INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

UNIDO-ICHET, June 2011. Second edition.

7 years of hydrogen energy

>> Contents >>

Foreword: “Shaping a vision”

................................................................................................................................

10-11

Towards renewable hydrogen

...............................................................................................................................

12-13

The birth and role of ICHET

..................................................................................................................................

14-15

Spotlight on: ICHET donors

..............................................................................................................................

16-17

Projects

..............................................................................................................................................................

18-41

Fuel cell powered forklifts

............................................................................................................................

20-21

Fuel cell UPS installations

............................................................................................................................

22-23

Hydrogen three wheeled vehicles

................................................................................................................

24-25

Hydrogen island projects

.............................................................................................................................

26-29

The Ecocaravan

..........................................................................................................................................

30-31

Spotlight on: the Ecocaravan Tour

.........................................................................................................

32-33

The Golden Horn hydrogen ecosystem

.......................................................................................................

34-41

The fuelling station

..................................................................................................................................

36

The hybrid bus

.......................................................................................................................................

37

Hydrogen boats

.................................................................................................................................

38-39

Applied R&D

.......................................................................................................................................................

42-49

Fuel cell production in Turkey

......................................................................................................................

44-45

SOFC based cogeneration

..........................................................................................................................

46-47

Hythane and hydrogen engine production

...................................................................................................

48-49

Support

...............................................................................................................................................................

50-57

Funding

.......................................................................................................................................................

52-53

Training and dissemination

..........................................................................................................................

54-55

Laboratories

................................................................................................................................................

56-57

Spotlight on: ICHET laboratories

.....................................................................................................................

58-59

Corporate information

......................................................................................................................................

60-67

Human resources

........................................................................................................................................

62-63

Budget evolution

.........................................................................................................................................

64-65

Partnerships

................................................................................................................................................

66-67

Closing words: “The hydrogen challenge”

.............................................................................................................

70-73

Acknowledgement

.....................................................................................................................................................

79

9

>>

“

”

Our ecosystem will no longer be able to nurture

the human species if the exploitation and consumption

of fossil fuel sources continues at its current rate.

Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

ICHET Managing Director

>> Foreword >>

11

>>

10

>>

Shaping a vision

The International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET) is a project of the

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) founded in Istanbul in 2004

and supported by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Today, at ICHET,

our engineers and scientists help implement a variety of hydrogen and hydrogen-inclusive

projects with universities, R&D institutes and other partners in the public and private sector,

with special emphasis on the latter for private sector involvement is a must in order to market

hydrogen technology products and achieve their industrialization. An endeavour reflecting

7

years of operation on the hydrogen energy front, this book is an opportunity to sit and look

back at our achievements in order to better gauge what is still ahead. More than a compila

-

tion of corporate statistics, demonstration projects and R&D programmes, it documents a

coherent vision supplemented by real-life implementations that are laying the foundations of

the first stages of a hydrogen inclusive economy.

UNIDO-ICHET Managing Director Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

Because our ecosystem will no longer be able to nurture the human spe

-

cies if the exploitation and consumption of fossil fuel sources continues

at its current rate, the gradual switch to clean energy resources has be

-

come a necessity. With an energy yield per weight unit triple that of fossil

fuels, hydrogen is the ideal energy carrier and storage medium and can

rightfully boast its zero carbon footprint when produced from renewable

resources.

Burnt in internal combustion engines, hydrogen can be converted into

thermal and kinetic energy. More importantly, it can also be turned directly into electricity

within fuel cells, those amazing electro-chemical devices that combine hydrogen with ambi

-

ent oxygen to produce electricity through a completely noise free process which releases

no more than pure water as a combustion product. Be it with internal combustion engines

or fuel cells, hydrogen applications can cover a wide range of needs, from transportation to

stationary systems through residential usage.

13

>>

Hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to be the key technologies that will facilitate the

transition to a low carbon energy future in a similar way that oil and the internal combustion

engine displaced coal and the steam engine. Although hydrogen can be produced from

numerous primary energy sources, it is its production from renewables that renders it a

sustainable energy carrier. Along with biofuels, synthetic fuels and electricity, hydrogen is

foreseen to be one of the future energy carriers in transport and stationary applications. The

United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan have been investing heavily in the

development of hydrogen production, storage and use technologies including fuel cells, with

hydrogen playing a prominent role in their long term energy scenarios. Until recently how

-

ever, such efforts have been rare in the developing world, risking the opening of yet another

technology divide.

Towards renewable hydrogen

>> Introduction >>

Primary sources

Wind, sun and

biomass are some of

the renewable

primary energy

sources that could

be used in the

frame of a hydrogen

inclusive economy..

15

>>

14

>>

On 18

th

March 1974, a group of scientists and engineers, later to be known as the Hydrogen Romantics,

met at the “The Hydrogen Economy Miami Energy” (THEME) conference and proposed the Hydrogen

Economy or Hydrogen Energy System as part of the solution addressing the interrelated global problems

of the depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental damage caused by their utilization. UNIDO, rec

-

ognizing the potential of hydrogen energy to better economic and environmental conditions, proposed

the establishment of an International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies and commissioned a

report on this issue to one of these Hydrogen Romantics: Prof. Nejat Veziroglu. This Centre was to pro

-

mote the conversion to a hydrogen inclusive economy by encouraging, coordinating and speeding-up

hydrogen energy related activities in the developing world. Candidate sites for the location of the Centre

were evaluated on the basis that they should be situated between the developed and developing coun

-

tries, be easily reachable and benefit from the support of an industrial nation. The city of Istanbul in

Turkey, located between the two continents of Europe and Asia and close to a third, Africa, fulfilled all

these requirements. As a result of discussions and negotiations, Turkish Government agreed to spon

-

sor and host this Centre and to commit $40M of initial funding. The Trust Fund Agreement establishing

the Centre was signed on 21

st

October 2003 by Director General of UNIDO, H. E. Carlos Magarinos,

and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Dr. M. Hilmi Guler. Ratification of the

treaty, soon followed paving the way for the centre’s commencement with Dr. Veziroglu as its founding

director. When ICHET started operation

on 19

th

May 2004, some sixteen years

of behind-the-scenes lobbying, negotia

-

tion and diplomacy had finally come to

fruition. Dr. Veziroglu retired on April 31

st

2007, leaving Dr. Engin Türe in charge for

an interim period. Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

was then appointed Managing Director

of the Centre on 1

st

February 2008. The

vast majority of ICHET projects have

been completed under his direction.

Economic development

Since the establishment of its full hu

-

man resource and laboratory structure

in 2009, ICHET has been overtly active on all fronts of the hydrogen energy arena through its support

to R&D and by implementing demonstration projects. More than ever its role is not only to support,

demonstrate and promote viable hydrogen energy technologies with the aims of enhancing future eco

-

nomic development, particularly in emerging countries, but also to prevent the widening of the energy

and technology gap while skipping over the fossil fuel phase.

The birth and role of ICHET

>> Introduction >>

Dr. Hilmi Güler (left) and Mr. Carlos Magarinos (right) signing the ICHET Trust Fund Agreement

on 21

st

October 2003.

17

>>

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources or MENR (Turkish: Enerji ve

Tabii Kaynaklar Bakanlıgı) is the government ministry office of the Republic

of Turkey responsible for energy and natural resources related affairs in

Turkey.cIts mission is to reduce Turkey’s external energy dependencies and

contribute to national welfare through efficient, effective, safe, timely and

environmentally friendly use of energy and natural resource.

Between 1990 and 2008 in Turkey, annual average rate of increase in primary energy demand was realized as 4,3

%.

Turkey has had the highest rate of energy demand increase of any other OECD countries over the past 10 years.

Similarly, since 2000, Turkey has been the second largest economy after China for having the highest rate of in

-

crease in electricity and gas demand. Projections show that this trend will continue in the medium run. According to

the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız, in order to address this demand increase while making a

rational use of natural resources, “it is of great importance to [...] diversify energy production using new technologies

and increase the efficiency of the existing technologies, and implement policies and strategies which

intend to use alternative energy sources”.

>> Spotlight on: ICHET donors >>

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

is a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in

Vienna, Austria. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate sustain

-

able industrial development in developing countries and economies

in transition, and work towards improving living conditions in the

world’s poorest countries by drawing on its combined global re

-

sources and expertise. In recent years, UNIDO has assumed an

enhanced role in the global development agenda by focusing its

activities on poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environ

-

mental sustainability. Energy is a prerequisite for poverty reduction.

Still, fundamental changes in the way societies produce and con

-

sume are indispensable for achieving global sustainable development.

UNIDO therefore promotes sustainable patterns of industrial consump

-

tion and production. As a leading provider of services for improved

industrial energy efficiency and sustainability, UNIDO assists

developing countries and transition economies in imple

-

menting multilateral environmental agreements and

in simultaneously reaching their economic

and environmental goals.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey

UNIDO Director General

Kandeh Yumkella.

Turkish Minister of Energy and

Natural Resources Taner Yıldız.

17

>>

Courtesy of MENR

Courtesy of UNIDO

Caption

headline

Torporrunt. Ducil

invero de porenis

ma voluptam aut

que nonessuntis

doluptate

nonsequidis

soluptatus, opta

dipsust, cusae

natecte sanditisit

eos vollia sam venihit

aturiscient.

19

>>

Hydrogen technologies already exist. ICHET is playing a crucial

role in promoting them and ensuring that hydrogen finds its

place in the UN energy vision, strategy and implementation

plans. This promotion is best achieved through demonstrations

of viable technologies with the aim not only of drawing attention

but also to gain experience, identify areas for improvement and

solve the remaining engineering and logistical problems.

Fuel cell

based forklifts

p.20-21

Implementing

hydrogen islands

p.26-29

Uninterruptible

power systems

p.22-23

The Ecocaravan

hits the road

p.30-33

Autorickshaws

in New-Delhi

p.24-25

Around the

Golden Horn

p.34-41

Projects

21

>>

A hydrogen fuel cell forklift prototype was realized in 2007 with a local manufacturer. The concept

will be replicated at three sites in Europe for a total of 10 vehicles and their refuelling stations.

H

2

Ecolift

Fitted with a 2

x

4

kW

engine, the H

2

Ecolift

has a lifting capacity

of up to 1500

kg.

Forklift vehicles are one of the

mainstays of modern industries

and businesses and are found

anywhere heavy items need to

be moved from one place to an

-

other. Commonly, electric motors

powered by lead acid batteries

provide locomotion and lift, but al

-

though lead acid batteries are well

established technologies, many

problems are still inherent in their

use.

A fully operational system

In particular, batteries require con

-

siderable times for charging before

use, are prone to voltage reduc

-

tions as charge decreases and

suffer long change over times. In

contrast, systems in which batter

-

ies are replaced by modern fuel

cell packs exhibit none of these

drawbacks and are being touted

as serious competitors to tradi

-

tional forklifts.

In 2007, ICHET identified fork

-

lifts as a key area and developed,

in collaboration with its partner

Çumitas, a fully operational system

that has been used at a num

-

ber of test sites in Turkey. Taking

this concept a stage further in

2010, ICHET started a collabora

-

tion with the SHEL project of the

European commission Fuel Cells

and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

to build a fleet of forklifts and op

-

erate them in locations throughout

Europe.

❐

Fuel cell powered forklifts

>> Projects >>

Turkey, Spain and UK

“Sustainable Hydrogen

Evaluation in Logistics”

(SHEL) project will be

implementing 10 forklifts

and their refuelling

stations in 3 sites located

in Turkey, Spain and UK.

Its main aim is to evaluate

market readiness.

G. D.

23

>>

IDO

The control room,

turnstyles and voice

announcement

system of Istanbul

Sea Bus company

(IDO) headquarters

are protected by a

hydrogen fuel cell

uninterruptible

power unit.

Following the succesful installation of a hydrogen uninterruptible power system in Istanbul,

ICHET is now participating in a EU project aiming at installing 19 such systems throughout Europe.

Uninterruptible power systems

(UPS) have typically relied on die

-

sel generators or batteries for

backup energy storage. Recent

advances in hydrogen fuel cell

technologies, however, have pro

-

vided an environmentally friendly

solution. ICHET has inaugurated

on 2

nd

August 2009 the installation

of such a PEM hydrogen fuel cell

based UPS system in the Yenikapı

pier headquarter offices of Istanbul

Sea Bus company (IDO), thus al

-

lowing the demonstration of this

technology to millions of commut

-

ers every year.

ICHET is also project partner of the

FITUP project. Conceived within

the framework of the European

commission Fuel Cells and

Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, this

project aims at installing a total of

19 fuel cell systems as UPS/back

-

up power sources in selected sites

across Europe by the end of 2013.

Market entry

Exemple real-world customers have

been selected from the telecom

-

munications and hotel industries.

They will utilize the fuel cell-based

systems at their sites and employ

power consumption levels ranging

between 1 and 10

kW. These units

will demonstrate a level of technical

performance (start-up time, reli

-

ability, durability, number of cycles)

that qualifies them for market entry,

thereby accelerating the commer

-

cialization of this technology in

Turkey, Europe and elsewhere.

❐

Fuel cell UPS installations

>> Projects >>

UPS projects facts

5

kW.

The power consumption

of the Yenikapı UPS

system.

Turkey Vodafone Headquarters.

One of the 19 sites, along

with Swisscom and

Lucerne cantonal police,

to be equipped by a UPS

in the frame of FITUP.

Courtesy of IDO

25

>>

Three wheeled vehicles are a very

popular mode of transport in many

Asian metropolises. By converting

them to run on hydrogen, a drastic

reduction in the levels of air pol

-

lutants they cause in urban areas

can be achieved. Local produc

-

tion of hydrogen from indigenous

renewable energy sources also

has the potential to reduce overall

greenhouse gas emissions as well

as lessen dependence on import

-

ed fossil fuels.

To this end, the implementation

of a demonstration fleet of 15

hydrogen internal combustion

engine propelled autorickshaws

was initiated in March 2009 in

India. The fleet is to be used to

carry passengers and goods in

New Delhi at the Pragati Maidan

exhibition grounds, the largest

of the country, and is being ser

-

viced by a refuelling station built

on the site as part of the project.

This project has been realized by

a consortium of local and interna

-

tional partners including ICHET,

IIT Delhi, Mahindra & Mahindra,

Air Products and UNIDO India. It

also benefited from the support of

ITPO and of the Indian Ministry of

New and Renewable Energies.

Cost reduction

A series of new energy policy

measures have recently been tak

-

en by India which may lead to the

country playing a significant role

in the development of hydrogen

energy technologies and contrib

-

ute to the creation of a real market

through mass production and re

-

duced costs.

❐

Hydrogen autorickshaws can efficiently address the pollution iss

ues of many Asian metropolises.

As part of its new energy policies, India is currently implementing a demonstration fleet.

Hy-Alpha

prototype

Mathew Abraham,

from Mahindra &

Mahindra, posing

next to the Hy-

Alpha hydrogen

autorickshaw

prototype.

India goes for hydrogen

30,000

The number of PEM fuel

cell units ordered by India

Telecoms in May 2008.

The single largest fuel cell

supply contract to date.

2020 GIFT and GIP

Indian government

hydrogen inclusive

initiatives for transport

and stationary

applications.

Hydrogen for the masses

>> Projects >>

29

>>

28

>>

sources when converting gener

-

ated electricity into hydrogen.

The system will be providing elec

-

tricity back to the building at times

of low sunlight and wind condi

-

tions through the genset and fuel

cells.

In the Cook Islands

A number of technological devel

-

opment tests will be performed

both to demonstrate the practical

nature of the system and provide

training activities to engineers from

the developing world.

Profiting from this experience and

with financing from the Global

Environment Facility (GEF), ICHET

is realizing a similar project on

Aitutaki, an island of the Cook

Islands in the South Pacific. In

this case, a 200

kW photovoltaic

system is to be connected to the

900

kW peak autonomous island

grid. To avoid possible grid in

-

stability, any excess solar power

will be converted to hydrogen by

a 50

kW electrolyser and, after

compression, stored for further us

-

age by fuel cells. To explore and

promote concepts of hydrogen

energy for remote island com

-

munities, ICHET is leading a new

Annex of the International Energy

Agency Hydrogen Implementing

Agreement. The “Distributed and

Community Hydrogen” annex will

investigate the technical, economic

and social strengths and weak

-

nesses of such systems in existing

installations around the globe.

❐

Island communities can greatly benefit from the usage of clean, renewabl

e energy sources.

ICHET is realizing such a project

on Bozcaada island in the Aegean

sea. It consists of 20

kW of pho

-

tovoltaic panels, a 30

kW wind

turbine, a 50

kW – 10

Nm

3

/hour

capacity electrolyser, hydrogen

storage for 60

kg of hydrogen, a

35

kW hydrogen gen-set and a

25

kW PEM fuel cell. The com

-

plete system will be installed in

the spring of 2011 in a plot at the

Governor’s building. Both the local

Governor and Mayor of Bozcaada

have welcomed the opportunity to

erect the system on the island.

Hydrogen will be produced from

electricity generated by the PV

panels and wind turbine. A spe

-

cial electrolyser has been chosen

that can accommodate the rapid

and stochastic power changes in

electrical output typical of such

H

2

system on

Bozcaada island

The renewable

hydrogen facility

installed by ICHET

on Bozcaada Island

Governorship site

consists of a

30

kW wind turbine,

a 20

kW array of

photovoltaic cells

and a 25

kW PEM

fuel cell.

>> Hydrogen islands

>>

>> Projects >>

31

>>

Using renewable energies in mo

-

bile houses is a reality today, but

associating renewable energies

with hydrogen, and efficiently us

-

ing renewable energies is still much

undeveloped. In many cases, re

-

newable energies can replace

those from traditional sources, but

the main constraint is how these

energies can be stored. Hydrogen

is a viable solution for storing sur

-

plus energy for later use.

Based on the idea of bringing to

-

gether these different concepts to

develop a self-sustainable mobile

dwelling, the Ecocaravan is a RV

type vehicle, a self-sustained liv

-

ing space complete with all the

modern facilities. It is an evolution

of the Mobile Renewable House

ICHET project.

One week autonomy

Fitted with a small wind turbine

and an array of photovoltaic cells,

the Ecocaravan is able to pro

-

duce its own electricity from wind

and solar energy or, in absence

thereof, from the stored hydrogen

obtained through electrolysis dur

-

ing excess electricity production.

Its mobility, reactivity and flexibility

are its distinctive hallmark: an au

-

tonomous self propelled living unit

which can rely on its hydrogen

stock for approximately one week

of normal usage and is therefore

suitable for operation in remote

areas or in emergency relief con

-

ditions.

❐

The Ecocaravan is an experimental RV type vehicle harnessing the power of wind and sun within

a comprehensive hydrogen production, storage and usage system for increased autonomy.

In stationary

mode

When stationary, the

Ecocaravan deploys

its wind turbine and

sun tracking PV cells

in order to recharge

its energy reserves.

The Ecocaravan hits the road

>> Projects >>

Ecocaravan figures

1710

W

Sun tracking PV panels

1000

W

Retractible wind turbine

1200

W

PEM fuel cell

5000

L - 15000

Wh

Metal hydride hydrogen

storage

35

>>

Transport

routes

A number of

transport routes

ensuring high visibility

for the project are

currently being

studied by Istanbul

municipality.

Refuelling station

(Eyüp)

Bus route

Beşiktaş

Edirnekapı

A flooded prehistoric estuary

used as a natural harbour under

the Bizantine Empire, the Golden

Horn later became a major ship

-

yard location during the Ottoman

empire. Today the Golden Horn is

once again becoming the focus of

attentions, not only because of the

countless historical sites and lei

-

sure sites that surround it, but also

because it is to be the heart of a

threefold hydrogen public trans

-

portation project conducted jointly

by Istanbul Municipality and the

International Centre for Hydrogen

Energy Technologies.

The project consists of the de

-

velopment of a hybrid bus, of a

passenger ship and of a hydro

-

gen filling station. The bus and the

passenger ship will be integrated

into the Istanbul public transpor

-

tation network once the hydrogen

filling station required for their op

-

eration is up and running.

A World Premiere

Hydrogen energy transportation

technologies by themselves are

indeed useless if not appropriate

-

ly supplemented with hydrogen

fuelling infrastructures. By bringing

together all these complementary

aspects of hydrogen transpor

-

tation (land transportation, sea

transportation, refuelling), the

Golden Horn project will be a

milestone in the development of

hydrogen related transportation

systems in Turkey.

The Golden Horn filling station will

be the first hydrogen filling station

in Turkey, and a world first as a hy

-

drogen facility supplying both sea

and land transportation vehicles.

ICHET and Istanbul Municipality are working for the implementation of a series of high visibility

hydrogen energy public transportation projects centred on a refuelling facility in the Golden Horn.

Commuting in Istanbul

Istanbul Municipality

operates 2768 buses

and 44 ships. 2.5 million

privately owned cars are

commuting every day

in Istanbul. More than

2

millions Istanbulites

commute in buses and

ships every day.

Hydrogen in the Golden Horn

!

>> Projects >>

Ship routes

37

>>

A hydrogen filling station located

on the Golden Horn banks is be

-

ing developed in partnership with

Istanbul Greater City Municipality.

Upon completetion in May 2012,

it will be used as a production,

storage and refuelling facility with

the capability of dispensing up to

65

kg of hydrogen gas per day to

the buses and ships which are

currently being worked on as part

of the Golden Horn project.

Hydrogen Highway

The location of the filling station

is specifically chosen in order to

supply both buses and ships at

a single lo

-

cation. It

will be in

-

strumental in supporting

Turkey’s automotive sector’s

endeavours towards the develop

-

ment of clean energy vehicles by

providing them real life test op

-

portunities for hydrogen powered

vehicles. The Golden Horn fuelling

station is planned to be the first

step of an upcoming “hydrogen

corridor”.

While hydrogen systems are often

experimented in small size vehi

-

cles such as cars and SUVs, there

are considerably fewer hydrogen

powered buses in operation.

The second part of the Golden

Horn project consists in the devel

-

opment of a hybrid bus propelled

by a hydrogen internal combus

-

tion engine and a battery pack

of 140

kW combined power. Its

design has benefitted consider

-

ably from local manufacturers’

expertise in bus construction and

development and local conditions.

Environmentally friendly

The hybrid bus will not only reduce

emissions under city traffic condi

-

tions, but also to allow savings on

fuel consumption. This project will

gain from the high visibility of a bus

route passing through historical

sites in Western Istanbul. The city

will be an important test ground

for the running of the bus in con

-

gested traffic and ICHET will be

collecting precious technical data

whilst conducting the first opera

-

tional phase.

>> Projects >>

Istanbul tour on board a hybrid hydrogen bus

A fuelling station for land and sea transportation

>> Golden Horn projects

>>

The Istanbul Golden Horn project

includes the development of a

hydrogen powered ship with, as

the main stakeholders, Istanbul

Municipality and its technology

development company Belbim.

Externally funded, this passenger

boat project is being realized with

the support of ICHET, which pro

-

vides its technical expertise and

fuel cell testing facilities.

Propelled by an electric motor

and powered by a 48

kW fuel cell

stack, this vessel will be carry

-

ing up to 50 passengers around

the Golden Horn. As is the case

with the hybrid bus project, the

operation of the ship will be the

opportunity to collect technical

data in order to precisely assess

the benefits of the system.

The hydrogen powered ship pro

-

ject is also part of a larger ICHET

scheme aiming at transferring hy

-

drogen related expertise to third

parties.

Start of operation by end 2011

Smaller-sized similar hydrogen fuel

cell boats are being developed in

projects ran in five Turkish univer

-

sities with support from ICHET,

which is donating the fuel cell

and necessary hydrogen related

parts. The university teams are

already benefiting from ICHET

training and expertise in hy

-

drogen energy systems

as well as from ICHET’s

fuel cell test facilities in

order to develop their

vessels, whose op

-

eration is planned

to take place in the

Golden Horn and in selected in

shore waters. The boats are

expected to be completed

and start operation by the

end of 2011.

❐

On the Golden Horn in hydrogen powered boats

39

>>

38

>>

>> Golden Horn projects

>>

Hybrid bus

The 90 kW HICE based

hybrid bus prototype

will be based on the

existing “Cobra” bus

model developed by

the Turkish company

Güleryüz.

Passenger ship

A hydrogen fuel cell

powered 50-passenger

vessel designed together

with Istanbul Municipal

Data Processing

Corporation is to be

launched in 2012.

Caption

headline

Torporrunt. Ducil

invero de porenis

ma voluptam aut

que nonessuntis

doluptate

nonsequidis

soluptatus, opta

dipsust, cusae

natecte sanditisit

eos vollia sam venihit

aturiscient.

43

>>

While the principles and blueprints of the hydrogen energy

technology basics have by now become widely available, the

full scale implementation of a hydrogen inclusive economy still

requires further applied R&D effort, especially in countries aiming

at developing their own capabilities. ICHET is supporting such

efforts through the financing of selected consortia based research

programmes.

Local fuel cell

production

p.

44-45

House type

cogeneration

p.

46-47

Hydrogen and

hythane engines

p.

48-49

Applied R&D

A

fuel cell

is an

electrochemi

-

cal cell

that

converts

chemical

energy

from a fuel into

electric

energy. Its principle was discov

-

ered by German scientist

Christian

Friedrich Schönbein

in 1838.

Fuel cells are already used as pow

-

er sources in remote locations,

such as spacecrafts (Apollo, Space

Shuttle), remote weather stations,

large parks, rural locations, and in

certain military applications. A fuel

cell system running on hydrogen

can be compact and lightweight,

and has no major moving parts,

hence achieving a theoretical reli

-

ability close to 100%.

Wherever the transition to a hydro

-

gen economy takes place, local

fuel cell manufacturing will be a

major asset. As part of its R&D

support activities, ICHET is fund

-

ing such project in Turkey.

$500,000 funding

The goal of the project is to design

and industrialize a 3

kW PEM fuel

cell, the membrane electrode as

-

sembly and plates of which have

to be manufactured in Turkey.

The fuel cell has to withstand over

1000 hours of system operation.

Following a successful project

proposal, a consortium coordinat

-

ed by the Middle-East Technical

University in Ankara will ben

-

efit from $

500,000 funding from

ICHET.

❐

Domestic fuel cell production capabilities are a definite asset

for countries willing to perform the

switch towards a hydrogen inclusive system. A related R&D project is currently underway in Turkey.

PEM

fuel cell

In the hydrogen–

oxygen

proton

exchange

membrane fuel

cell

(PEMFC), a

proton-conducting

polymer

membrane,

(the electrolyte),

separates the

anode and

cathode sides.

By Nécropotame at fr.wikipedia [FAL], from Wikimedia Commons

45

>>

Fuel cell production in Turkey

>> R&D >>

H

e

-

O

H

+

Bipolar plate

Electrode

Gas diffusion layer

Membrane

2

H

2

Air (O )

2

Paradigm change

Hydrogen can replace

the fossil fuel burned

in

internal combustion

engines

and

turbines

as

the primary way to

convert chemical energy

into kinetic or electrical

energy, hereby eliminating

greenhouse gas

emissions and pollution.

Hydrogen energy in action

H

e

-

O

H

+

Bipolar plate

Electrode

Gas diffusion layer

Membrane

2

H

2

Air (O )

2

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

A project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization

supported by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources

UNIDO-ICHET

Sabri Ülker Sk. 38/4, Cevizlibag, Zeytinburnu, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey. Tel. +90 212 416 48 48. Fax. +90 212 416 89 47

www.unido-ichet.org

ICHET - Hydrogen energy in action

(2

nd

edition)

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

UNIDO-ICHET, June 2011. Second edition.

7 years of hydrogen energy

>> Contents >>

Foreword: “Shaping a vision”

................................................................................................................................

10-11

Towards renewable hydrogen

...............................................................................................................................

12-13

The birth and role of ICHET

..................................................................................................................................

14-15

Spotlight on: ICHET donors

..............................................................................................................................

16-17

Projects

..............................................................................................................................................................

18-41

Fuel cell powered forklifts

............................................................................................................................

20-21

Fuel cell UPS installations

............................................................................................................................

22-23

Hydrogen three wheeled vehicles

................................................................................................................

24-25

Hydrogen island projects

.............................................................................................................................

26-29

The Ecocaravan

..........................................................................................................................................

30-31

Spotlight on: the Ecocaravan Tour

.........................................................................................................

32-33

The Golden Horn hydrogen ecosystem

.......................................................................................................

34-41

The fuelling station

..................................................................................................................................

36

The hybrid bus

.......................................................................................................................................

37

Hydrogen boats

.................................................................................................................................

38-39

Applied R&D

.......................................................................................................................................................

42-49

Fuel cell production in Turkey

......................................................................................................................

44-45

SOFC based cogeneration

..........................................................................................................................

46-47

Hythane and hydrogen engine production

...................................................................................................

48-49

Support

...............................................................................................................................................................

50-57

Funding

.......................................................................................................................................................

52-53

Training and dissemination

..........................................................................................................................

54-55

Laboratories

................................................................................................................................................

56-57

Spotlight on: ICHET laboratories

.....................................................................................................................

58-59

Corporate information

......................................................................................................................................

60-67

Human resources

........................................................................................................................................

62-63

Budget evolution

.........................................................................................................................................

64-65

Partnerships

................................................................................................................................................

66-67

Closing words: “The hydrogen challenge”

.............................................................................................................

70-73

Acknowledgement

.....................................................................................................................................................

79

9

>>

“

”

Our ecosystem will no longer be able to nurture

the human species if the exploitation and consumption

of fossil fuel sources continues at its current rate.

Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

ICHET Managing Director

>> Foreword >>

11

>>

10

>>

Shaping a vision

The International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET) is a project of the

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) founded in Istanbul in 2004

and supported by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Today, at ICHET,

our engineers and scientists help implement a variety of hydrogen and hydrogen-inclusive

projects with universities, R&D institutes and other partners in the public and private sector,

with special emphasis on the latter for private sector involvement is a must in order to market

hydrogen technology products and achieve their industrialization. An endeavour reflecting

7

years of operation on the hydrogen energy front, this book is an opportunity to sit and look

back at our achievements in order to better gauge what is still ahead. More than a compila

-

tion of corporate statistics, demonstration projects and R&D programmes, it documents a

coherent vision supplemented by real-life implementations that are laying the foundations of

the first stages of a hydrogen inclusive economy.

UNIDO-ICHET Managing Director Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

Because our ecosystem will no longer be able to nurture the human spe

-

cies if the exploitation and consumption of fossil fuel sources continues

at its current rate, the gradual switch to clean energy resources has be

-

come a necessity. With an energy yield per weight unit triple that of fossil

fuels, hydrogen is the ideal energy carrier and storage medium and can

rightfully boast its zero carbon footprint when produced from renewable

resources.

Burnt in internal combustion engines, hydrogen can be converted into

thermal and kinetic energy. More importantly, it can also be turned directly into electricity

within fuel cells, those amazing electro-chemical devices that combine hydrogen with ambi

-

ent oxygen to produce electricity through a completely noise free process which releases

no more than pure water as a combustion product. Be it with internal combustion engines

or fuel cells, hydrogen applications can cover a wide range of needs, from transportation to

stationary systems through residential usage.

13

>>

Hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to be the key technologies that will facilitate the

transition to a low carbon energy future in a similar way that oil and the internal combustion

engine displaced coal and the steam engine. Although hydrogen can be produced from

numerous primary energy sources, it is its production from renewables that renders it a

sustainable energy carrier. Along with biofuels, synthetic fuels and electricity, hydrogen is

foreseen to be one of the future energy carriers in transport and stationary applications. The

United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan have been investing heavily in the

development of hydrogen production, storage and use technologies including fuel cells, with

hydrogen playing a prominent role in their long term energy scenarios. Until recently how

-

ever, such efforts have been rare in the developing world, risking the opening of yet another

technology divide.

Towards renewable hydrogen

>> Introduction >>

Primary sources

Wind, sun and

biomass are some of

the renewable

primary energy

sources that could

be used in the

frame of a hydrogen

inclusive economy..

15

>>

14

>>

On 18

th

March 1974, a group of scientists and engineers, later to be known as the Hydrogen Romantics,

met at the “The Hydrogen Economy Miami Energy” (THEME) conference and proposed the Hydrogen

Economy or Hydrogen Energy System as part of the solution addressing the interrelated global problems

of the depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental damage caused by their utilization. UNIDO, rec

-

ognizing the potential of hydrogen energy to better economic and environmental conditions, proposed

the establishment of an International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies and commissioned a

report on this issue to one of these Hydrogen Romantics: Prof. Nejat Veziroglu. This Centre was to pro

-

mote the conversion to a hydrogen inclusive economy by encouraging, coordinating and speeding-up

hydrogen energy related activities in the developing world. Candidate sites for the location of the Centre

were evaluated on the basis that they should be situated between the developed and developing coun

-

tries, be easily reachable and benefit from the support of an industrial nation. The city of Istanbul in

Turkey, located between the two continents of Europe and Asia and close to a third, Africa, fulfilled all

these requirements. As a result of discussions and negotiations, Turkish Government agreed to spon

-

sor and host this Centre and to commit $40M of initial funding. The Trust Fund Agreement establishing

the Centre was signed on 21

st

October 2003 by Director General of UNIDO, H. E. Carlos Magarinos,

and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Dr. M. Hilmi Guler. Ratification of the

treaty, soon followed paving the way for the centre’s commencement with Dr. Veziroglu as its founding

director. When ICHET started operation

on 19

th

May 2004, some sixteen years

of behind-the-scenes lobbying, negotia

-

tion and diplomacy had finally come to

fruition. Dr. Veziroglu retired on April 31

st

2007, leaving Dr. Engin Türe in charge for

an interim period. Dr. Mustafa Hatipoglu

was then appointed Managing Director

of the Centre on 1

st

February 2008. The

vast majority of ICHET projects have

been completed under his direction.

Economic development

Since the establishment of its full hu

-

man resource and laboratory structure

in 2009, ICHET has been overtly active on all fronts of the hydrogen energy arena through its support

to R&D and by implementing demonstration projects. More than ever its role is not only to support,

demonstrate and promote viable hydrogen energy technologies with the aims of enhancing future eco

-

nomic development, particularly in emerging countries, but also to prevent the widening of the energy

and technology gap while skipping over the fossil fuel phase.

The birth and role of ICHET

>> Introduction >>

Dr. Hilmi Güler (left) and Mr. Carlos Magarinos (right) signing the ICHET Trust Fund Agreement

on 21

st

October 2003.

17

>>

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources or MENR (Turkish: Enerji ve

Tabii Kaynaklar Bakanlıgı) is the government ministry office of the Republic

of Turkey responsible for energy and natural resources related affairs in

Turkey.cIts mission is to reduce Turkey’s external energy dependencies and

contribute to national welfare through efficient, effective, safe, timely and

environmentally friendly use of energy and natural resource.

Between 1990 and 2008 in Turkey, annual average rate of increase in primary energy demand was realized as 4,3

%.

Turkey has had the highest rate of energy demand increase of any other OECD countries over the past 10 years.

Similarly, since 2000, Turkey has been the second largest economy after China for having the highest rate of in

-

crease in electricity and gas demand. Projections show that this trend will continue in the medium run. According to

the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız, in order to address this demand increase while making a

rational use of natural resources, “it is of great importance to [...] diversify energy production using new technologies

and increase the efficiency of the existing technologies, and implement policies and strategies which

intend to use alternative energy sources”.

>> Spotlight on: ICHET donors >>

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

is a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in

Vienna, Austria. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate sustain

-

able industrial development in developing countries and economies

in transition, and work towards improving living conditions in the

world’s poorest countries by drawing on its combined global re

-

sources and expertise. In recent years, UNIDO has assumed an

enhanced role in the global development agenda by focusing its

activities on poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environ

-

mental sustainability. Energy is a prerequisite for poverty reduction.

Still, fundamental changes in the way societies produce and con

-

sume are indispensable for achieving global sustainable development.

UNIDO therefore promotes sustainable patterns of industrial consump

-

tion and production. As a leading provider of services for improved

industrial energy efficiency and sustainability, UNIDO assists

developing countries and transition economies in imple

-

menting multilateral environmental agreements and

in simultaneously reaching their economic

and environmental goals.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey

UNIDO Director General

Kandeh Yumkella.

Turkish Minister of Energy and

Natural Resources Taner Yıldız.

17

>>

Courtesy of MENR

Courtesy of UNIDO

Caption

headline

Torporrunt. Ducil

invero de porenis

ma voluptam aut

que nonessuntis

doluptate

nonsequidis

soluptatus, opta

dipsust, cusae

natecte sanditisit

eos vollia sam venihit

aturiscient.

19

>>

Hydrogen technologies already exist. ICHET is playing a crucial

role in promoting them and ensuring that hydrogen finds its

place in the UN energy vision, strategy and implementation

plans. This promotion is best achieved through demonstrations

of viable technologies with the aim not only of drawing attention

but also to gain experience, identify areas for improvement and

solve the remaining engineering and logistical problems.

Fuel cell

based forklifts

p.20-21

Implementing

hydrogen islands

p.26-29

Uninterruptible

power systems

p.22-23

The Ecocaravan

hits the road

p.30-33

Autorickshaws

in New-Delhi

p.24-25

Around the

Golden Horn

p.34-41

Projects

21

>>

A hydrogen fuel cell forklift prototype was realized in 2007 with a local manufacturer. The concept

will be replicated at three sites in Europe for a total of 10 vehicles and their refuelling stations.

H

2

Ecolift

Fitted with a 2

x

4

kW

engine, the H

2

Ecolift

has a lifting capacity

of up to 1500

kg.

Forklift vehicles are one of the

mainstays of modern industries

and businesses and are found

anywhere heavy items need to

be moved from one place to an

-

other. Commonly, electric motors

powered by lead acid batteries

provide locomotion and lift, but al

-

though lead acid batteries are well

established technologies, many

problems are still inherent in their

use.

A fully operational system

In particular, batteries require con

-

siderable times for charging before

use, are prone to voltage reduc

-

tions as charge decreases and

suffer long change over times. In

contrast, systems in which batter

-

ies are replaced by modern fuel

cell packs exhibit none of these

drawbacks and are being touted

as serious competitors to tradi

-

tional forklifts.

In 2007, ICHET identified fork

-

lifts as a key area and developed,

in collaboration with its partner

Çumitas, a fully operational system

that has been used at a num

-

ber of test sites in Turkey. Taking

this concept a stage further in

2010, ICHET started a collabora

-

tion with the SHEL project of the

European commission Fuel Cells

and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

to build a fleet of forklifts and op

-

erate them in locations throughout

Europe.

❐

Fuel cell powered forklifts

>> Projects >>

Turkey, Spain and UK

“Sustainable Hydrogen

Evaluation in Logistics”

(SHEL) project will be

implementing 10 forklifts

and their refuelling

stations in 3 sites located

in Turkey, Spain and UK.

Its main aim is to evaluate

market readiness.

G. D.

23

>>

IDO

The control room,

turnstyles and voice

announcement

system of Istanbul

Sea Bus company

(IDO) headquarters

are protected by a

hydrogen fuel cell

uninterruptible

power unit.

Following the succesful installation of a hydrogen uninterruptible power system in Istanbul,

ICHET is now participating in a EU project aiming at installing 19 such systems throughout Europe.

Uninterruptible power systems

(UPS) have typically relied on die

-

sel generators or batteries for

backup energy storage. Recent

advances in hydrogen fuel cell

technologies, however, have pro

-

vided an environmentally friendly

solution. ICHET has inaugurated

on 2

nd

August 2009 the installation

of such a PEM hydrogen fuel cell

based UPS system in the Yenikapı

pier headquarter offices of Istanbul

Sea Bus company (IDO), thus al

-

lowing the demonstration of this

technology to millions of commut

-

ers every year.

ICHET is also project partner of the

FITUP project. Conceived within

the framework of the European

commission Fuel Cells and

Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, this

project aims at installing a total of

19 fuel cell systems as UPS/back

-

up power sources in selected sites

across Europe by the end of 2013.

Market entry

Exemple real-world customers have

been selected from the telecom

-

munications and hotel industries.

They will utilize the fuel cell-based

systems at their sites and employ

power consumption levels ranging

between 1 and 10

kW. These units

will demonstrate a level of technical

performance (start-up time, reli

-

ability, durability, number of cycles)

that qualifies them for market entry,

thereby accelerating the commer

-

cialization of this technology in

Turkey, Europe and elsewhere.

❐

Fuel cell UPS installations

>> Projects >>

UPS projects facts

5

kW.

The power consumption

of the Yenikapı UPS

system.

Turkey Vodafone Headquarters.

One of the 19 sites, along

with Swisscom and

Lucerne cantonal police,

to be equipped by a UPS

in the frame of FITUP.

Courtesy of IDO

25

>>

Three wheeled vehicles are a very

popular mode of transport in many

Asian metropolises. By converting

them to run on hydrogen, a drastic

reduction in the levels of air pol

-

lutants they cause in urban areas

can be achieved. Local produc

-

tion of hydrogen from indigenous

renewable energy sources also

has the potential to reduce overall

greenhouse gas emissions as well

as lessen dependence on import

-

ed fossil fuels.

To this end, the implementation

of a demonstration fleet of 15

hydrogen internal combustion

engine propelled autorickshaws

was initiated in March 2009 in

India. The fleet is to be used to

carry passengers and goods in

New Delhi at the Pragati Maidan

exhibition grounds, the largest

of the country, and is being ser

-

viced by a refuelling station built

on the site as part of the project.

This project has been realized by

a consortium of local and interna

-

tional partners including ICHET,

IIT Delhi, Mahindra & Mahindra,

Air Products and UNIDO India. It

also benefited from the support of

ITPO and of the Indian Ministry of

New and Renewable Energies.

Cost reduction

A series of new energy policy

measures have recently been tak

-

en by India which may lead to the

country playing a significant role

in the development of hydrogen

energy technologies and contrib

-

ute to the creation of a real market

through mass production and re

-

duced costs.

❐

Hydrogen autorickshaws can efficiently address the pollution iss

ues of many Asian metropolises.

As part of its new energy policies, India is currently implementing a demonstration fleet.

Hy-Alpha

prototype

Mathew Abraham,

from Mahindra &

Mahindra, posing

next to the Hy-

Alpha hydrogen

autorickshaw

prototype.

India goes for hydrogen

30,000

The number of PEM fuel

cell units ordered by India

Telecoms in May 2008.

The single largest fuel cell

supply contract to date.

2020 GIFT and GIP

Indian government

hydrogen inclusive

initiatives for transport

and stationary

applications.

Hydrogen for the masses

>> Projects >>

29

>>

28

>>

sources when converting gener

-

ated electricity into hydrogen.

The system will be providing elec

-

tricity back to the building at times

of low sunlight and wind condi

-

tions through the genset and fuel

cells.

In the Cook Islands

A number of technological devel

-

opment tests will be performed

both to demonstrate the practical

nature of the system and provide

training activities to engineers from

the developing world.

Profiting from this experience and

with financing from the Global

Environment Facility (GEF), ICHET

is realizing a similar project on

Aitutaki, an island of the Cook

Islands in the South Pacific. In

this case, a 200

kW photovoltaic

system is to be connected to the

900

kW peak autonomous island

grid. To avoid possible grid in

-

stability, any excess solar power

will be converted to hydrogen by

a 50

kW electrolyser and, after

compression, stored for further us

-

age by fuel cells. To explore and

promote concepts of hydrogen

energy for remote island com

-

munities, ICHET is leading a new

Annex of the International Energy

Agency Hydrogen Implementing

Agreement. The “Distributed and

Community Hydrogen” annex will

investigate the technical, economic

and social strengths and weak

-

nesses of such systems in existing

installations around the globe.

❐

Island communities can greatly benefit from the usage of clean, renewabl

e energy sources.

ICHET is realizing such a project

on Bozcaada island in the Aegean

sea. It consists of 20

kW of pho

-

tovoltaic panels, a 30

kW wind

turbine, a 50

kW – 10

Nm

3

/hour

capacity electrolyser, hydrogen

storage for 60

kg of hydrogen, a

35

kW hydrogen gen-set and a

25

kW PEM fuel cell. The com

-

plete system will be installed in

the spring of 2011 in a plot at the

Governor’s building. Both the local

Governor and Mayor of Bozcaada

have welcomed the opportunity to

erect the system on the island.

Hydrogen will be produced from

electricity generated by the PV

panels and wind turbine. A spe

-

cial electrolyser has been chosen

that can accommodate the rapid

and stochastic power changes in

electrical output typical of such

H

2

system on

Bozcaada island

The renewable

hydrogen facility

installed by ICHET

on Bozcaada Island

Governorship site

consists of a

30

kW wind turbine,

a 20

kW array of

photovoltaic cells

and a 25

kW PEM

fuel cell.

>> Hydrogen islands

>>

>> Projects >>

31

>>

Using renewable energies in mo

-

bile houses is a reality today, but

associating renewable energies

with hydrogen, and efficiently us

-

ing renewable energies is still much

undeveloped. In many cases, re

-

newable energies can replace

those from traditional sources, but

the main constraint is how these

energies can be stored. Hydrogen

is a viable solution for storing sur

-

plus energy for later use.

Based on the idea of bringing to

-

gether these different concepts to

develop a self-sustainable mobile

dwelling, the Ecocaravan is a RV

type vehicle, a self-sustained liv

-

ing space complete with all the

modern facilities. It is an evolution

of the Mobile Renewable House

ICHET project.

One week autonomy

Fitted with a small wind turbine

and an array of photovoltaic cells,

the Ecocaravan is able to pro

-

duce its own electricity from wind

and solar energy or, in absence

thereof, from the stored hydrogen

obtained through electrolysis dur

-

ing excess electricity production.

Its mobility, reactivity and flexibility

are its distinctive hallmark: an au

-

tonomous self propelled living unit

which can rely on its hydrogen

stock for approximately one week

of normal usage and is therefore

suitable for operation in remote

areas or in emergency relief con

-

ditions.

❐

The Ecocaravan is an experimental RV type vehicle harnessing the power of wind and sun within

a comprehensive hydrogen production, storage and usage system for increased autonomy.

In stationary

mode

When stationary, the

Ecocaravan deploys

its wind turbine and

sun tracking PV cells

in order to recharge

its energy reserves.

The Ecocaravan hits the road

>> Projects >>

Ecocaravan figures

1710

W

Sun tracking PV panels

1000

W

Retractible wind turbine

1200

W

PEM fuel cell

5000

L - 15000

Wh

Metal hydride hydrogen

storage

35

>>

Transport

routes

A number of

transport routes

ensuring high visibility

for the project are

currently being

studied by Istanbul

municipality.

Refuelling station

(Eyüp)

Bus route

Beşiktaş

Edirnekapı

A flooded prehistoric estuary

used as a natural harbour under

the Bizantine Empire, the Golden

Horn later became a major ship

-

yard location during the Ottoman

empire. Today the Golden Horn is

once again becoming the focus of

attentions, not only because of the

countless historical sites and lei

-

sure sites that surround it, but also

because it is to be the heart of a

threefold hydrogen public trans

-

portation project conducted jointly

by Istanbul Municipality and the

International Centre for Hydrogen

Energy Technologies.

The project consists of the de

-

velopment of a hybrid bus, of a

passenger ship and of a hydro

-

gen filling station. The bus and the

passenger ship will be integrated

into the Istanbul public transpor

-

tation network once the hydrogen

filling station required for their op

-

eration is up and running.

A World Premiere

Hydrogen energy transportation

technologies by themselves are

indeed useless if not appropriate

-

ly supplemented with hydrogen

fuelling infrastructures. By bringing

together all these complementary

aspects of hydrogen transpor

-

tation (land transportation, sea

transportation, refuelling), the

Golden Horn project will be a

milestone in the development of

hydrogen related transportation

systems in Turkey.

The Golden Horn filling station will

be the first hydrogen filling station

in Turkey, and a world first as a hy

-

drogen facility supplying both sea

and land transportation vehicles.

ICHET and Istanbul Municipality are working for the implementation of a series of high visibility

hydrogen energy public transportation projects centred on a refuelling facility in the Golden Horn.

Commuting in Istanbul

Istanbul Municipality

operates 2768 buses

and 44 ships. 2.5 million

privately owned cars are

commuting every day

in Istanbul. More than

2

millions Istanbulites

commute in buses and

ships every day.

Hydrogen in the Golden Horn

!

>> Projects >>

Ship routes

37

>>

A hydrogen filling station located

on the Golden Horn banks is be

-

ing developed in partnership with

Istanbul Greater City Municipality.

Upon completetion in May 2012,

it will be used as a production,

storage and refuelling facility with

the capability of dispensing up to

65

kg of hydrogen gas per day to

the buses and ships which are

currently being worked on as part

of the Golden Horn project.

Hydrogen Highway

The location of the filling station

is specifically chosen in order to

supply both buses and ships at

a single lo

-

cation. It

will be in

-

strumental in supporting

Turkey’s automotive sector’s

endeavours towards the develop

-

ment of clean energy vehicles by

providing them real life test op

-

portunities for hydrogen powered

vehicles. The Golden Horn fuelling

station is planned to be the first

step of an upcoming “hydrogen

corridor”.

While hydrogen systems are often

experimented in small size vehi

-

cles such as cars and SUVs, there

are considerably fewer hydrogen

powered buses in operation.

The second part of the Golden

Horn project consists in the devel

-

opment of a hybrid bus propelled

by a hydrogen internal combus

-

tion engine and a battery pack

of 140

kW combined power. Its

design has benefitted consider

-

ably from local manufacturers’

expertise in bus construction and

development and local conditions.

Environmentally friendly

The hybrid bus will not only reduce

emissions under city traffic condi

-

tions, but also to allow savings on

fuel consumption. This project will

gain from the high visibility of a bus

route passing through historical

sites in Western Istanbul. The city

will be an important test ground

for the running of the bus in con

-

gested traffic and ICHET will be

collecting precious technical data

whilst conducting the first opera

-

tional phase.

>> Projects >>

Istanbul tour on board a hybrid hydrogen bus

A fuelling station for land and sea transportation

>> Golden Horn projects

>>

The Istanbul Golden Horn project

includes the development of a

hydrogen powered ship with, as

the main stakeholders, Istanbul

Municipality and its technology

development company Belbim.

Externally funded, this passenger

boat project is being realized with

the support of ICHET, which pro

-

vides its technical expertise and

fuel cell testing facilities.

Propelled by an electric motor

and powered by a 48

kW fuel cell

stack, this vessel will be carry

-

ing up to 50 passengers around

the Golden Horn. As is the case

with the hybrid bus project, the

operation of the ship will be the

opportunity to collect technical

data in order to precisely assess

the benefits of the system.

The hydrogen powered ship pro

-

ject is also part of a larger ICHET

scheme aiming at transferring hy

-

drogen related expertise to third

parties.

Start of operation by end 2011

Smaller-sized similar hydrogen fuel

cell boats are being developed in

projects ran in five Turkish univer

-

sities with support from ICHET,

which is donating the fuel cell

and necessary hydrogen related

parts. The university teams are

already benefiting from ICHET

training and expertise in hy

-

drogen energy systems

as well as from ICHET’s

fuel cell test facilities in

order to develop their

vessels, whose op

-

eration is planned

to take place in the

Golden Horn and in selected in

shore waters. The boats are

expected to be completed

and start operation by the

end of 2011.

❐

On the Golden Horn in hydrogen powered boats

39

>>

38

>>

>> Golden Horn projects

>>

Hybrid bus

The 90 kW HICE based

hybrid bus prototype

will be based on the

existing “Cobra” bus

model developed by

the Turkish company

Güleryüz.

Passenger ship

A hydrogen fuel cell

powered 50-passenger

vessel designed together

with Istanbul Municipal

Data Processing

Corporation is to be

launched in 2012.

Caption

headline

Torporrunt. Ducil

invero de porenis

ma voluptam aut

que nonessuntis

doluptate

nonsequidis

soluptatus, opta

dipsust, cusae

natecte sanditisit

eos vollia sam venihit

aturiscient.

43

>>

While the principles and blueprints of the hydrogen energy

technology basics have by now become widely available, the

full scale implementation of a hydrogen inclusive economy still

requires further applied R&D effort, especially in countries aiming

at developing their own capabilities. ICHET is supporting such

efforts through the financing of selected consortia based research

programmes.

Local fuel cell

production

p.

44-45

House type

cogeneration

p.

46-47

Hydrogen and

hythane engines

p.

48-49

Applied R&D

A

fuel cell

is an

electrochemi

-

cal cell

that

converts

chemical

energy

from a fuel into

electric

energy. Its principle was discov

-

ered by German scientist

Christian

Friedrich Schönbein

in 1838.

Fuel cells are already used as pow

-

er sources in remote locations,

such as spacecrafts (Apollo, Space

Shuttle), remote weather stations,

large parks, rural locations, and in

certain military applications. A fuel

cell system running on hydrogen

can be compact and lightweight,

and has no major moving parts,

hence achieving a theoretical reli

-

ability close to 100%.

Wherever the transition to a hydro

-

gen economy takes place, local

fuel cell manufacturing will be a

major asset. As part of its R&D

support activities, ICHET is fund

-

ing such project in Turkey.

$500,000 funding

The goal of the project is to design

and industrialize a 3

kW PEM fuel

cell, the membrane electrode as

-

sembly and plates of which have

to be manufactured in Turkey.

The fuel cell has to withstand over

1000 hours of system operation.

Following a successful project

proposal, a consortium coordinat

-

ed by the Middle-East Technical

University in Ankara will ben

-

efit from $

500,000 funding from

ICHET.

❐

Domestic fuel cell production capabilities are a definite asset

for countries willing to perform the

switch towards a hydrogen inclusive system. A related R&D project is currently underway in Turkey.

PEM

fuel cell

In the hydrogen–

oxygen

proton

exchange

membrane fuel

cell

(PEMFC), a

proton-conducting

polymer

membrane,

(the electrolyte),

separates the

anode and

cathode sides.

By Nécropotame at fr.wikipedia [FAL], from Wikimedia Commons

45

>>

Fuel cell production in Turkey

>> R&D >>

H

e

-

O

H

+

Bipolar plate

Electrode

Gas diffusion layer

Membrane

2

H

2

Air (O )

2

Paradigm change

Hydrogen can replace

the fossil fuel burned

in

internal combustion

engines

and

turbines

as

the primary way to

convert chemical energy

into kinetic or electrical

energy, hereby eliminating

greenhouse gas

emissions and pollution.