Cooperative research project will study the scaling and
integration of fuel cell systems for stationary power
generation
PLANO,
Texas, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor
North America (Toyota) is collaborating with the U.S. Department of
Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to
build, install and evaluate a 1-megawatt (MW) proton exchange
membrane (PEM) fuel cell power generation system at NREL's
Flatirons Campus in Arvada,
Colorado.
This 3-year, $6.5 million
collaboration is funded in part by DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy and supports DOE's H2@Scale vision for clean
hydrogen across multiple applications and economic sectors.
The 1-MW fuel cell system integrates multiple Toyota fuel cell
modules into a larger system to provide responsive stationary
power. Through a previous collaboration, NREL has demonstrated the
use of an automotive fuel cell system to provide carbon-free power
for a data center. This new system is at a significantly larger
scale, generating about 15 times more power and capable of direct
current and alternating current output.
Toyota leveraged its over 25 years of fuel cell development
experience as it designed the 1-MW system, expanding on expertise
from the light duty fuel cell electric vehicle market. Toyota is
providing the fuel cell modules and is working with systems
integrator, Telios, for the design, balance-of-plant and build of
the system for delivery to NREL. Toyota has developed an integrated
control system to manage operation of the fuel cell modules to
maximize efficiency and system life. The system demonstrates a
simplified design as a drop-in replacement to a conventional
generator.
"Achieving carbon neutrality requires all of us to explore new
applications of zero-emission technology, including how that
technology will integrate with other systems, which the project
with NREL will identify," said Christopher
Yang, group vice president, Business Development, Fuel Cell
Solutions, Toyota. "The application of our modules in deployments
of this magnitude shows the scalability of Toyota's fuel cell
technology, whether it is a single fuel cell module for one
passenger vehicle or multiple systems combined to power heavy-duty
equipment."
NREL researchers will push the operational boundaries of the
fuel cell system design to identify performance limitations and
degradation over time, generating valuable real-world data to aid
with development of future applications. Research and development
will also include assessing how the system performs when integrated
with energy storage and renewable energy generation systems, such
as solar photovoltaic and wind.
"We will study the scaling of PEM fuel cell systems for
stationary power generation to understand what the performance,
durability and system integration challenges are," said
Daniel Leighton, an NREL research
engineer and principal investigator on the project. "This fuel cell
generator system also creates a new megawatt-scale fuel cell
research capability at NREL."
The fuel cell generator is part of the Advanced Research on
Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) megawatt-scale hydrogen system
being designed and commissioned at NREL's Flatirons Campus. The
flexible system — which includes a 1.25-MW PEM electrolyzer, 600-kg
hydrogen storage system and 1-MW fuel cell generator — provides a
platform to demonstrate direct renewable hydrogen production,
energy storage, power production and grid integration at the
megawatt scale.
The fuel cell generator system will be installed this summer,
and the full system will be commissioned later in 2022.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the
cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is
committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility
through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500
dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 39,000 people in the U.S. who
have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly
32 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By
2025, Toyota's 10th plant in North
Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for
electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on
the road than any other automaker, a quarter of the company's 2021
U.S. sales were electrified.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based
fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education
hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance
to virtually visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The
hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and
curriculum through Toyota USA
Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more
information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Toyota Motor North America
Josh Burns
Joshua.Burns@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America