DECC is keen to promote low-carbon methods of energy generation and storage to help achieve a sustainable and secure energy system. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have the potential to contribute to the UK’s energy and environmental objectives of energy security and carbon emissions reduction.
Many of the new technologies have not yet been applied and tested. DECC therefore supports the demonstration of new technologies to enable them to be proven and help accelerate the drive to move them closer to commercialisation.
DECC-Technology Strategy Board Demonstration Programme
A new competition for up to £7.2m of funding was opened in September 2009. It builds on HFCCAT in terms of enabling successful companies develop and test the technology in their drive towards commercialisation – by providing capital funding towards the cost of further demonstration activities. The programme is funded by DECC and managed by the Technology Strategy Board.
The target markets for this competition are stationary power and transport.
The scope includes collaborative proposals that would facilitate:
- demonstration of a fleet of fuel cell hydrogen vehicles
- demonstration of residential micro CHP and distributed power generation products based on fuel cells and hydrogen technologies
- demonstration of the production of hydrogen from non-carbon sources and its use as an energy carrier
- development of scalable processes and equipment for the mass manufacture and testing of fuel cells and fuel cells modules
- in-line product testing and testing for performances and reliability under realistic operating conditions
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Carbon Abatement Technologies Demonstration Programme (HFCCAT)
The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (H, FC) and Carbon Abatement Technologies (CAT) Demonstration Scheme was designed to address two of DECC's key energy priorities:
- cost competitive carbon emissions reductions
- increased security of supply
DECC is committed to increasing the deployment of renewable energy and low-carbon sustainable technologies in the UK.
The overall aim of the scheme is to reduce barriers to the introduction of cost effective, low-carbon fuel cell, hydrogen and carbon abatement technologies by demonstrating these technologies in real applications.
Three hydrogen and fuel cell projects and one CATs project from the October 2006 call for proposals are underway, with DECC support totalling £5.9m.
Projects supported under HFCCAT:
The London Bus Services Ltd Hydrogen Project
This project will demonstrate five hydrogen fuel cell buses operating on a single London Bus route. It will also involve the maintenance and refuelling of these buses and will enable comparison of the new technology with existing bus operations over a three-year period. The lead company is Transport for London.
Penner Road Fuel Cell CHP Demonstration
The aim of this project is to install and operate a 200kW fuel cell unit in a refurbished industrial warehouse. The warehouse will provide office space for 2000 Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) employees. The fuel cell unit will provide some of the heating and electricity needs of the site alongside other sustainable sources including wind and solar PV. The fuel cell will be operated for a five-year period. SSE is the lead company for this project.
Microcab Demonstration for Zero Emission Campus
This project aims to demonstrate five fuel cell vehicles in routine utility applications, such as postal deliveries on the University of Birmingham Campus, over a year. The project also includes an initial year of testing, development and trials of these vehicles. The project activities will include the systematic gathering of data on the performance of the vehicles in varied operating conditions as well as progressive engineering improvements to the vehicle design and accessory systems. It will also include the development and documentation of practical operating and service procedures. The project forms part of the University of Birmingham 's Zero Emissions Campus project. The lead company is Microcab Industries Ltd.
Project supported under Carbon Abatement Technologies:
Demonstration of an oxyfuel combustion system
The principal aim of this project is to demonstrate an oxyfuel combustion system of a type and size (40MWt ) applicable to new and retrofit advanced supercritical oxyfuel plant. A combustion rig has been developed at Renfrew, Scotland, to carry out the testing. The project lead is Doosan Babcock. The project partners are Scottish and Southern Energy, E.ON UK PLC., Drax Power Limited, Scottish Power Generation Limited, EdF Energy, Dong Energy Generation, Air Products PLC., Imperial College London, University of Nottingham and Vattenfall AB.
A second call for CAT technology was carried out in 2009 jointly by TSB, DECC and Northern Way. The call covered applied research, component and pilot scale demonstration across all aspects of CATs. Ten projects have been selected for funding, including a larger-scale project (5MW e power generation, capturing 100tCO2 /day) at Ferrybridge.
The HFCCAT is part of the UK Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF): a joint DECC/Defra fund to bring forward the demonstration and deployment of low-carbon energy and energy efficiency technologies.
An April 2010 snapshot of the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Carbon Abatement Technologies Demonstration Programme website is now held in the National Archives.
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Demonstration Programme (HFC)
One such scheme is the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Demonstration Programme (HFC), formerly part of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Carbon Abatement Technologies Demonstration Programme (HFCCAT). This programme, which is now closed to new applications, was designed to support two of the Department’s key energy priorities:
- cost competitive carbon emissions reductions
- increased security of supply
The specific objectives of the programme were to:
- construct and install systems demonstrating hydrogen, fuel cell, carbon abatement technologies (CAT), or combinations of these
- test systems (or components) in the conditions they will be used in
- generate and publish data on systems’ operational performance, so potential users can make informed investment decisions
- identify any need for further research and development, or design improvements
The programme is currently supporting three projects with £3.7m worth of funding over a four-year period.