Fuel Cell Technologies Office Newsletter: January 2018

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

• In the News
• Webinars and Workshops
• Studies, Reports, and Publications.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) FCTO summarizes 2017 program accomplishments and provides a look ahead to 2018 activities and priorities.

The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) has released their 2016 Annual Report on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Established in 2005 by the Energy Policy Act, HTAC advises the DOE on hydrogen and fuel cell programs and activities, including the implementation of programs and activities and the safety, economical, and environmental consequences of technologies for the production, distribution, delivery, and storage of hydrogen energy and fuel cells. The annual report provides highlights on the state of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry and summarizes HTAC’s observations and recommendations to DOE.

As of January 25, 2018, there are 39 publicly available hydrogen stations for fueling fuel cell electric vehicles in the United States—35 in California, 2 in South Carolina, and 2 in the Northeast. Another 29 public stations in California and 5 in the Northeast are planned. View January’s Fact of the Month.

Supported by DOE's FCTO in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Federal Express and Plug Power have partnered to develop and test a prototype hydrogen fuel cell delivery van that can achieve twice the range of their comparable battery electric vehicle. The prototype vehicle range between refueling is expected to be about 150 miles, giving the delivery driver the ability to operate 8 to 12 hours with a full cargo. Filling up with hydrogen fuel is comparable to the time it takes to refuel with diesel, about 10 minutes. FedEx and Plug Power will test the prototype in the Albany, New York area. Data collected from this project will be used to guide additional early stage research and development.

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The Fuel Cell Technologies Office will present a live webinar titled “Techno-Economic Models that Simulate the Costs of User-Defined Hydrogen Fueling Stations and Methods of Hydrogen Delivery” on Wednesday, February 28 from 12 to 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. In this webinar, Argonne National Laboratory will explain how their publicly available models, such as the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model (HDSAM) and Heavy-Duty Refueling Station Analysis Model (HDRSAM), can be used to simulate the costs of hydrogen delivery and dispensing into fuel cell vehicles. These models determine the levelized cost of hydrogen fuel in user-defined scenarios using discounted cash flow analysis and key assumptions of equipment costs and performance. Model assumptions have been derived and vetted through extensive industry engagement, but can also be modified by users to perform specialized analyses. The webinar will teach interested users how to use these tools, and provide examples of case studies that have been completed to date. Register for the webinar.

Visit our website to see webinar archives or workshop presentations.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Activities, Progress, and Plans—Fourth Report to Congress describes the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program's research, development, and demonstration activities from September 2013 to August 2016. This is the fourth in a series of reports required by section 811(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record #17008, Levelized Cost of Driving for Future ICEV as Transportation Metric, has been posted. The record states that the levelized cost of driving, which includes the vehicle and fuel of a modeled 2030 ICEV, is projected to be 27 cents per mile.

FCTO published the Fuel Cells for Stationary Power Applications fact sheet. Fuel cells can be used for many purposes, including as stationary power units for primary power, backup power, or combined heat and power. Because stationary fuel cells can be sized to power anything from a laptop to a single-family home or even larger needs (200 kW and higher), they make sense for a wide range of markets including retail, data centers, residential, telecommunications, and many more.

Visit our website to access technical information about hydrogen and fuel cells. This information is provided in documents such as technical and project reports, conference proceedings and journal articles, technical presentations, and links to other websites.