New Energies, new possibilities

ENGINE manufacturer Cummins, United States, has announced that it will open a new hydrogen fuel cell systems factory in Herten, Germany, in July 2021.

The new site, which will be operated through the Cummins-Hydrogenics subsidiary, will include facilities for both manufacturing and research and development, including four testing stations. The factory will also be expanded to support fuel cell stack refurbishment as demand for aftercare rises.

The new site will initially focus on the assembly of fuel cell systems for Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen-powered trains. The facility is expected to produce an estimated 1MW of fuel cell systems per month, up to a production capacity of 10MW annually, and will also provide aftercare support for the systems.

The fuel cells will include six power modules, a cooling system, piping, air blowers and air filters.

Cummins says the new Herten site will strengthen its presence in the European hydrogen industry and will complement existing alternative power facilities in Germany, Britain and Belgium.

Germany has been an early supporter of hydrogen rail technology, with the federal government funding development of the Coradia iLint as part of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. States including Hesse and Lower Saxonyhave also announced plans to introduce hydrogen-powered services from 2022.

“This facility will better position us to provide critical support to customers in Europe and strategically strengthen our position to be a leader in shaping tomorrow’s hydrogen economy,” says Ms Amy Davis, president of new power at Cummins.

The new installations fuel cell technology will be headed to the historic Hwasung and Paju cities in Korea.

Bloom Energy and SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C) have announced new fuel cell technology deployment in the South Korean province of Gyeonggi.

The new installations will be located in two cities in that province: Hwasung and Paju.

Both installations are a part of the fuel cell technology deployment using Bloom Energy’s non-combustion, electrochemical process for generating electricity with improved reliability and lower costs with greater reliability. This all occurs while cutting overall carbon emissions.

Hwasung will receive the first power plant. It will be a 19.8-megawatt installation of Bloom Energy Servers. This will make it the largest Bloom Energy project in the country. In fact, it will become the second largest project the company has in the world.

This fuel cell technology deployment is the first of its kind that has been financed in Korea.

The project is moving forward with more than 141 billion KRW of debt and equity financing. The new solid oxide fuel cell installment will offer the region’s growing energy demand with a new source of locally generated electricity. This one facility has adequate designation to generate the power needed for the demand from 43,000 homes in the historic city.

The second plant in Paju consists of an 8.1-megawatt Bloom Energy Server deployment of 8.1 megawatts. This will generate enough electricity for 18,000 homes in the city. Moreover, the energy provided to the city will be cleanly generated. Furthermore, it will provide rural area residents with natural gas for the first time by way of newly installed city pipelines.

The country is currently considered to be a global leader and fuel cell technology champion at a utility power generation level. The most recent estimates available show that at least six South Korean power generation companies have a fuel cell technology deployment of a total of about 300 megawatts

Moreover, these instances of fuel cell technology deployment are only the beginning in South Korea. The government issued a Hydrogen Economy Roadmap last year. That report recommended 15,000 megawatts of stationary fuel cells in twenty years. Moreover, the 

Renewable Portfolio Standard in the country incentivizes electricity and energy companies to turn toward renewable and low- or no-emission technologiesfor generating 10 percent by 2023.

The stock of both Nikola Corp. and General Motors spiked Wednesday on rumours the two had finally signed a deal where GM would make the Nikola Badger heavy-duty electric pickup using its Ultium battery technology and be the exclusive supplier of Hydrotec fuel cells for the truck.

In return, GM would get an equity stake in Nikola and other benefits of scale to save it billions in costs.

But both GM and Nikola spokespeople say there is nothing new to report about a pending deal.

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The deal for GM to build the Nikola Badger seems to be progressing, but neither company will confirm it yet.

The rumour got started when "apparently, someone saw something on GM.com that linked to (the) original press release," GM spokesman Jim Cain said in an email to the Detroit Free Press. It had been on the site for weeks, Cain said. He said, "The transaction has not closed" with Nikola.

보리스 존슨 영국 총리가 2030년부터 휘발유와 경유차의 신차 판매를 금지하는 계획을 조만간 발표할 예정이다.

파이낸셜타임스(FT)는 14일(현지시간) 관계자를 인용, 존슨 총리가 온실가스 배출량 감축을 위한 대처의 일환으로 추진하는 휘발유·경유차의 판매 금지 계획을 이처럼 한층 더 앞당겨 시행할 의향이라고 전했다.

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애초 존슨 총리는 지난 2월 2040년으로 계획했던 휘발유 및 경유차 판매 중단 목표 시기를 2035년으로 5년 더 앞당기겠다는 의향을 밝힌 바 있는데, 이를 한층 더 가속화하기로 마음먹은 것이다. 이 계획이 현실화하면 2030년부터 영국에서는 순수 전기자동차와 수소연료전지차만 판매해야 한다.

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존슨 총리는 오는 18일 10개 항목으로 구성된 환경정책 연설을 하면서 이러한 내용을 공개할 것으로 예상된다. 다만 블룸버그통신에 따르면 이미 계획 발표가 두 차례 연기된 적이 있어서 또다시 늦춰질 가능성도 있다.

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영국은 주요 7개국(G7) 중 처음으로 2050년까지 온실가스 순 배출량을 ‘제로(0)’로 만들겠다고 선언한 나라다. 존슨 총리는 지난달 1억6000만 파운드(약 2338억 원)를 투자해 영국의 해얀 풍력발전 발전 용량을 대폭 확대하겠다고 발표하는가 하면, 지난주에는 2030년까지 200만 개의 녹색 일자리를 창출하겠다는 목표를 내놓기도 했다.

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이처럼 영국 정부의 환경 정책의 방향성은 뚜렷하지만, 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 여파로 장기적인 성장이 위협받고 있는 상황에서 자동차 업계의 우려와 배출 목표의 균형을 맞추는 일은 쉽지 않을 것으로 예상된다. 내연기관 신차 판매 규제가 영국 자동차 시장에 있어 큰 전환점이 될 것으로 보이기 때문이다. 올해 영국에서 휘발유와 경유 등 내연기관 구동 차량은 전체 신차 판매의 73.6%를 차지했다. 반면 전기차는 전체 판매량의 5.5%에 그쳤다. 나머지는 다양한 타입의 하이브리드 차량이었다.

欧州オーストリアで、ある画期的な出来事があった。 水素と酸素を燃料として生み出された動力で動く鉄道車両の運行が開始されたのだ。実際に乗客を乗せての運行であり、OeBB（オーストリア連邦鉄道）によれば、9月11日から11月末までトライアルを行う予定だという。今回、約3ヶ月間の試験走行に使われている鉄道車は、フランスの企業アルストム（Alstom）製の車両、コラディア・リント（Coradia LINT）である。酸素と水素を燃料として発電する水素燃料電池テクノロジーを利用した車両で、トップスピードは時速140キロメートル。低騒音で排出するものは蒸気と水のみである。 このコラーディア・リントは、オーストリアでの運行前に、すでに2年前に北ドイツで旅客を乗せての試験運行を行っており、さらに今年の初めにはオランダで10日間、65キロメートルのコースの試運転を行った後に、今回オーストリアでの運行が開始された。 首都ウィーンで9月上旬に行われたアルストムのローンチ・イベントでは、オーストリア・ドイツ部門のCEOイェルグ・ニクッタ氏が「鉄道の排出ゼロ・テクノロジーは、従来のディーゼル燃料車の代わりとなる。特に非電化の線路など、地球に優しい選択肢のひとつとなるだろう」と述べた。 電気で動く鉄道車両が存在するにも関わらず、いまだに多くの車両がディーゼルを燃料としているのが現状だ。世界中の政府機関が空気汚染の改善のために、今後は化石燃料に依存しないように努力を続けているにも関わらず、ディーゼル燃料の使用削減は目標値には全く到達していない。 水素燃料を使用したモビリティ技術は、現在はそこまで多くの割合を占めていないが、今後より多くの注目を集めて成長していくことが期待されている。その証拠に、大企業が水素燃料車両のマーケットに参入するプランを掲げており、日本のトヨタ、ホンダがその例である。

オーストリアの試験運行開始から数週間後の9月下旬には、イギリスでゼロアヴィア（Zeroavia）による水素燃料飛行機に旅客を乗せての初飛行が行われた。6人乗りの飛行機を使用し、滑走路の移動、離陸、飛行、着陸の全てを無事に成功させ、世界初の飛行となった。 実際は2016年にも「HY4」プロジェクトとして、4人乗りの水素燃料飛行機の初飛行がドイツで行われていた。ドイツ宇宙センターの研究者によって行われた実験だったが、このときはあくまで生産と研究実際は2016年にも「HY4」プロジェクトとして、4人乗りの水素燃料飛行機の初飛行がドイツで行われていた。ドイツ宇宙センターの研究者によって行われた実験だったが、このときはあくまで生産と研究目的であったため、商業化を本格的に視野に入れた飛行は今回が初ということになる。 ゼロアヴィアのCEOヴァル・ミフタコフ氏は「排出ゼロの飛行機に、お客さんが実際にお金を払って乗れる状態にもっていくまで、そう時間はかからないだろう」と語っている。

この水素燃料電池テクノロジーはモビリティのみに利用されているのではない。 イギリスの大手建築企業は、建設現場でディーゼル燃料ではなく水素燃料発電機を使用することを発表した。また、建設機械製造企業JCB（JCバンフォード・エクスカペターズ）は、水素燃料の掘削機を新たに開発した。他にも、多数の有名企業が水素燃料テクノロジーを利用したプランを進めている。 フランスのEngieはAriane Group（航空宇宙会社）との共同事業として、「再生可能液体水素」（renewable liquid hydrogen）の開発を行うと発表した。スペインの石油・ガス企業レプソル（Repsol）も、二酸化炭素と水素を使用して、排出が完全にゼロになる燃料の研究を行っているという。 モビリティの分野では、まずは鉄道・バスなどの地上交通での水素燃料テクノロジー普及が先となり、飛行機での使用が実際に広く普及されるまでにはまだ時間が必要だそうだ。だが、従来の飛行機が環境に与える悪影響の大きさを考えれば、これが実現した場合には大きな効果が期待できそうだ。 水素燃料は地球に優しい選択肢ではあるが、実用化が進み、実用性・品質・価格などを考慮した場合に、「家で使う電力を水素燃料発電にする」「自家用車を電気自動車に」など、そのような商品を躊躇なく選択できるような未来が来てほしいと思う。