OFCHC Global Spotlight

The Global Spotlight is OFCHC's bi-weekly news feed, that covers a comprehensive list of the most recent top news in the global fuel cell and hydrogen industry. With OFCHC's Global spotlight, we keep you at the forefront of developments in research, industry and academia.

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In The News

DOE announces $3.2 million in vouchers to advance hydrogen businesses and products

February 2, 2024

Hydrogen-related selections are part of a larger $9.8 million in support for 111 small businesses and organizations nationwide to advance the clean energy economy.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the selection of 31 entities to receive $3.2 million in voucher support to advance a range of clean hydrogen technologies. This announcement is part of larger rollout of $9.8 million presented to 111 small businesses and other organizations. DOE-funded vouchers will be used to obtain in-kind support from participating organizations.

ZEROING IN ON ZETS – January 2024 Update

January 30, 2024

The fourth publication in CALSTART’s Zeroing in on Zero-Emission Trucks series, this update highlights the continued increase in medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission truck (ZET) deployments in the United States. Providing a concise and current snapshot of the dynamic U.S. MHD truck market (Class 2b–8), it presents deployment statistics for ZETs and characterizes the existing U.S. MHD truck market as of June 2023.

NORTHEAST OHIO STARTUP FLYING HIGH WITH DEFENSE CONTRACT FOR LIQUID-HYDROGEN FUELED DRONES

January 25, 2024

Seven years toiling in a Lorain County Airport hangar has paid off for small business owner Mark Haberbusch, whose company has landed a multimillion-dollar defense contract to pursue liquid hydrogen-powered flight for drones.

Haberbusch’s company, NEOEx Systems, Inc, was awarded a $6.4 million subcontract earlier this year to develop systems that fuel and fly drones for the Army. NEOEx is developing a portable refueling station that delivers liquid hydrogen to drones weighing up to 55 pounds. Those drones, outfitted with NEOEx’s on-board storage and power system, can fly up to 20 hours and 1,000 miles.

The Next Diesel? GM and Honda Start U.S. Production of Hydrogen Fuel Cells

January 25, 2024

The fuel cells will find homes in the Honda CR-V, heavy-duty trucks, construction and mining equipment, and power generators.

Hydrogen will likely remain a niche technology among cars, pickups, and SUVs, but like diesel has been an alternative to gas, Hydrogen still stands a decent chance of becoming the fuel of choice for long-distance trucking, heavy-duty work, and power generation in a zero-carbon-emissions future.

Plug Power Starts Production of Liquid Green Hydrogen at its Georgia Plant

January 25, 2024

Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG), a global leader in comprehensive hydrogen solutions for the green hydrogen economy, has started operation of the largest liquid green hydrogen plant in the U.S. market.

A truly unique accomplishment, this is the largest electrolytic liquid hydrogen production plant, and largest PEM electrolyzer deployment operating in the U.S., representing a landmark achievement in Plug’s build-out of a vertically integrated hydrogen ecosystem.

Highlights from 2023—a Big Year for Clean Hydrogen

January 17, 2024

At the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), across the United States, and all over the world, 2023 was a year to remember for clean hydrogen.

For decades, DOE has been laying the foundation of our nation’s clean-hydrogen economy by driving down costs and improving technologies through research, development, and demonstration (RD&D), while advancing technologies from the lab to demonstration phases and breaking down barriers to deployment and commercialization. 

The past twelve months saw much of that groundwork pay off.

“Dirt-powered fuel cell” draws near-limitless energy from soil

January 17, 2024

A Northwestern University team has demonstrated a remarkable new way to generate electricity, with a paperback-sized device that nestles in soil and harvests power created as microbes break down dirt – for as long as there’s carbon in the soil.

Microbial fuel cells, as they’re called, have been around for more than 100 years. They work a little like a battery, with an anode, cathode and electrolyte – but rather than drawing electricity from chemical sources, they work with bacteria that naturally donate electrons to nearby conductors as they chow down on soil.

Fuel Cell Electric Trucks Are Coming, Ready Or Not

January 11, 2024

The road ahead has not gotten much easier for fuel cell cars, but trucks are a different matter. Just a couple of weeks ago, Isuzu and Honda kicked off a months-long road test of their GIGA FUEL CELL heavy-duty truck, ahead of a commercial launch anticipated in 2027. They better act fast, because more fuel cell trucks are headed for the highways this year.

Register Today for the Hydrogen Infrastructure Strategies Workshop in Denver

December 26, 2023

This two-day event will convene stakeholders from industry, academia, national laboratories, and government to explore strategies to develop and demonstrate clean hydrogen storage, delivery, and dispensing infrastructure in three high-impact sectors:

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell inspired by the structure of a lung

December 20, 2023

In a valuable contribution to ongoing research projects on development of innovative bipolar plate designs for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, scientists from the University of Seville and the Paul Scherrer Institute have published two papers, one in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energies, and one in Electrochimica Acta.