Hydrogen Fuel Cells
This is the July 2016 issue of the Transportation and Hydrogen Newsletter.
July 28, 2016
Fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs), such as this one operating in Oakland, California, are providing data to compare FCEB performance with that of buses using conventional technology. Photo by Leslie Eudy, NREL
NREL Helps Pave Way for H2 Technologies
As deployment of hydrogen fueling stations increases to meet demand from the fuel cell vehicle market, NREL provides insights from research. A recent guide assists project developers, permitting officials, and code enforcement officials with the permitting of hydrogen motor fuel dispensing facilities. Research on hydrogen infrastructure components is providing benchmark performance data. Another report compares fuel cell electric buses in Oakland, CA, to those of conventional technology buses, tracking progress over time toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving fuel economy.
New Demo Hydrogen Fueling Station Opens in D.C.
NREL facilitated the installation of a modular demonstration hydrogen fueling station, which opened at the Sustainable Transportation Summit on July 11, 2016, in Washington, D.C. The new station marks the first phase in a partnership between DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Department of Interior's National Park Service to demonstrate advanced hydrogen fuel cell technologies. NREL is gaining valuable insight on best practices for deploying hydrogen fuel cell technologies in the D.C. metro region and is evaluating performance.
Webinar Spotlights Potential of Hydrogen's Leading Role
Hydrogen, a flexible, clean energy-carrying intermediate, has the potential to be a centerpiece of a future energy system where aggressive market penetration of renewables—wind and solar—are coupled with renewable hydrogen production. A recent "Hydrogen at Scale – A Potential Opportunity" webinar focused on the role that hydrogen at grid scale could play in our nation's energy future and described the efforts of a large, NREL-led national lab team to evaluate the R&D needed to realize this potential.
Small Businesses Tap into NREL Expertise and Unique Facilities
From testing fuel cell components to developing new materials for hydrogen leak detection and characterizing the performance of hydrogen sensor prototypes, NREL will help a group of small clean energy businesses advance their products thanks to the Small Business Vouchers pilot program. NREL is one of nine national labs participating in the pilot, which is designed to help eligible small businesses overcome the technical challenges inherent in bringing innovations to market.
Outstanding Achievements Recognized at Annual Merit Review
Each year, researchers funded by DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office present the status and results of their projects during an Annual Merit Review meeting. At this year's meeting in June, eight NREL staff members were recognized for their outstanding achievements. View the hydrogen and fuel cells proceedings and the vehicle technologies proceedings for detailed information about the wide-ranging projects.
Transportation RD&D Benefits from Big Data Expertise
Large sets of complex electronic data—or "big data"—are being generated by transportation operation and energy systems at an unprecedented scale. As described in a new fact sheet, NREL offers the nation's largest collection of unbiased, accurate, and comprehensive transportation-related data. The laboratory also provides the expertise and tools to mine and analyze this big data to develop solutions that support the research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of market-ready technologies that reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Learn more about NREL's Transportation and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell RD&D and partnership opportunities.
