Congressional Briefing: Finding Solutions to the Fuel Cell Dilemma Proposed National Academies Study...

Congressional Briefing: Finding Solutions to the

Fuel Cell Dilemma

Proposed National Academies Study on Fuel Cells

September 2014

Noriko Hikosaka Behling

Slide [email protected] 703-893-1569

mailto:[email protected]

Copyright 2013 by Noriko Behling 2

The Case for Launching a Review of Current Fuel Cell R&D and Future

Research Needs

• Support for Fuel Cell R&D in US is falling behind overseas competitors

• Department of Energy fuel cell initiatives attempted to address cost and durability, but goals have slipped

• National Academies evaluations point to need for comprehensive R&D plan


What are Fuel Cells?

• Fuel cells are similar to batteries, but they operate as long as fuel is supplied

• Fuel cells typically run on hydrogen, but can use gasoline, natural gas, ethanol, and methanol

• Fuel cells are more efficient than other power sources. They convert energy locked up in chemical bonds directly to electrical energy in a single step.

• At a general level, scientists understand how fuel cells work and why, but knowledge is far more limited when it comes to how mechanical, chemical, and electrical characteristics interact, making it very difficult to build cheap and durable fuel cells


Summary of Making Fuel Cells Work1

• After decades of support, public and private efforts have yielded almost no products that can compete with conventional power sources, at least without subsidies and tax credits

• Major impediments to commercialization includes insufficient longevity, reliability, and high cost

• The challenge to overcoming these obstacles is rooted in the complexities of how fuel cells operate

• But fuel cell industry operates on assumption that incremental improvements to products will solve problems

• A new path is needed: basic research must be re-emphasized

1Noriko Behling, published in National Academies Journal, Issues in Science and Technology, Spring 2013

Copyright 2013 by Noriko Hikosaka Behling 5

US Fuel Cell R&D Planning Lacks Underlying Strategic Commitment

Current goals are stated in general terms, such as develop hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for early markets (stationary power, fork lift trucks), mid-term markets (e.g., combined heat and power), and long-term markets (light duty vehicles).

Current DOE fuel cell roadmap does not identify specific timelines for reaching combined cost/performance goals.

• Roadmap milestones often slip or are dropped

• Example: 2011 roadmap set durability target of 5,000 hours and cost goal of $30/kW by 2017 for vehicle applications

• Now durability not cited and cost target revised upward to $40/kW by 2020

6

US Fuel Cell Budget is a Moving Target

FY2010 appro FY2011 allo FY2012 appro FY2013 req FY2014 req

EERE Fuel Cell Budgets 75609 41916 43556 38000 37500

500015000250003500045000550006500075000

Thou

sand

$

Copyright 2013 by Noriko Hikosaka Behling

For FY2010, DOE/EERE cut its fuel cell budget (for Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells) by 60 percent—to $80 million; $170 million appropriated by Congress.

Since then, US budgets have declined below Japanese and European counterparts. In FY2012, DOE/FE zeroed out Solid Oxide Fuel Cell R&D. Congress

appropriated a small budget for FY2012 and 2013; future of US SOFC technology uncertain.

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

DOE/Fossil Fuel Fuel Cell Budget

47 53 50 40 44 43 51 57 62 67 75 60 61.653

53.936

55.6 48.683

48.522

25 0 0

DOE/EERE Fuel Cell Budget

NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN 75.574

92.019

144.194

166.772

153.451000000001

189.511

206.241

195.865

170.297

95.847

104 80 100

2575

125175225275

Millio

n $

Total DOE fuel cell/H2budget

DOE/EERE fuel cell budget


US Fuel Cell Commercialization

FuelCell Energy - Cumulative global total 379.2MW, of which 269.2MW or 70% to South Korea

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Units

5 7 3 1 17

7 0 13

18

11

10

9 9 17

2 6 16

6 8 9 2 3 12

13579

1113151719

UTC Power – Global total300 units

Jul 2008-Feb 2010

Feb-Dec 2010

2011 2012 Cumula-tive total as of Oct

2013

Bloom En-ergy Install-tions

11 4.6 9.6 24 114.08

10

50

90

MW

Bloom Energy installed 522 units, 113.08 MW SOFC systems primarily in California (as of Dec 2013) Bloom installed a 200kW Bloom box in Japan in Nov 2013

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

US

0.25

NaN NaN 3.75

6.75

2.5 5.1 10.5

16.2

29.6

13 5.85

15.1

1.4 NaN

S.Korea

NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN 12.6

25.6

30.8

70 121.8

0 NaN 8.4

1030507090

110130

MW

Note: UTC Power sold its fuel cell division to ClearEdge Power in 2013. ClearEdge filed Chapter 11 in 2014 and announced sale of its assets to Doosan Ltd of South Korea


US Fuel Cell Commercialization (2)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Net Loss

-51.7 -50.31

-60.57

-121.7

-40.7 -47 -27.5 -31.9 -62.8

-130

-110

-90

-70

-50

-30

-10

Mill

on $

Plug power

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Net Loss

-86.98

-181.1

4

-57.3 -31.46

-3.258

-31.53

2

-37.2 -42.13

5

-20

-190

-170

-150

-130

-110

-90

-70

-50

-30

-10

Mill

ion

@

Ballard (Canada)

Hydrogenics200

4200

5200

6200

7200

8200

9201

0201

1201

2201

3

Net Loss

-33.5

-37.4

-130.

8

-28.1

-14.3

-9.4 -6.5 -9.96600000000001

-12.797

-8.9

-130

-110

-90

-70

-50

-30

-10

Mill

ion

C$

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Net Loss

-74.26

-84.2 -71.88

-96.56

-71.88

-58.86

-57.9 -38.7 -38.6

-110

-90

-70

-50

-30

-10

Mill

ion

$

FuelCell Energy


A Comparison: Japan Came from Behind, Worked Out A Plan, and Stuck With It

• Enacted a laws and initiatives to promote fuel cell technology

• Implemented them via collaboration across entire government

• Ensured consistency and strong leadership in policy and program implementation

• Ensured objective and critical program evaluations• Maintained robust and stable R&D budgets and

encouraged industry to do the same • As a result, it has a robust fuel cell industry and vigorous

patenting and market activities


Prime Minister’s Office Plays A Major Role

• We need technology breakthroughs and hydrogen infrastructure to succeed in full-scale fuel cell vehicle commercialization (diffusion)

• To break through the big wall of fuel cell development, it is indispensable that we deploy the entire national strength of the government, academia, and industry and tackle R&D to attain ground-breaking basic technology

• The next generation vehicles must cut cost of fuel cells to 1/100th of today’s cost and achieve sufficient durability and hydrogen storage technology by 2030

• In addition to technology development, Japan needs to define clear hydrogen energy policy to moving to hydrogen energy

A 2012 statement from Prime Minister’s Office identifies need for breakthroughs to achieve full scale fuel cell vehicle commercialization (red font is original text)


Japan Ensured Robust and Growing R&D Budget

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Japanese Fuel Cell Budget 51 58 55 47 43 94 117 220 307 329 354 340 306 289 230 175 168 202 397.7

2575

125175225275325375425

Hund

red

Mill

ion

Yen

(Mil-

lion

$)

Fuel cell budget for FY2013 was plused-up in December 2012. Currently it is $397.7 million--double the previous year and largest in the world.

Activities FY2013 Budget

Line Item PEMFC R&D 固体高分子形燃料電池実用化推進技術開発 (FY2010-2014) $31.9 million

SOFC R&D 固体酸化物形燃料電池等実用化推進技術開発 (FY2013-2017) $12.4 million

Hydrogen Utilization Technology Development 水素利用技術研究開発事業 $20 million

Fuel Cell Vehicle and Hydrogen Station Demonstration Project 地域水素供給インフラ技術・社会実証事業

$7.5 million

Construction of Center of Excellence Hydrogen Research Test Center 水素エネルギー製品研究試験センター (HyTrec)

$29.4 million

Subsidy Installation of Hydrogen Fueling Station 水素供給設備整備事業費補助金 $46 million

Installation of Ene-Farm 民生用燃料電池導入緊急対策費補助金 (A supplement added in Dec 2012)

$250.5 million

Total $397.7 million

12

Japanese Fuel Cell Commercialization (1)


Japanese residential Combined Heat and Power deployment, Total = 82,974 units

Possible Overseas Opportunities

Company Overseas Activities

Panasonic Joint Venture with Viessmann (Germany) perhaps in April 2014

Toshiba Joint venture with Baxi Innotech (Germany) in March 2014; Preparatory joint efforts underway with Korean heating appliance manufacturers

JX Nippon Oil and Energy

Joint efforts with a Korean gas company and a fuel cell development center in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany

Aisin Seiki Supplied power module to Bosch (Germany) for exhibit; Demonstration operation in Ene-Field Project (Europe) in 2014Data from Advanced Cogeneration and Energy Utilization

Center Japan A.C.E.J, コジェネ財団 , as of April 2013

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Units 4997 6469 13460 24517 33531

2,500

7,500

12,500

17,500

22,500

27,500

32,500

37,500


Japanese Fuel Cell Commercialization (2)

November 18, 2010. Toyota Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada

November 18, 2010. Toyota announced its Future Plans for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Commercialization

January 13, 2011. 13 Companies made A Joint Declaration on Domestic Market of FCVs in 2015 and Establishment of Hydrogen Supply Infrastructure (3 automakers and 10

energy companies)

14

Global Patent Overview


Japan US South Korea Canada Germany France

2008 106 85 NaN 4 NaN NaN

2009 106 85 NaN 4 NaN NaN

2010 62 160 102 NaN NaN NaN

2011 221 136 128 NaN NaN NaN

2012 292 130 101 NaN 15 NaN

2013 215 152 98 NaN 12 11

25

75

125

175

225

275

325

Pate

nt N

umbe

rs

Top 10 Fuel Cell Patent Assignees by Country 2008-2013

CEPGI data

15

US needs to chart a new course for R&D, laying out actions with roadmaps First step: unravel issues, identify solutions, and identify potential R&D

paths forward

Why Another Study on Fuel Cells?

• Nation needs a diverse set of low-cost energy sources. • Fuel cells have potential to meet that need, but after decades of

public and private sector support, major obstacles to fuel cell applications remain, including insufficient durability, reliability, and high cost

• Scaling up existing technology has not overcome obstacles• New approaches are needed based on gaining understanding of

complexities of fuel cell operations at the atomic level, developing solutions, and applying these to real world needs

• As yet, there are no plans to do this

16

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Workshop Held Last Fall Endorsed Proposed Study Concept

• Sponsored by National Science Foundation; participants included 50 researchers and fuel cell experts participated

• Findings included– Characterize impact of inorganic

impurities in JP-8 fuel on activation of molecular structures within fuel cell

– Understand use of reversible SOFCs for energy storage

– Creation of National Fuel Cell Development Project akin to National Nanotechnology Initiative

• Recommended government agencies jointly sponsor a National Academies study on how to structure U.S. fuel cell policy and identify best technologies for clean use of hydrocarbon fuels

SOFCs provide energy densities equivalent to 1MW gas turbines—but at any operating level

17

Studies identify challenges and gaps and call for solutions and further research

Leads to action to overcome challenges by scaling up or incrementally improving existing technology

…with results that same challenges

persist

New studies are commissioned, leading to similar

recommendations, and cycle repeats

National Academies study to identify roadmap and plan

for breakthroughs in performance and durability

will end this cycle

Many Studies Called for Fuel Cell Improvements, But None Identified Paths to Lower Cost and Higher Durability

18

DoD has funded work on fuel cells for many years. Spending levels on the order of $44 to $60 million (FY 2010).2

Collaboration with DOE (22 July 2010 MOU) led to at least 3 workshops

We asked Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to co-sponsor study (300K), with support from DOE (200K) and National Science Foundation (100K)

DDR&E stated such a study “not sufficiently compelling “

Status of DoD Interest in Fuel Cell Study

2 Excerpted from Beyond Demonstration: the Role of Fuel Cdells in DoD’s Energy Strategy, prepared by LMI Corporation for the Defense Logistics Agency Research and Development

19

1. Assess research advances and technological opportunities for fuel cells that would greatly improve capability to support commercial and defense needs

2. Define a roadmap to discover and characterize fuel cell electrochemical processes and operations, including: – A theoretical understanding and empirical validation of underlying causes that drive

performance shortfalls; – Transformational technologies that enable creation of revolutionary fuel cell types – Simulators and models to be developed to depict fuel cell operations– Potential game-changing applications

3. Outline a feasible plan for how these goals would be achieved: – Developing fuel cell systems with high power density and high efficiency reformers – Systems or technologies that readily scale to high power applications– Fuel cell systems that can operate with fuel impurities (e.g., Sulfur, CO). – Order of magnitude reductions in catalyst costs and improvements in durability– Required authorities, milestones, and funding levels

National Academies Study Statement of Task

Study funding requirement: $600K

20

Examples of Previous Fuel Cell Studies

21

Finding: The majority of the currently funded (DOE) efforts are on performance and durability aspects of carbon free supported catalysts, non-precious metal catalysts, the quantity of catalysts required per cell, as well as on lower-cost, durable membranes. If success is achieved in any one of the above areas, the attractiveness of the fuel cell from a cost and durability perspective would be greatly enhanced.

Key National Academies Evaluations:National Research Council Review of DOE’s U.S. Drive

Partnership (Fourth Report - 2013)

Recommendation (S-4)The DOE should increase efforts for the cost reduction initiatives for

fuel cells taking into account the entire system including balance of plant. Emerging modeling capabilities should be used … for guiding resource

allocation to the areas that will have the greatest impact on performance, endurance, and cost at the system level. (emphasis added)

22

Key National Academies Evaluations: Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels (2013)

Finding: Fuel cells, batteries, biofuels, low-GHG production of hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and vehicle efficiency should all be part of the current R&D strategy... hydrogen/fuel cells are at least as promising as battery electric vehicles in the long term and should be funded accordingly. Both pathways show promise and should continue to receive federal R&D support.

Policy RecommendationThe committee supports consistent R&D to advance technology

development and to reduce the costs of alternative fuels and vehicles.The best approach is to promote a portfolio of vehicle and fuel R&D,

supported by both government and industry, designed to solve the critical technical challenges in each major candidate pathway. (emphasis added)

23

• Energy Efficient Technologies for the Dismounted Soldier (1997)– Called on Army to accelerate development of advanced fueled systems

• Meeting the Energy Needs of Future Warriors (2004)– Called on Army to complete development of JP-reforming fuel technology, both for

battery and fuel cell applications.

• Review of the 21st Century Truck (First and Second Reports) 2007/2012– Evaluated applicability of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for auxiliary power

• Making the Soldier Decisive on Future Battlefields (2013) – Emphasized Army Capabilities Integration Center's 2010 goal for fuel cell

development (which highlighted need to make fuel cells compatible with JP fuels).– Recommended that the Army develop and maintain a robust program in advanced

energy sources based on full analysis of DOTMLPF elements with the goal of eliminating power and energy as limiting factors in tactical small unit operations.

National Academies Periodically Reviewed DoD Fuel Cell Initiatives (selected examples)

24

Examples of Previous Fuel Cell Studies:JASON Studies for DoD

• Portable Energy for the Dismounted Soldiers, June 2003– The 2003 JASON study for Office of Defense Research and Engineering

(ODDR&D) looked into all the fuel cells (SOFC, MCFC, PAFC, AFC and DMFC). The study suggests that DoD address technology options to mitigate the fuel cell limitations, that DoD look into the question as to whether or not it should dramatically invest in fuel cells, and that if so, what ancillary technology is needed to operate in a non-detectable manner.

• Reducing DoD Fossil-Fuel Dependence, September 2006– The study sees no significant DoD use for fuel-cell vehicles on any

reasonable time horizon. These vehicles are very costly and the technology is not mature. It also does not see a good mechanism by which the fuel to power them could be supplied to theater. As such, JASON does not anticipate that they will play a role in DoD tactical or combat vehicles in the foreseeable future.

– Five technology challenges (power density, scalability, susceptibility to fuel impurities, reformer efficiency, catalyst cost) are likely to persist for decades.

25

2011 LMI Study, “Beyond Demonstration: The Role of Fuel cells in DoD's Energy Strategy”

1. Monitor and evaluate government and private-sector fuel cell projects. 2. Continue support for research, development, and demonstration of fuel cells and the fuels

required for their operation. 3. Continue defining and pursuing fuel cell partnership initiatives with the Department of Energy. 4. Develop and implement procurement models that enable increased visibility for fuel cell

options 5. Require that fuel cell systems be considered for meeting electric power, heating, and cooling

demands 6. Require that fuel cell systems be considered during planning backup power capability for DoD

sites 7. Plan and implement an initiative to address the limitations of current power purchase models

with respect to acquiring emerging technologies, including fuel cells. 8. Invite, but not require, bidders for material handling equipment to consider fuel cell power. 9. Increase awareness of unmanned vehicle providers, and operators about fuel cell systems

The study confirms that fuel cell technologies are relevant for all applications of interest to DoD, which can benefit by tracking fuel cell progress so that it can promptly use it to contribute to its goals and missions. Recommendations:

26

Other DoD Reports and Briefings

• A May 2011 report on the DoD-DOE Workshop on Fuel cells in Aviation and focused on fuel cell auxiliary power in ground support equipment and onboard DoD aircraft. Three demonstration projects have been proposed: a two-year multisite mobile fuel cell plasma lighting demonstration, an SOFC battery range extender APU demonstration, and a PEMFC battery range extender demonstration.

• An October 2011 report focused on waste-to-energy using fuel cells. The report is inconclusive, calling for further studies, workshops, etc. Also, R&D and demonstration projects include Power supplies for UAVs, fuel cell powered forklifts, back up and auxiliary power units, light duty vehicles, maritime applications, soldier wearable power supplies.

• An 2010 AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) report on the possible use of SOFC (that was being developed at DOE at that time) as military APU replacements. The report is not a actual study but is a brief review of such suggestion by DOE. The conclusion is that AFRL has interest in this area but key challenges exist which must be overcome.

• Ultra Electronics (a defense contractor) briefing to DoD (office unidentified) on integration challenges adapting long endurance power sources for tactical unmanned aerial systems. No conclusions. This briefing shows that DOD has interest in fuel cell-powered unmanned aerial systems.

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