With the aim of putting fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies on the market two-five years sooner than originally touted, the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (FCH JTI) has issued a second call for proposals for research.
Around €140million has been allocated for this second call, with the FCH JTI holding a total budget of around €1billion to be invested in hydrogen and fuel cell research and development by 2014.
It is hoped that research can foster the use of hydrogen fuel buses and fuel cell vehicles with the intention of helping to develop hydrogen storage and improve fuel cell durability.
The funding in the second call will focus on five areas:
Transportation and Refuelling Infrastructure: Around €26.4 million will be dedicated to projects such as large scale-demonstration of road vehicles and refuelling infrastructure; developing and optimising fuel cell electrodes; improving system performance, efficiency and robustness; and developing electric driven turbochargers for fuel cells.
Hydrogen production and distribution: €5.7million will be dedicated to projects on developing a fuel processing catalyst, modules and systems; developing gas purification technologies for hydrogen production; improving solid state hydrogen storage systems; and a new generation of high temperature electrolyser.
Stationary power generation and CHP: Around €25.9million will go towards projects on fundamentals of fuel cell degradation; materials development; component improvement; proof-of-concept fuel cell systems; build and field demonstration of stationary fuel cell systems; and more.
Early markets: Approximately €10.3million will go towards the demonstration of fuel cell powered materials handling vehicles and infrastructure; and more.
Cross-cutting issues: €3.0million will go to projects on developing educational programmes; training initiatives; outreach programmes; development of a framework for Life Cycle Assessment; and development of a framework for Technology Monitoring and Assessments.
