Intelligent Energy supplies fuel cells for US Department of Defence Microgrid project
- Intelligent Energy to provide 600kW of PEM fuel cells for US Department of Defence microgrid project
- IE’s US partner, BWR Innovations, will lead project located at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, HI
- Initiative aims to develop capabilities for a hydrogen fuel cell microgrid and pave the way for future clean energy projects promoting regional stability and energy security
Loughborough – 07 May 2024 – Intelligent Energy (IE), the UK’s leading fuel cell developer and manufacturer, is proud to announce its role in supplying fuel cells for a US Department of Defence (DoD) microgrid project.
As part of the initiative, IE will provide 600kW of fuel cells to support the development and integration of capabilities for a hydrogen fuel cell microgrid (H2MG) at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, HI.
BWR Innovations, the US partner of IE, has been awarded a two-year sub award contract by The Global Connective Centre, LLC, as part of a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to lead the initiative.
The primary objective of the project is to promote operational energy resilience by demonstrating the feasibility and performance of solar-hydrogen storage in support of island-able microgrids.
The project will expand upon the existing 1.5MW Pacific Energy Assurance Renewables Laboratory (PEARL) PV microgrid, established in 2016 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii. Its goal is to improve knowledge of hydrogen energy operations and create a blueprint for replicating hydrogen microgrids for the DoD.
BWR Innovations will deliver the hydrogen fuel cell microgrid, which will include a 1MW electrolyser, compressor, 600kg of hydrogen storage, 600kW of PEM fuel cells and the software integration to control and integrate into the existing microgrid.
As the fuel cell manufacturer, IE will supply 6 IE-DRIVETM HD100 systems to the company. IE-DRIVE HD100 is IE’s high power fuel cell designed and developed as a turnkey heavy-duty system for stationary and motive applications.
The company’s patented direct water injection technology means DRIVE’s heat exchanger is up to 30% smaller than its competitors at equal net power output, making it an ideal choice for applications requiring compact, reliable and efficient hydrogen power generation.
Dr. Joel Jorgenson, BWR President and CEO, said:
“BWR is proud to have been selected as the equipment vendor and integrator in this critical Air Force project for clean grid resilience. This project is an important demonstration for the BWR hydrogen fuel cell integration technology. We expect that the results from this project will reflect the importance of hydrogen as a critical component in the clean energy microgrid solutions.”
The project will demonstrate an initial proof of concept (known as PEARL H2) for DoD microgrids using hydrogen offtake for fuel cell power production and will explore transportable capability to support military operations. H2MG offers significant transition opportunities, scaling from the initial PEARL H2 Microgrid proof of concept to strategic locations worldwide that promote regional stability and energy security.
Andrea Trevisan, Head of Sales – IE-DRIVE, added:
“Hydrogen fuel cells offer a more flexible and cost effective zero emission power generation solution for off-grid energy systems, back-up power solutions and grid balancing needs. We are very proud to be BWR’s fuel cell partner and to contribute to this breakthrough DoD project with potential to become the building block for future off-grid zero emission power generation.”
Join us in powering the hydrogen future ®
ENDS
About Intelligent Energy Limited
Intelligent Energy is a leader in the development and manufacture of cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cells that overcome the limitations of conventional battery-powered systems.
The privately-owned company, which has 600 patents in place, has been innovating for more than two decades in the automotive, aerospace, power generation, telecoms, materials handling and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sectors.
With its activities spanning key markets in the UK, US, China, South Korea, and Japan, Intelligent Energy has a truly global reach.