Hydrogen

JR East aims to commercialize hybrid version from 2030 in decarbonization effort

Hydrogen may not be flavor of the month for car makers, either in fuel cell or ICE form. Despite this, one area in which it will almost certainly play a key role in decarbonization is racing. The heat of competition is where AVL, best known for its test benches, measurement devices, simulation tools and a long history of engine development, hopes the engine shown here will come into play.

MAN Truck & Bus has launched a limited series of hydrogen combustion-powered trucks for customers in a select number of countries.

THE world’s “first Hydrogen-powered meals-on-wheels vehicle” has been undergoing trials with Monmouthshire Council.

Quebec project is intended to produce 70,000 metric tons annually of green hydrogen to supply the province’s developing industrial decarbonization hub.

Andrew Forrest’s iron ore and energy giant Fortescue Metals has officially opened its 2GW hydrogen electrolyser factory in Gladstone, Queensland, using in-house technology that it says heralds a massive new manufacturing industry for Australia.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is doubling its budget for hydrogen-related initiatives from fiscal 2024, seeing them as key to combating climate change. While previously supporting fuel cell vehicle (FCV) purchases and the establishment of hydrogen fueling stations, the focus is shifting to promote the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles including large trucks. Will this be a catalyst for the widespread adoption of hydrogen?

An official supporter of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Air Liquide has designed and installed a hydrogen station for the event. It is located in the heart of the city at Place de l’Alma, a few short steps away from the Eifel Tower.

The HyBradford facility at the former Birkshall gas storage site is expected to open in 2025.

Climate-friendly fuel cell systems, which are set to power machines such as vehicles in the future, are still rare and expensive these days. There are several reasons for this, including the complex and costly process used to produce bipolar plates — a key component in electrolyzers and fuel cells, which are needed for many hydrogen systems. The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU has now taken a major step toward lower costs and mass production of bipolar plates by introducing an innovative system for roll embossing: BPPflexRoll. The Fraunhofer researchers will be pre-senting one component of the system at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 2, Booth B24, at Hannover Messe 2024 from April 22 to 26.

Joint incentives to lower costs as race for clean fuel heats up

Avendus Capital’s latest report on green hydrogen estimates cumulative investments of $125 billion by 2030, across the value chain spanning electrolyzer production, renewable energy generation, and green hydrogen and green ammonia production in India.

Nikola surpassed estimates for deliveries of its hydrogen big rigs in the first quarter, a sign it was making progress in its pivot to the technology from battery electric trucks after some missteps that battered its share price.

The Japanese government plans to start field testing clean hydrogen production using nuclear power as soon as 2028, Nikkei has learned, with the move following a successful safety test of a next-generation reactor last week.

The brand-new platinum-catalysed hydrogen fuel cell system that has just been released for passenger cars reveals that fuel cells can be as cheap to manufacture as internal combustion engines (ICEs), UK company Intelligent Energy has highlighted in a release to Mining Weekly. The company’s patented system has been designed to give passenger car manufacturers direct access to the smaller, more powerful, turnkey and commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell solution that is needed to make zero carbon emission mobility a reality in the passenger car market across the entire planet.

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) announced it has been awarded $54 million of investment tax credits from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as part of the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit (48C), funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The 48C program, which provides 30% investment tax credits for selected clean energy manufacturing projects, is designed to support secure and resilient domestic clean energy supply chains. Ballard plans to use the $54 million in tax credits to support the build-out of a new fuel cell Gigafactory in Rockwall, Texas.

Ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, Air Liquide has deployed a hydrogen refuelling station to support the official hydrogen-powered fleet.

A hydrogen-powered ship is set to use Toyoda Gosei’s high-pressure tanks when it begins operations this month (April).

SANY Hydrogen, a leading player in China's hydrogen industry, expressed strong optimism regarding the application of hydrogen-powered heavy trucks in the country's growing hydrogen transport sector.

Ballard Power Systems has signed a long-term supply agreement (LTSA) with its customer Solaris Bus & Coach, a leading European bus manufacturer, for the supply of 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell engines through 2027 for the European transit bus market.

Namibia’s ambitious green hydrogen endeavour, the Hyphen development scheme, has received a major endorsement from the German government.

Innovative research on hydrogen production from geological sources could significantly impact the sustainable energy landscape, offering a low-carbon alternative to current methods.

In a project that could be a game changer for the energy transition, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are exploring a suite of natural catalysts to help produce hydrogen gas from iron-rich rocks without emitting carbon dioxide.

A world premiere will take place on Saturday June 15, 2024 during the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans: the H24, MissionH24’s hydrogen racing prototype, will be on track a few hours before the start of the 92nd edition, as it has already done been able to achieve it in recent years, but in 2024 it will not be alone since several other hydrogen prototypes will accompany it for this pioneering demonstration. Proof that MissionH24, the collaborative program between the ACO and H24Project, is concretely pursuing its objectives.

While electric vehicles have garnered significant attention in recent years, hydrogen fuel cells offer a compelling alternative, particularly for heavy-duty and long-range applications where battery-electric solutions face limitations. If it's commercial, they can have a hydrogen fuel station at their warehouse or office," Kilmer remarked. "So they can always fill them up; they've got a reasonable range too."

Magnesium hydride (MgH2), a binary inorganic compound with a hydrogen concentration of 7.66%, is a form of H2 storage. However, hydrogen desorption from MgH2 only occurs at a temperature of more than 400 degrees Celsius, which makes it harder to use for the needs of the hydrogen energy industry. The scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University have attempted to reduce the desorption temperature by creating a new composite material, in which nano-sized aluminum powder was used as an additive to magnesium hydride.