2024-06-18
China may place 25% tariffs on EVs in retaliation for similar moves by the US and the European Union. Read about this as well as articles on new battery development, the decline in diesel sales and a new battery from CATL in the June 2024 Alternative Power Report from Power Systems Research. PSR
2024-05-25
Rotterdam, the Netherlands–During the World Hydrogen Summit (WHS) here many industry leaders, politicians and stakeholders came together to discuss the state of the art of this growing industry. The event, held at Rotterdam Ahoy centre between May 13-15, was one of the largest global meetings for the hydrogen industry. During the conference, many topics were covered, but some were more central amongst the panels PSR attended.
The time of the hydrogen hype is over, and while there has not been the revolution seen in previous years, different projects across the globe have been launched, stating the start of a new and more mature phase in the hydrogen industry.
While Europe has very ambitious targets, the industry asked for more support from institutions, and more clarity on objectives and regulations. Currently, the EU focus is on Green hydrogen, while some of the industry representatives asked for the definition of a low carbon hydrogen category to boost projects in this initial phase of transition.
The United States presents a more intricate and ambiguous scenario, as the upcoming November election raises questions about the longevity of incentives beyond this year.
Globally, many countries are emerging as candidates to fuel energy decarbonization. Morocco, wants to become one of the main exporters of green energy to the EU, and a major player in the production of Green Hydrogen. The country has abundant solar and wind resources, and already the gas pipeline infrastructures connected to Europe.
Similarly, different countries in the Middle East are looking at the green economy transition as an opportunity to grow. Oman is among these, with many projects already signed off to develop both renewable energy facilities, and hydrogen production projects.
On the other hand, the Netherlands, and in particular the city of Rotterdam, are investing significant resources to become one of Europe leaders in the hydrogen economy. The port of Rotterdam has a developed infrastructure for the distribution of natural gas, and they want to leverage their pipelines to become one of Europe’s gateways for the imports of hydrogen in the old continent. They have already developed corridors with German, Belgium, France and the Scandinavian countries. The large infrastructure, and the strong gas industry in the country will allow the Dutch to become a major player in the decarbonization of the European energy sector. PSR
Emiliano Marzoli is Manager-European Operations for Power Systems Research
2024-04-17
Hydrogen has the potential to be emissions free but only if we understand how the hydrogen is generated / manufactured or whether it occurs naturally. Several new terms have been used recently in the press, and this article explains them.
Gold hydrogen refers to naturally occurring deposits of the gas trapped underground in a way similar to how natural gas and oil deposits are found under the Earth’s surface. This type of H2 is different from White in that White now typically refers to the gas when it is above the surface, such as in the atmosphere, but Gold refers specifically to the gas found in underground deposits.
On March 28, Kubota unveiled the first prototype of a fuel cell-powered tractor. Although no release date has been set, the company will consider installing fuel cells in unmanned, automated tractors. Kubota is also developing battery-powered agricultural equipment, but the company believes that hydrogen-powered fuel cells will be effective for medium-large sized agricultural equipment.
Kubota is rushing to commercialize fuel cells because it believes demand will grow in developed countries such as Japan, Europe and the United States as a result of the trend toward decarbonization. The prototype machine has about 60 horsepower and has three hydrogen tanks installed above the cabin, which are used in Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell car. It generates electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen to power the engine. In the experiment, a tractor was equipped with a plowing unit to till the soil.
2024-04-16
The April 2024 Alternative Power Report by Power Systems Research features several articles on batteries including one on sodium ion batteries as an alternative to Lithium Ion batteries, and another on the dropping cost of EV batteries. Hydrogen power sources show increasing promise, and there is an article on Chinese manufacturer CATL launching a battery pack with Yutong Bus Co to power commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks that has a 15-year warranty. PSR
2024-03-17
The technology involved in using H2 as an energy source can be costly for several reasons. Their use is considered to have zero-carbon operations but only when green H2 is used, meaning that it is produced using processes powered by renewable energy such as wind and solar. That said, the most common production method currently used involves burning natural gas, a fossil fuel.
Regulations on EVs and developments in hydrogen power cells and battery technology are highlighted in articles in the March issue of Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research. Read about Germany dropping subsidies for some electric trucks and buses and about the EU considering tariffs on Chinese EVs. PSR
2024-02-27
Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s chairman, has expressed skepticism about the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), estimating they will achieve only a 30% market share despite evidence of higher adoption rates in countries like Norway and China. This stance aligns with Toyota’s continued focus on hybrids and fuel cell vehicles, contrasting with the rapid EV market growth and the aggressive EV strategies of competitors. Toyoda’s comments reflect a cautious approach to EV adoption, diverging from industry trends favoring more substantial EV penetration.
As of Feb. 6, 2024, Shell permanently closed its seven light duty hydrogen fuel stations in California citing “hydrogen supply complications and other external market factors” for this decision. According to the below MOTORTREND article, this leaves 17 stations operational (although several are offline at the time of this writing) in the Bay Area, and just one in the Sacramento area.
Shell had already told industry outlet Hydrogen Insight that it would stop building any of the 48 new California stations it had planned—a significant number for the state—and that the company “made the decision to permanently close its light duty station network in California in early 2024.”
The February issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research contains articles on China battery production and Chinese EV market share gains in Thailand. There’s also news about CATL’s wind power project and several articles about EV heavy truck development.
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