AFC Energy plc (LON:AFC), a leading provider of hydrogen power generation technologies, has confirmed the sale of a bespoke 100kW H-PowerTM alkaline fuel cell system to Forschungszentrum Jülich for deployment at its Living Lab Energy Campus showcase in Germany.
Highlights
· Jülich is one of Europe’s largest and most prestigious interdisciplinary research institutions.
· In collaboration with leading German and global partners, Jülich is developing Europe’s first “Living Lab Energy Campus” (“LLEC”).
· The LLEC will provide a blueprint for sustainable, decentralised and integrated smart infrastructure with an emphasis on cutting-edge renewable and Hydrogen technologies.
· Having reviewed best available technologies in the market today, Jülich has now selected AFC Energy for the provision of a 100kWe stationary alkaline fuel cell system for inclusion in the LLEC.
· Higher tolerance to lower grade, and therefore lower cost Hydrogen, was a key driver for AFC Energy’s selection.
· The initial transaction value also comes with additional trailing payments receivable under a Long Term Services Agreement (“LTSA”) over the project’s life.
· Together with engineering support services supplied by AFC Energy, the H-PowerTM system is currently scheduled for delivery and commissioning in Germany in Quarter 3 2021.
· AFC Energy’s selection confirms the growing role zero emission stationary fuel cell systems will play in the decarbonisation of the modern distributed energy system.
· Predominantly funded by the German Government, the LLEC further highlights Germany’s €9bn commitment to the Hydrogen sector announced in June 2020.
The German Government’s National Hydrogen Strategy, launched in June 2020, highlights the key role Hydrogen is expected to play in the full decarbonisation of the country’s energy market. With over €9bn of new investment planned for the sector, Germany’s expectation of becoming a global leader in the field has seen an immediate growth in opportunities for technologies that support this brief, to commence delivery of the Government’s aspiration that sees Hydrogen as a fundamental enabler to the transition away from an emissions based energy sector to a net zero sustainable industrialised economy.
In this context, Jülich, as a member institute of Germany’s renowned Helmholtz Association of Research Institutes, has devised a European first Living Lab Energy Campus at its site in Western Germany to articulate a blueprint for the design of smart technology based, sustainable energy systems for distributed microgrid applications.
Microgrids and “Smart Cities” are seen by many of the world’s largest energy system operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as the cornerstone of the world’s transition away from large, high cost, centralised energy generation models, and therefore, establishing the role of Hydrogen within this architecture is an important objective of Jülich’s high profile initiative.
The LLEC will integrate, across a new “Smart” IT platform an integrated operation of renewable energies with technologies from the Hydrogen sector (generation, storage and power generation) to offer real time analysis into novel energy supply and control strategies for deployment across future Smart Cities.
Following in-depth technical discussions with Forschungszentrum Jülich, AFC Energy has been working with Jülich to engineer a bespoke, 100kWe H-PowerTM fuel cell system designed to meet a number of predefined operational specifications for the LLEC located in Germany.
Having now validated a number of H-Power’s operational performance specifications against Jülich’s metrics, AFC Energy is today pleased to confirm it has been selected to supply a fuel cell system to the LLEC for deployment and commissioning in Quarter 3 2021.
With considerable knowledge and expertise of fuel cell and electrolysis technologies, AFC Energy was selected by Jülich principally due to the higher tolerance of its alkaline fuel cell technology to a range of contaminants, including such compositions as can be typically found in Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (“LOHC”) solutions which are expected to be utilised within the LLEC.
Initial operation of AFC Energy’s 100kWe alkaline fuel cell unit at the LLEC will be fuelled with hydrogen derived via electrolysis (powered by renewables). In due course, Jülich’s intent is to fuel the H-Power system with hydrogen stored and released locally via a LOHC system.
Jülich will own and operate the 100kWe fuel cell system with engineering support services provided by AFC Energy to commission and train local operators on the system.
The transaction value, reflecting a sale of the H-PowerTM balance of plant and gas distribution infrastructure, also comes with a Long Term Services Agreement (“LTSA”) to account for periodic electrode replacement over the project’s life.
Martin Müller, LLEC Team Manager “Hydrogen Production” (IEK-14), said “Having evaluated AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cell technology for several months, we are now pleased to be placing an order for a 100 kWe alkaline fuel cell unit for delivery as an integral part of our Living Lab Energy Campus. This project will support the furtherance of Germany’s Energy Transition via a more efficient utilisation of hydrogen and also demonstrate innovative hybrid solutions for Power-to-Gas and Gas-to-Power applications. We are looking forward to working together with AFC Energy on this showcase project.”
Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy, said “AFC Energy are pleased to be working alongside Jülich in delivering Europe’s leading energy hub devoted entirely to the transition towards a more sustainable distributed energy system – a system whose blueprint can be deployed across any number of Smart Cities around the world. We have long seen a role for the Company’s alkaline fuel cell technology in supporting distributed microgrids in Europe and internationally and with the recent strong leadership shown by the German Government in this field, we welcome the opportunity to be part of such a high profile international showcase alongside several of Germany’s leading technology and research institutes.”
