Fuel Cell Technologies Office Newsletter: July 2017

The July 2017 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
• Studies, Reports, and Publications
• National Laboratory and Principal Investigator Achievements

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the FCTO, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, will be hosting an H2@ Scale working session at the Fuel Cell Seminar and Energy Exposition (FCS&EE) on Tuesday, November 7, in the afternoon. This working session will provide a deep dive into the concept of wide-scale hydrogen production and utilization to enable energy security, grid resiliency, and extensive benefits across multiple sectors. FCTO will also discuss the funding available for partnerships with national laboratories to advance the H2@ Scale concept. FCS&EE will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, on November 7–9, 2017.

In celebration of the anniversary of the hydrogen demonstration station in Washington, D.C., FCTO's Director Sunita Satyapal and Technology Development Manager Jason Marcinkoski hosted a tour of the station and viewing of the DOE's fuel cell electric vehicle for Acting Assistant Secretary Daniel Simmons. See the Facebook live tour.

The Harvard University Rowland Institute is offering up to 5 years of laboratory space and stipends in their fellowship programs for early career scientists or engineers. The Rowland Fellowship Program was established to fund young scholars who will perform ground-breaking research in their chosen field. The Fellowship funds independent research for up to 5 years. Apply at the Rowland Fellowship Program.

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

National Labs plan to issue a CRADA call for the H2@ Scale initiative in September. More information to follow.

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

FCTO will present a live webinar titled "Permitting Hydrogen Fueling Stations" on Tuesday, August 22, from 12–1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). During this webinar, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will present information to familiarize project developers and other interested parties with the DOE tools available that will assist in permit preparation. NREL will also discuss procedures that will expedite the permit review process. The webinar will conclude with 15 minutes of Q&A. Register for this webinar.

FCTO presented a live webinar titled "Carbon Fiber Composite Material Cost Challenges for Compressed Hydrogen Storage Onboard Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles" on July 25. A brief overview of the Hydrogen Storage Program was provided, followed by John Gangloff, an Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Science and Technology Policy Fellow with FCTO, discussing the topic of onboard compressed gaseous hydrogen storage in carbon fiber reinforced composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs). John discussed how FCTO is developing strategies to address the high cost of the carbon fiber reinforced composite materials that are needed for safe, high-pressure hydrogen storage in fuel cell electric vehicles. John also provided an overview of supported research and development for hydrogen storage system cost reduction that specifically addresses lower cost carbon fiber precursor materials and processing, alternative fibers to carbon fibers, alternative resins, and alternative COPV designs and manufacturing processes. See slides of the webinar (recording coming soon).

Visit our website to see webinar archives or workshop presentations.

Recently, FCTO released a report authored by Sandia National Laboratories detailing the results of a maritime fuel cell generator project. During this project, a first-of-its kind hydrogen fuel cell power generator for marine applications was demonstrated to verify increased energy efficiency at part loads and reduced emissions.

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.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) researcher Rangachary Mukundan has been named part of the 2017 Class of Fellows by the Electrochemical Society (ECS). Established in 1989 for advanced individual technological contributions in the fields of electrochemistry and solid state science and technology, 2017 ECS Fellows are being recognized at the plenary session of the ECS meeting on October 1, 2017, for scientific achievements, for leadership, and for active participation in the affairs of ECS.

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have recently published a paper in Science magazine entitled "Direct Atomic-Level Insight into the Active Sites of a High-Performance PGM-free ORR Catalyst." Authors include Piotr Zelenay, Hoon T. Chung, David A. Cullen, Drew Higgins, Brian T. Sneed, Edward F. Holby, and Karren L. More.