New Energies, new possibilities

Plug Power, a provider of hydrogen engines and fueling solutions, is expanding its support of Walmart’s eCommerce network. Plug Power currently supports more than 9,500 GenDrive fuel cell-powered vehicles used by 37 Walmart distribution centers across North America.

Plug Power has provided GenKey hydrogen and fuel cells since 2010 for Walmart’s material handling fleet. The company began expanding into Walmart’s eCommerce network, with the first deployments in August 2020, and additional expansion planned in 2021.

Flexibility, scalability, and fast fueling make Plug Power products positioned for growth and the peak demands of eCommerce applications. Operating at 99 percent uptime with constant power performance in Walmart’s material handling fleet, Plug Power enabled Walmart to fulfill increased demand from customers during the pandemic.

ProGen and GenDrive fuel cell solutions power a variety of vehicles including material handling trucks, tuggers, automated guided vehicles, airport ground support equipment, and Class 3-8 commercial fleet vehicles for middle and last-mile delivery applications.

“This application expansion signifies the next step as we support Walmart’s eCommerce business while helping them meet the operational goals important to both Walmart and consumers,” said Andy Marsh, Plug Power CEO.

“The challenges this year have increased demand on leading brands providing necessary goods and services to customers. At our distribution facilities across the country, our decision to be an early adopter of hydrogen fuel cells has helped us manage and meet the increased demand for food and basic supplies,” said Jeff Smith, Senior Director Walmart Supply Chain. “This is why we’re excited to expand these solutions into our eCommerce network in 2021.”

Creating the first commercially viable market for hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) technology, Plug Power deployed over 38,000 fuel cell systems for e-mobility and has become the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen. A significant value proposition to end-customers, this includes environmental benefits, efficiency gains, fast fueling, and lower operational costs.

Leveraging its know-how, modular product architecture, and foundational customers the company is expanding into other markets including zero-emission on-road vehicles, robotics, and data centers.

㈜자이언트드론(대표이사 이용우)은 올해 상반기 수소연료전지를 주동력원으로 하여 수직이착륙(VTOL : Vertical Take-Off and Landing) 기반의 고정익 드론을 비행하여 다음과 같은 성과를 입증했다고 밝혔다.

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개발된 수직이착륙(VTOL) 드론 GD-HV1은 회전익과 고정익 방식의 장점을 결합한 것으로 기존 고정익 드론과는 다르게 회전익 프로펠러를 사용하여 좁은 공간에서도 수직 이착륙이 가능하며 수평비행시에는 고정익을 이용한 비행 방식이며 주동력을 수소연료전지로 하여 2시간 이상 비행이 가능한 것이 특징이다.

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GD-HV1은 고정익 기체 특성을 활용하여 장시간 비행 및 높은 고도의 비행이 가능하며 넓은 지역을 촬영하고 빠른 속도로 비행하여 군사 목적의 감시정찰, 항공촬영 및 측량, 소방 업무 등에 활용되기에 적합하다.

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㈜자이언트드론은 수직이착륙 기반 고정익 드론의 설계 및 제작 전 과정을 연구, 개발하여 이번 성능테스트를 진행하였으며, 최대 비행시간 2시간 21분, 최대 143.8KM의 비행거리 성능을 기록했다.

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항공안전법 특별 비행 승인기준에서 비가시권거리 비행을 승인받기 위해서는 안전을 위해 원거리 장애물 탐지가 필수적으로 요구되는데 ㈜자이언트드론이 개발한 GD-HV1은 108M 전방 거리에서 장애물 탐지에 성공하여 비가시권 임무 수행에 적합한 기체 성능을 입증하였다.

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㈜자이언트드론은 수직이착륙 고정익 드론 개발을 위하여 3D스캐닝 결과를 바탕으로 실제 비행환경 조건에서의 공력해석 진행 과정을 연구하고 이를 통한 공기 저항 감소 설계를 제품에서 실현했다고 발표했다.

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연구 결과를 통해 기체 전방에 유선형 용기를 위치하고, 기체 후방에 스택을 배치하여 고정익 비행시 생성되는 기체 저항 유발 및 스택 부하 감소를 설계에 반영했다.

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GD-HV1 개발을 완료한 ㈜자이언트드론은 기존 고정익 드론들이 1시간대에 머물던 체공 시간을 2시간대로 향상시킨 점과 원거리 임무 수행의 장점을 활용한 산불 감시 및 시설물 점검, 측량, 순찰 감시 등에 해당 제품을 활용할 수 있을 것으로 보인다고 밝혔다.

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이를 바탕으로 하반기에는 국산 FC 기반의 신뢰성높은 비행제어시스템을 출시할 예정이며 국내뿐만 아니라 해외에도 수출 계획을 가진 것으로 알려졌다.

The methanol-operated fuel cell system set to be installed on a cruise ship operated by AIDA Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, has reached a new milestone having secured an Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV GL. 

As a result, AIDA Cruises will be the world’s first cruise company to test the use of fuel cells on a large passenger ship. 

The fuel cell has been developed by Freudenberg Sealing Technologies as part of a research project backed by the German Government, and it runs on hydrogen obtained from methanol. 

The AiP sets the stage to move to further testing and installation of the system on board the AIDAnova cruise ship in 2021 as part of the Pa-X-ell 2 research project.

The project aims to develop a decentralized energy network and a hybrid energy system with a new generation of fuel cells for use in oceangoing passenger vessels. 

Aside from Freudenberg, AIDA Cruises, and DNV GL, Lürssen and German shipbuilder Meyer Werft are also working on the project.

The fuel cell

The fuel cell system uses methanol to bolster the volumetric energy density of hydrogen by chemically binding the regeneratively produced hydrogen.

Hydrogen has a seven times lower energy density than conventional marine diesel, hence its use as a marine fuel onboard vessels operated on the high seas would require huge fuel tanks, taking up the space intended for cargo or passengers. 

Fuel cells enable power supply on board with lower emissions than is currently possible with liquefied natural gas (LNG), and they produce low noise and vibration during operation, as explained by Carnival.

Fuel Cell Freudenberg; Image courtesy: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies

The fuel cells made by Freudenberg Sealing Technologies are designed to have a far longer useful life than cells intended for use in cars. 

The manufacturer’s first trials ashore have shown that a lifetime of over 35,000 operating hours can be achieved.

Furthermore, FST has developed a fuel cell operated with methanol in a container design. The individual container can have a rated output of up to 500 kilowatts and can be scaled with additional units to achieve total outputs in the double-digit megawatt range.  

AIDAnova, delivered in 2018 by Meyer Werft, is the world’s first cruise ship that is entirely powered by LNG. Two further LNG-powered AIDA cruise ships, built by the Meyer Werft shipyards in Rostock and Papenburg, are expected to be put into service by 2023. 

The cruise major is also working on a project that will see the installation of the world’s biggest battery storage system on a passenger ship, AIDAperla, to date, with total output of 10-megawatt hours.

As part of its Green Cruising strategy, AIDA is also exploring the possibility of CO2-free extraction of liquefied gas from renewable sources.

By the end of 2023, AIDA Cruises estimates that 94 percent of its guests will be traveling on ships that can be fully powered by LNG or operated in port with green shore power.

An experimental drone has managed to stay in the air for an impressive 3.5 hours thanks to a hydrogen fuel cell developed by a team at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. The verticle take-off and landing (VTOL) drone uses a total of 12 motors.

The drone project is a collaboration between the team from the Delft University of Technology, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Netherlands Coastguard.

The drone weighs 29 pounds and has a wingspan of 9.8 feet, with six motors on each side of the fuselage. Due to a large number of motors, up to seven motors can stop working without affecting the drone.

As a result of the 3.5-hour flight time, the drone is perfect for providing support in reconnaissance and inspection tasks, especially in a maritime environment. The drone can be sent to a suspicious vessel and broadcast live feedback to the main ship. This allows people to stay away from potential danger and allows for better situational awareness.

Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft said:

“One of the most important aspects of this research project is the hydrogen-powered flight. Worldwide, hydrogen is seen as one of the most important contenders for achieving green and sustainable aviation fuel.”

While on the ground, the drone is angled up slightly, which is more efficient for the motors to lift the drone as they work more like a helicopter than a plane.

To keep itself in the air, it uses a 300-bar 6.8-liter carbon composite hydrogen cylinder fed by an 800-watt fuel cell that converts it to electricity for the motors. As a result of the reaction, the drone emits oxygen and water, making it great for the environment compared to gas-powered drones.

Commander Pieter Blank added:

“The current generation of young people grow up in this way of learning and experimenting, and for us, they are our personnel of the future. As an innovator in the Royal Netherlands Navy and Netherlands Coastguard, I am proud of this cooperation with TU Delft. The development of the maritime, hydrogen-powered drone is a true technical breakthrough which has huge future potential.”

With the rapidly expanding interest in heavy-duty electric trucks, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Hino USA will ‘leverage’ the new Hino XL Series chassis with Toyota’s proven fuel cell technology to build on the development of a 25-tonne fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for the Japanese market, which was announced earlier this year. The first demonstration vehicle is expected to be launched in the first half of 2021. 

Tak Yokoo, senior executive engineer at Toyota Research and Development, said: “A fuel cell-powered version of the Hino XL Series is a win-win for both customers and the community. It will be quiet, smooth and powerful while emitting nothing but water. Toyota’s 20-plus years of fuel cell technology, combined with Hino’s heavy-duty truck experience, will create an innovative and capable product.” 

Meanwhile, the railway company JR East, Hitachi Ltd and Toyota Motor Corporation have entered into an agreement to develop and test railway vehicles equipped with hybrid systems that use hydrogen-powered fuel cells and storage batteries as their electric power source. 

The combination of JR East’s vehicle design and manufacturing technologies, Hitachi’s railway hybrid drive system technologies and Toyota’s technologies from its development of the Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle and the SORA fuel cell bus, will enable the three companies to adapt the fuel cells used in automobiles for railway applications. 

Toyota will develop the fuel cell device and Hitachi the hybrid drive system in the test train, which will have the nickname HYBARI (HYdrogen-HYBrid Advanced Rail vehicle for Innovation). 

Testing is scheduled to start in March 2022 on the JR East Tsurumi Line/Nambu Line, with the two-carriage train having a maximum speed of 62mph and a maximum range of 87 miles.