United Kingdom SustainableHydrogen Energy Consortium

UK-SHEC

May–October 2010Semester 6 –7/10 of Programme

Presentation to Advisory GroupUK-SHEC Bi-annual Assembly

STFC, 8 November 2010

Tim Mays, University of BathPrincipal Investigator

Progress

Bi-annual AssemblyBath, 10-11 May 2010

UCL, 6-7 January 2010

Nottinghamtwo groups

Cambridge

UniversityCollege London

two groupsSTFC /ISISOxfordBath

Glamorgan

Birminghamtwo groups

Salfordtwo groups

Manchester

GlasgowStrathclydetwo groups

Production

Storage

Socio-economics

EPSRC

SwindonManagement

£5.97m EPSRC / SUPERGEN funding £7.29m full economic cost 48 months funding from 1 July 2007 12 month unfunded extension to 30 June 2012 17 UK research teams at 12 institutions 5 themes, 42 workpackages

Number Work monthsInvestigators 30 86Research staff 25 665Research students 8 288Support staff 8 85TOTAL 71 1,124

UK-SHEC Current Status

http://www.uk-shec.org.uk/

• Delivery of Sustainable Hydrogen

• 14 consortia• £62m support since 2003• Over 40 institutions• Programme finishes 2010-3

SUPERGEN Current Status

Professor Peter Edwards, FRSUniversity of Oxford

Management DirectorChair, Management Committee

Dr Tim MaysUniversity of Bath

Operations Director &EPSRC Principal Investigator

Mrs Lacey-Jane DavisUniversity of Bath

Operations Co-ordinator &Secretary, Management Committee& Advisory Group

UK-SHEC Management and Timeline

Start date1 July 2007

2007 / 8 2008 / 9 2009 / 10 2010 / 11 2011 / 12

Original end date30 June 2011

Extended end date30 June 2012

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10Timeline

Year

Semester

Dr David HartImperial College & E4tech

Chair, Advisory Group

BathMay 10

S5

STFCNovember 10

UK-SHEC Scope

• UK-SHEC is a multi-partner, interdisciplinary collaboration funded by the EPSRC’s SUPERGEN initiative and led by the Universities of Bath and Oxford.

• The Consortium aims, via high-impact fundamental and applied research in science, engineering and socio-economics, to acquire and disseminate knowledge and understanding of, and to guide and inform the use and integration of, sustainable hydrogen energy systems, nationally and internationally, and in partnership with the broader academic community, industry, business, policymakers and the public.

• Core research themes cover generation of hydrogen from biomass fermentation, solid-state storage of hydrogen and the analysis and modelling of the socio-economics of hydrogen energy.

UK-SHEC Vision

• UK-SHEC considers that hydrogen ultimately derived from renewable

sources and used as an energy vector in both mobile and static

applications must be considered as a major component of a sustainable

energy future in the UK and internationally.

• Hydrogen will inter alia lead to a reduction in use of limited fossil fuel

reserves, improved air quality, increased security and flexibility of

energy supply, greater energy diversity and the support of existing

and new industries.

• But most important, hydrogen will be key in the raft of energy

technologies leading to reduced emissions to the atmosphere of

greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide from the combustion of

fossil fuels, and hence to the mitigation of global climate change,

which evidence suggests (IPCC, AR4) is anthropogenic.

UK-SHEC High Level Objectives

1. To advance knowledge and understanding of the generation of hydrogen from biomass.

2. To advance knowledge and understanding of the complex processes and mechanisms of hydrogen storage in materials and to search for new, effective hydrogen storage materials.

3. To investigate and model integrated hydrogen energy systems.

4. To advance knowledge and understanding the social and economic implications of a transition to sustainable energy systems that involve hydrogen.

5. To provide the basis for genuine multidisciplinary and collaborative research in hydrogen energy and to build capacity for the next generation of researchers in hydrogen energy.

6. To facilitate and drive effective exchange and sharing of knowledge and understanding of sustainable hydrogen energy between the Consortium and the broader academic community, industry, business, policymakers and the public.

UK-SHEC Progress Overview1. Snowbound Consortium meeting in UCL (January).2. Re-arranged Consortium meeting at Bath (May) including break-out group discussion on

Hydrogen Energy Futures3. Period May-October is the conference and vacation season … but …4. All work packages operating effectively (throughout).5. Wide range of disseminated research in papers and at meetings, conferences and workshops

nationally and internationally (throughout).6. Management Committee teleconference (July) including participation by colleagues from

SUPERGEN Delivery of Sustainable Hydrogen Consortium and EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and their Applications.

7. Arrangements developing for 2011 Showcase and KTA Fellowship for Mays (September)8. Delayed RCUK International Energy Review (October).9. Submission of 7th Annual Report to EPSRC covering period July 2009 to June 2010 (October).10. This meeting (November).

UK-SHEC Forward Plan (May-October 2010)

1. Firm up funding and arrangements for end-2010 showcase event(s) at Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society.

2. Revise project Gantt charts in view of extension.3. Establish UK-SHEC archive.4. Management Committee meeting (June).5. Re-arranged RCUK International Energy Review (to be confirmed).6. Lead development of UK Hydrogen Energy Programme concept.

Theme 1: Hydrogen Production

• A £6.3 million project, titled Cymru H2 Wales was funded by the Innovation theme of the EU Convergence Region Funding and the University of Glamorgan. The project will fund 20 research posts in the area of hydrogen systems research including biohydrogen.

• A £240,000 grant from the UK Department of Transport`s Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Programme supported the development of the South Wales Alternative Fuel Gateway Project. This will support the deployment of second hydrogen and CNG vehicle refuelling station for the University of Glamorgan.

• In October 2009 in collaboration with UPS Systems plc the University of Glamorgan reached the finals for ‘Environmental Technology’ at The Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards 2009 for The Hydrogen Centre at Baglan.

• From the HEFCW Low Carbon Research Institute, (£1 million) Jon Maddy, Dr Jorge Rodriguez-Rodriquez and Professor Alan Guwy have been funded for 5 years to strengthen and develop the area of hydrogen energy research.

Theme 2: Hydrogen StorageWalker, Schröder, et al., Nottingham

Gavin WalkerThe Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly

Chairin Sustainable Energy

University of Nottingham

Theme 2: Hydrogen Storage

Simulation has determined the dehydrogenation pathway of LiNH2BH3, and explained why it

releases H2 at lower temperatures

than NH3BH3

Have demonstrated that the addition of NH4Cl to LiBH4 lowers

dehydrogenation temperatures, and used simulation to understand the mechanism

Guo, Shevlin, et al., UCL

Theme 2: Hydrogen StorageMays, et al., Bath

0 1 2 3 42

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Excess data points Excess model fitted in data Estimation of absolute quantity

H2

gra

vim

etr

ic u

pta

ke /

wt%

absolute pressure p / MPa

Theme 3: Integrated Systems

Work has started to assess durability and performance of solid state stores to gas impurities in hydrogen derived from biomass

PEM fuel cells are extremely sensitive to impurities, and so very pure hydrogen is required. Dense-metal hydrogen membranes are compact and allow high-purity hydrogen recovery at steady flows. Novel Pd-based membranes to purify hydrogen from a range of sources, such as bio-hydrogen, are being investigated:• Fabricate Pd-based membranes by rolling and by sputtering• H2 permeability / sorption characterization of membrane

• Develop novel Pd-based membrane systems, to purify bio-H2

Public Engagement Exercise around the Hydrogen Energy Centre at Baglan, S E Wales

Theme 4: Demand, Innovation,Deliberation and Sustainability

UKSHEC Core Socio-economic WPs (Ekins, et al.)

• Work on role of roadmaps in innovation policy largely complete and presented at conferences in UK and Netherlands

• Stakeholder interviews underway to inform final scenarios development: informing critical branching points in socio-technical trajectories

• Technical data review in progress to support scenario modelling: roadmap targets, projections and estimates for fuel cell vehicle technologies and hydrogen production technologies

• New modelling team to start work in December

Theme 4: Demand, Innovation,Deliberation and Sustainability

• Team at Cambridge (Grubb & Cerruti) building new model to explore innovation dynamics and portfolio theory – will inform further analysis at the energy system level.

• Two-region MARKAL model (UCL) further developed, incorporating new data on bioenergy resource, waste resources, and other technologies. Some initial difficulties with calibration now being resolved.

• Resource now in place in Strathclyde for network analysis - awaiting outputs from MARKAL analysis

• Surveys and interviews complete in Greater Manchester on public perceptions work, data analysis underway.

UKSHEC Plus Socio-economic WPs (Ekins, et al.)

Theme 4: Demand, Innovation,Deliberation and Sustainability

Bellaby P with Eames M, Flynn R, editors, The role of trust in managing uncertainties in the transition to a sustainable energy economy, Energy Policy 2010 38 Special Section.

Theme 5: Management

academe

industry

business

policymakers

the public

Energy Materials Research Facility (EMReF)EPSRC Research Complex at Harwell Call

EPSRC Panel Meeting 17 November

UK-SHEC: Developments

Hydrogen Ferry inBristol Harbour

AurigaEnergyLimited

UK-SHEC: Developments

UK-SHEC: Developments

PLAN

• An extensive review of who is carrying out hydrogen energy research and where, what and how: A Hydrogen Research Landscape

• Widest possible stakeholder consultation to determine whether and how a UK Hydrogen Energy Programme should be established to

facilitate more effective co-ordination, dissemination and impact of research

inform long term energy policy and regulatory framework

boost investor confidence and reduce risk

• Principal adoption partners will be the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC)

• Significant interaction with Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Group of the Energy Generation and Supply KTN and with UK-HFCA

• Applicant is ideally placed to implement this planActive researcherKT ChampionI-SEE BoardDTC SCT Deputy-DirectorSUPERGEN PI

UK-SHEC: Developments – Mays KTA Fellowship

UK-SHEC Forward PlanNovember 2010-April 2011

1. Possible call for next stage of SUPERGEN hydrogen.2. Confirm funding and arrangements for International Hydrogen Energy

Symposium and Showcase, April 2011 (November).3. Continue to update online UK-SHEC archive and database

(throughout).4. Management Committee meeting (January 2011).5. Lead development of UK Hydrogen Energy Programme concept

(January-December 2011).

An OptimisticFuture forHydrogen

Nature, February 2004

Nature, April 2010