emphasis was given in reviewing international R&D agendas and funding schemes for the development of hydrogen communities
• The review revealed that only in Australia and Canada have been developed R&D agendas aiming specifically to the creation of hydrogen communities
• There are national programmes and/or R&D agendas targeting in the development and implementation of hydrogen energy technologies, including fuel cells, in a significant number of countries
• The best parts of these R&D agendas are technologically driven.
• Short descriptions of significant large-scale demonstration projects realized all over the world are being also presented in the deliverable.

Review from fuel cell vehicle demostrations

• The report assesses large scale fuel cell vehicle demonstration projects in the EU, Japan, and USA
• Fleets have proven technical reliability in demanding day-to-day operation
• Lifetime and availability exceeded expectations
• Continuous evolutionary developments instead of “breakthrough inventions” are necessary to commercialize fuel cell vehicles
• Development of new and more reliable refuelling technology has to be ensured
• Further education and training is required to achieve full customer acceptance
• In that respect driving range is perceived as the most critical issue

Review from fuel cell demonstrations

• There is a significant installed base of over 6000 fuel cell systems representing some 200 MW of installed power capacity in stationary fuel cell applications in Europe, Japan, and the US
• Most forms of fuel cell technology (AFC, MCFC, PAFC, PEMFC and SOFC) have been involved representing a wide range of output powers (from 1kW to over 1MW), and sustained by a wide variety of input fuels
• The various fuel cell technologies have successfully proven their merits in terms of technical operability, availability, and safety – with no reported safety incidents
• Lifetime and maintenance/service requirements have not always met expectation
• Developers have implemented considerable improvement in these aspects since the early demonstrations

Socio-economic conditions

• This report analyses socio-economic and financial barriers in the transition towards a H2FC economy
• EU provision of equity, favourable tax legislation, easier access to non-equity funding, increased and sustained public procurement are tools to bring innovation to the market
• Monitoring of progress of SOTA, understanding early and niche markets as they develop, understanding regional influences and strategies, and understanding policy support are necessary to ensure marekt developments
• Education on risks, development of industrial regulations into consumer-appropriate ones, EU-wide and global harmonisation of RCS are seen as important
• Education and training must address all levels: engineers and scientists, maintenance and installation technicians, and the public and can be done via schools or public promotion

Research and Development topics

• This report is a detailed description of issues requiring further R&D in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells
• CCS and other new technologies are not developing fast enough, electrolysers are seen as an ongoing research topic.
• H2 storage and improved fuel efficiency will define the success of hydrogen vehicles
• Cost of components and robustness must be improved for transport application systems, rail as well as marine applications
• In the aeronautic sector fuel cell technology has a high potential to increase the overall efficiency of aircrafts, while also reducing the complexity of traditional aircraft systems
• Industrial CHP will need to meet technical targets and address grid integration issues while domestic CHP have to deliver early market products that meet market expectations

Recommendations

• This report provides a selection and prioritisation of recommended research actions in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells
• It is shown that CCS is vital to H2 production via low CO2 means and more research is needed on electrode durability to maintain efficiency and minimise cost for electrolysis
• Weight, volume and costs are major challenges for H2 storage and neew materials are prominsing, though still require fundamental research
• For transport applications cost reduction, durability and new materials are of highest importance for research, so is component standardisation
• In the stationary sector durability and cost are deemed to have highest importance in research and research effort requirement.

Financing

Policies and Socio Economic Aspects

Volume A

Volume B

Volume C

Education and training Agenda

Conference papers

Abstract

Workshop

Final Report Roads2HyCom Project