- Real-time energy optimisation to reduce the cost of low-carbon hydrogen for transportation
- Experts estimate hydrogen could grow into $2.5tn industry by 2050
LONDON – 18 JULY 2019 – Today, Open Energi announced its partnership with ITM Power plc (ITM.L) to reduce the cost of producing low-carbon hydrogen at electrolyser sites serving a network of vehicle refuelling stations across the UK.
Open Energi has connected its Dynamic Demand 2.0 energy optimisation platform to six 330 KW hydrogen electrolysers, including two Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRS) supplied and managed by ITM Power at Shell service stations in Cobham and Beaconsfield, and four additional ITM Power sites in Sheffield, Teddington, Rainham and Swindon.
Dynamic Demand 2.0 uses artificial intelligence to optimise hydrogen production as it relates to electricity prices and renewable generation in real-time. This information automatically matches the energy consumption required in the production of hydrogen to times when the supply of low-cost, clean energy is at its highest. By identifying and tapping into these pockets of flexible capacity in the energy grid, Open Energi will be able to reduce the cost of hydrogen production.
David Hill, Director, Open Energi, said: “With the UK setting net-zero emissions targets into law, the potential of hydrogen to act as a clean fuel source is absolutely beyond question. This is especially true for the heating and transportation sectors, which are the most difficult to decarbonise. ITM Power is leading the way when it comes to realising the potential of this technology. Our partnership will help unlock greater efficiencies in the production of hydrogen at scale, ultimately enabling consumers to reduce their bills and carbon footprints simultaneously.”
The partnership between Open Energi and ITM Power coincides with the extension of the UK refuelling collaboration agreement between ITM and Shell, which covers the refuelling of all types of hydrogen vehicles; from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, including buses, trucks, trains and ships. It also forms part of the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) programme funded by the FCHJU, a flagship project giving fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) drivers access to the first truly pan-European network of hydrogen refuelling stations.
Dr Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power, said: “We have developed an excellent working relation with Open Energi. Using electrolysis for grid balancing is a key principle in the generation of Green Hydrogen and we are delighted to be working with a world leader.”
Looking ahead, Open Energi will continue to partner with ITM Power on a range of projects designed to accelerate the to accelerate the use of low-carbon hydrogen as an energy resource with a variety of applications.
According to a report from the Hydrogen Council, developed with support of McKinsey, hydrogen has the potential to develop into a $2.5tn industry, supporting 30 million jobs by 2050. The group, which is made up of multinational companies including BMW, Toyota and Hyundai, also forecasts as many as 15 million vehicles and 500,000 trucks could be powered by hydrogen by 2030.
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About Open Energi:
Open Energi’s technology automates and optimises a network of distributed energy resources to radically reduce energy costs and provide reliable, real-time flexibility to enable a 100% renewable energy system. The platform uses artificial intelligence to safely co-ordinate distributed energy resources at scale and trade flexibility across energy markets. Ultimately, this enhances our standard of living by helping to deliver as much energy as we want at a standard price and without hurting the planet. For more information, please visit https://www.openenergi.com/.
About ITM Power plc:
ITM Power plc manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions for grid balancing, energy storage and the production of green hydrogen for transport, renewable heat and chemicals. ITM Power plc was admitted to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in 2004. In September 2017, the Company announced the completion of a £29.4m working capital fundraise. The Company signed a forecourt siting agreement with Shell for hydrogen refuelling stations in September 2015, which was extended in May 2019 to include buses, trucks, trains and ships, and subsequently a deal to deploy a 10MW electrolyser at Shell’s Rhineland refinery. The Company entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Sumitomo Corporation in July 2018 for the development of multi-megawatt projects in Japan. Additional customers and partners include Ørsted, National Grid, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, Gasunie, RWE, Engie, BOC Linde, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Anglo American among others.
About FCHJU:
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking is a unique public-private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, realising their potential as an instrument in achieving a carbon-lean energy system. The three members of the FCH JU are the European commission; the fuel cell and hydrogen industries, represented by Hydrogen Europe; and the research community, represented by research grouping Hydrogen Europe Research.
About H2ME2:
Hydrogen Mobility Europe 2 (H2ME 2) brings together action in 8 European countries to address the innovations required to make the hydrogen mobility sector truly ready for market. The project will perform a large-scale market test of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, passenger and commercial fuel cell electric vehicles operated in real-world customer applications and demonstrate the system benefits generated by using electrolytic hydrogen solutions in grid operations. H2ME 2 will increase the participation of European manufacturers into the hydrogen sector, and demonstrate new vehicles across a range of platforms, with increased choice: new cars (Honda, and Daimler), new vans (range extended vehicles from Renault/Symbio and Renault/Nissan/Intelligent Energy) and a new medium sized urban delivery truck (Renault Trucks/Symbio). H2ME 2 develops an attractive proposition around range extended vehicles and supports a major roll-out of 1,000 of these vehicles to customers in France, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. 1,230 new hydrogen fuelled vehicles will be deployed in total, trebling the existing fuel cell fleet in Europe. H2ME 2 will establish the conditions under which electrolytic refuelling stations can play a beneficial role in the energy system, and demonstrate the acquisition of real revenues from provision of energy services for aggregated electrolyser-HRS systems at a MW scale in both the UK and France. This has the further implication of demonstrating viable opportunities for reducing the cost of hydrogen at the nozzle by providing valuable energy services without disrupting refuelling operations. H2ME 2 will test 20 new HRS rigorously at high level of utilisation using the large vehicle deployment. The loading of stations by the end of the project is expected to average 20% of their daily fuelling capacity, with some stations exceeding 50% or more. This will test the HRS to a much greater extent than has been the case in previous projects.
