Fuel Cell Technologies Office Newsletter: April 2018

The April 2018 issue of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) newsletter includes stories in these categories:

• In the News
• Funding Opportunities and Requests for Information
• Webinars and Workshops

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces that the Office of Fossil Energy’s 19th Annual Solid Fuel Cell (SOFC) Project Review Meeting will be held on June 13–15, 2018, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. This meeting will be held in conjunction with DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2018 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR). This three-day meeting provides a forum for experts from the SOFC research and development community, industry, and government stakeholders to discuss recent improvements, challenges, and future needs for advancing SOFC technology. All projects funded by the SOFC program will be presented as a parallel track at the AMR. All meeting participants must register to attend this meeting, including presenters and reviewers. An early-bird discount is available for participants who register by April 30, 2018.

Taking place on Tuesday, June 12, the National Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Forum is a full-day event and exposition preceding the DOE's Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting. Attendees will hear from key policymakers, industry leaders, and senior government officials about the state of the industry, recent accomplishments, and future plans. The event will feature a government panel led by the DOE and including other agencies with hydrogen and fuel cell activities. The event is being held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and is coordinated by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association. Register to attend.

Registration for the DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2018 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting is now open. The early bird rate is effective until April 30. The AMR will be held June 13–15 in the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Get information about the meeting, including a detailed schedule and hotel and travel details. All meeting participants must register to attend this meeting, including presenters and reviewers. An early bird discount is available for participants who register by April 30, 2018.

DOE-funded research has reduced the cost of transportation fuel cells by 60% since 2006. Many of these cost reductions have come from early-stage research and development of catalysts and durable membrane electrode assemblies, as well as increased electrode performance. Fuel cell durability has also increased by a factor of 4 since 2006, now equivalent to 120,000 miles. Read the April fact of the month.

Sign up today to follow EERE on Facebook and receive news from all of EERE's offices, including FCTO.

On April 17, DOE announced up to $39 million in available funding to support early stage research and development of innovative hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. As one component of DOE’s portfolio, hydrogen and fuel cells can enable affordable and reliable energy that enhances economic growth and energy security. The work supported through this investment will address key early-stage technical challenges for fuel cells and for hydrogen fuel production, delivery, and storage related to hydrogen infrastructure. Concept papers are due May 7, 2018, and full applications will be due June 12, 2018. More information, application requirements, and instructions can be found on the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website. Search for DE-FOA-0001874 for the FY18 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell R&D Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Updates and future RFI and funding opportunity announcements will be posted on FCTO's funding opportunities website.

The FCTO presented a live webinar titled "2018 Cost Projections of PEM Fuel Cell Systems for Automobiles and Medium-Duty Vehicles" on Wednesday, April 25. Brian James of Systems Analysis discussed the recently updated polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system cost projections for 80 kW automobiles and 160 kW trucks. This work builds upon past analyses and extends the examination to medium-duty trucks for the first time. The webinar reported cost projections for system production rates from 1,000/year up to 500,000/year at three levels of component technology, system configuration, and performance: current (2018), near-term future (2020), and future (2025). Emphasis was placed on charting the cost impact of recent technology improvements and examining differences between automotive and truck systems (performance requirements, materials and design, and operating conditions). See slides from the webinar (recording coming soon).

On April 30, the ElectroCatalysis (ElectroCat) Consortium co-leads, Debbie Myers (Argonne National Laboratory) and Piotr Zelenay (Los Alamos National Laboratory), provided an overview of the consortium and the ElectroCat funding opportunity announcement (FOA) topic currently soliciting proposals for platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalyst layers and electrodes. The ElectroCat Consortium aims to accelerate development of high-performing and durable PGM-free catalysts and electrodes to significantly reduce fuel cell cost. The webinar covered the consortium’s approach to PGM-free catalyst research and development, including the national lab-based capabilities, with which applicants are expected to collaborate. Available capabilities include high-throughput, combinatorial techniques, and advanced computational tools within the consortium to guide research and development. Slides and a recording of the webinar will be posted soon.

Visit our website to see webinar archives or workshop presentations.