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In addition to producing hydrogen gas, biohydrogen production is also used to process wastewater. Therefore, this study specifically conducted value analyses of two different scenarios of fermentative hydrogen production from a biomass system: to increase the value of a wastewater treatment system and to specifically carry out hydrogen production. The analytical results showed that fermentative hydrogen production from a biomass system would increase the value of a wastewater treatment system and make its commercialization more feasible. In contrast, fermentative hydrogen production from a biomass system designed specifically for producing hydrogen gas would have a lower system value, which indicated that it is not yet ready for commercialization. The main obstacle to be overcome in promoting biohydrogen production technology and system application is the lack of sales channels for the system's products such as hydrogen gas and electricity. Thus, in order to realize its commercialization, this paper suggests that governments provide investment subsidies for the use of biohydrogen production technology and establish a buy-back tariff system for fuel cells.

Hydrogen is considered to be one of the fuels of future and liquid hydrogen (LH2) technology has great potential to become energy commodity beyond LNG. However, for commercial widespread use and feasibility of hydrogen technology, it is of utmost importance to develop cost-effective and safe technologies for storage and transportation of LH2 for use in stationary applications as well as offshore transportation. This paper reviews various aspects of global hydrogen supply chain starting from several ways of production to storage and delivery to utilization. While each these aspects contribute to the overall success and efficiency of the global supply chain, storage and delivery/transport are the key enablers for establishing global hydrogen technology, especially while current infrastructure and technology are being under development. In addition, while all storage options have their own advantages/disadvantages, the LH2 storage has unique advantages due to the familiarity with well-established LNG technology and existing hydrogen technology in space programs. However, because of extremely low temperature constraints, commercialization of LH2 technology for large-scale storage and transportation faces many challenges, which are discussed in this paper along with the current status and key gaps in the existing technology.

International audience; As the energy transformation in the transportation sector is taking place driven by the development of fuel cell technologies, fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles become promising solutions owing to their long driving duration and zero emissions. However, the unsatisfied lifespan of fuel cells is an inevitable obstacle for their massive commercialization. This paper aims to propose an online adaptive prognostics-based health management strategy for fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles, which can improve the durability of the fuel cell thanks to online health monitoring. Here, particle filtering method is adapted for online fuel cell prognostics and the uncertainty of the predicted results is calculated based on the distribution of particles. A health management strategy is developed based on prognostics and a decision-making process is designed by considering the prognostics uncertainty through a decision fusion method. The obtained results show that the developed strategy has effectively improved the durability of the on-board fuel cell by up to 95.4%. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the prognostics occurrence frequency and probability calculation has also been conducted in this paper.

Hydrogen is a promising sustainable energy carrier for the future due to its high energetic content and no emissions, other than water vapor. However, its full deployment still requires technological advances in the renewable and cost-effective production of hydrogen, cost reduction of fuel cells and especially in the storage of hydrogen in a lightweight, compact and safe manner. One way to achieve this is by using materials in which hydrogen bonds chemically, or by adsorption. Different kinds of Hydrogen Storage Materials have been investigated, such as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Simple Hydrides (including Magnesium Hydride, MgH2), AB5 Alloys, AB2 Alloys, Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene, Borohydrides, Alanates and Ammonia Borane. Billions have been invested in Storage Materials research, resulting in tens of thousands of papers. Thus, it is challenging to track how much effort has been devoted to each materials class, by which countries, and how the field has evolved over the years. Quantitative Science and Technology Indicators, produced by applying Bibliometrics and Text Mining to scientific papers, can aid in achieving this task. In this work, we evaluated the evolution and distribution of Hydrogen Storage Materials research using this methodology. Papers in the 2000–2015 period were collected from Web of Science and processed in VantagePoint® bibliometric software. A thesaurus was elaborated relating keywords and short phrases to specific Hydrogen Storage Materials classes. The number of publications in Hydrogen Storage Materials grew markedly from 2003 to 2010, reducing the pace of growth afterwards until a plateau was reached in 2015. The most researched materials were MOFs, Simple Hydrides and Carbon-based materials. There were three typical trends in materials classes: emerging materials, developed after 2003, such as MOFs and Borohydrides; classical materials with continuous growth during the entire period, such as Simple Hydrides; and stagnant or declining materials, such as Carbon Nanotubes and AB5 Alloys. The main publishing countries were China, countries from the European Union (EU) and the USA, followed by Japan. There is a division between countries with continued growth in recent years, such as China, and those with stagnant production after 2010, such as the EU, the USA and Japan. The results of this work, compared to a previous study in storage materials patenting by our group, and the recent launch of commercial hydrogen cars and trains and stationary hydrogen production and fuel cell solutions, indicates that although the Hydrogen Energy field as a whole is transitioning from lab and prototype stages to commercial deployment, materials-based hydrogen storage still has base technological challenges to be overcome, and therefore still needs more scientific research before large scale commercialization can be realized. The developed thesaurus is made available for refinement and future works.

Microalgae originating from wastewater has been exhibiting particularly promising results in terms of biohydrogen production and wastewater treatment. This paper aims to review the factors affecting production, pretreatment techniques to improve synthesis, advanced technologies utilized for enhancing biohydrogen production, and techno-economic feasibility evaluation of the processes at a commercial scale. Microalgae possess metabolic components to synthesize biohydrogen using photobiological and fermentative processes but must undergo pretreatment for efficient biohydrogen production. The efficiency of these processes is influenced by factors such as the microalgae species, light intensity, cell density, pH, temperature, substrates, and the type of bioreactors. Moreover, many limitations, such as oxygen sensitivity, altered thylakoid constitution, low photon conversion efficiency, light capture disruption, and the evolution of harmful by-products hinder the sustainability of biohydrogen production processes. High operational and maintenance costs serve as the major bottleneck in the scaling up of the process as an industrial technology. Therefore, future research needs to be directed towards increasing optimization of the processes by reducing energy and resource demand, recycling metabolic wastes and process components, genetically engineered microalgae to adopt more efficient routes, and conducting pilot studies for commercialization.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential to replace conventional thermal power plants due to their high efficiency and low emission. As the activation loss of the cathode usually limits the SOFC performance, the development of high-performance and durable cathode materials has received extensive attention in the past few decades. It is therefore essential to keep track of the research progress to identify significant research gaps and future directions. In this study, we retrieved the bibliometric data of 1101 cutting-edge research articles focused on cathode development for SOFCs and conducted a scientometric review. Even though significant research in cathode development for intermediate to low temperature SOFCs started in the 1990s, significant growth in the research output appeared in the year 2000 and remarkably continued till 2010 before exhibiting a sinusoidal pattern. Overall, there is a record of average decadal progress in this research area. We found that only a small percentage of countries in the world (i.e., about 29%) are involved in the research for the development of intermediate to low temperature SOFC cathodes. A highlight of core assessment criteria for cathode developments is presented with a summary of the most recent articles (i.e., including those in 2021). This paper can help early-stage researchers, journal outlets, governments, funding authorities, and investors understand the current progress in this area and how close researchers are to a breakthrough that could lead to the commercialization of this emerging technology.

Since 2003, the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) has operated the first U.S. publicly accessible hydrogen refueling station (HRS). During this period, the UCI HRS supported all manufacturers in the early, pre-commercialization years of the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). This paper describes and analyzes the performance of the UCI HRS during the first five years of FCEV commercialization, over which time the station has dispensed the most hydrogen daily in the California network. The station performance is compared to aggregate data published by NREL for all U.S. HRSs. Using the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model, typical daily refueling profiles are analyzed to determine the effect on HRS design. The results show different daily refueling profiles could substantially affect HRS design and ultimately the cost of hydrogen. While technical issues have been reduced, the compressor, dispenser, and fueling rate are areas for improvement.

Composite tanks for on-board gaseous hydrogen storage is one of key parts of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Regulations, codes and standards (RC & S) are conducive to overcoming technological barriers to commercialization. This paper reviews the development of RC & S on composite tanks for on-board gaseous hydrogen storage and addresses their highlights on technical requirements. First, an overview of RC & S for composite tanks is introduced. Then, a comparative study on technical requirements of RC & S including service conditions, design requirements, materials, manufacture, qualification tests and management is presented. Finally, several major differences in RC & S, i.e., tank classification in ISO 19881 and penetration test method are discussed. Some issues for further research, such as initial burst pressure, material hydrogen compatibility and periodic inspection methods are proposed.

Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) are considered a reasonable alternative power source because alcohol has a much higher energy density than hydrogen. Most DAFC development has focused on small portable application by using passive systems. DAFCs with active feed systems have appeared as potential portable power sources for larger applications, as they are easily handled, simple systems with smaller volumes than polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). A general active DAFC system consists of a fuel and oxidant supplying system, product management and fuel concentration control. However, system development and commercialization are constrained by various critical challenges. This paper highlights the critical challenges of the fuel cell system rather than fundamental problems in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), including fuel feed fluctuation, contaminant poisoning, two-phase flow, low power density, and heat and water management.

A properly trained first responder community is critical to the successful introduction of hydrogen fuel cell applications and their transformation in how we use energy. Providing resources with accurate information and current knowledge is essential to the delivery of effective hydrogen and fuel cell-related first responder training. The California Fuel Cell Partnership and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have over 15 years of experience in developing and delivering hydrogen safety-related first responder training materials and programs. A National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Emergency Response Training Resource was recently released ( http://h2tools.org/fr/nt/ ). This training resource serves the delivery of a variety of training regimens. Associated materials are adaptable for different training formats, ranging from high-level overview presentations to more comprehensive classroom training. This paper presents what has been learned from the development and delivery of hydrogen safety-related first responder training programs (online, classroom, hands-on) by the respective organizations. The collaborative strategy being developed for enhancing training materials and methods for greater accessibility based on stakeholder input will be discussed.

The demand for clean power source which can be used to run the various types of vehicles on the road is increasing on a daily basis due to the fact that high emissions released from internal combustion engine play a significant role in air pollution and climate change. Fuel cell devices, particularly Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) type, are strong candidates to replace the internal combustion engines in the transport industry. The PEMFC technology still has many challenges including high cost, low durability and hydrogen storage problems which limit the wide-world commercialization of this technology. In this paper, the fuel cell cost, durability and performances challenges which are associated with using of fuel cell technology for transport applications are detailed and reviewed. Recent developments that deal with the proposed challenges are reported. Furthermore, problems of hydrogen infrastructure and hydrogen storage in the fuel cell vehicle are discussed.

The North American fuel cell industry has achieved major cost reductions while improving the durability and reliability of its products. Nevertheless, the costs of fuel cell systems and the cost and availability of hydrogen remain barriers to commercialization. Risk aversion to novel technology is also an issue. This paper estimates the impacts of government subsidies such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) on the sales of fuel cell Backup Power (BuP) and Material Handling Equipment (MHE) by North American firms. A fuel cell market model published in 2011 has been updated based on the data collected from interviews, annual reports, and published literature. The updated model integrates effects of learning-by-doing, scale economies and exogenous technological progress on component and system costs, estimates customers' choices between fuel cell and competing established technologies, and is used to measure the impacts of government policies. The combination of industry progress and government support led to rapid sales growth while industry consolidation reduced the number of firms enabling the remaining firms to achieve greater economies of scale. The ARRA is estimated to have reduced the cost of fuel cells for MHE and BuP via scale economies and learning by doing. This is estimated to induce additional sales of approximately 5600 fuel cell MHE and BuP units through 2025. If the ITC expires in 2017, it is likely to cause a sharp reduction in the sales of North American fuel cells. However, if the ITC is gradually phased out by 2022, sales could remain approximately constant during the phase-out period.

Hydrogen fueled fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will play a major role as a part of the change toward the hydrogen based energy system. When combined with the right source of energy, fuel cells have the highest potential efficiencies and lowest potential emissions of any vehicular power source. As a result, extensive work into the development of hydrogen fueled FCVs is taking place. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the research and development work which has occurred in the past five years on fuel cell vehicle technology, with a focus on economic and environmental concerns. It is observed that the current efforts are divided up into several parts. The performance, durability, and cost of fuel cell technology continue to be improved, and some fuel cells are currently ready to be mounted on vehicles and tested. Environmental and economic assessments of the entire hydrogen supply chain, including fuel cell end-use, are being carried out by groups of researchers around the world. It is currently believed that fuel cells need at least five more years of testing and improvement before large scale commercialization can begin. Economic and environmental analyses show that FCVs will likely be both economically competitive and environmentally benign. Indeed, the transition of the transportation sector to the use of hydrogen FCVs will represent one of the biggest steps toward the hydrogen economy. (C) 2010 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The commercialization of fuel cells is dependent on the development of performance based standard methods to evaluate safe performance and provide a basis for comparing similar products. Standards utilize the knowledge gained during research and development to provide criteria to evaluate products to a minimum level of safety. Aligning national standards with international requirements facilitates international trade, and provides the basis for international-to-regional harmonization of standards. Coordination of standards development activities on all levels is necessary to prevent duplication of effort and development of conflicting requirements. CSA America, Inc., (CSAA) a nationally recognized and accredited United States Standards Development Organization (SDO), is one of many SDOs leading the effort to facilitate United States interests toward national and international development of standards for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. This paper will provide an overview of the United States standards activities and issues as they relate to the development of standards activities.

The potential of hydrogen in the emerging energy-environment scene as a promising alternative for simultaneously solving the two problems concerning the protection of the environment and optimum energy utilization, has by now, been very clearly understood. However, while considering hydrogen for automotive applications two important factors must be carefully viewed. Firstly, the fuel metering system should be capable of supplying the desired quantity of fuel to the engine at the appropriate point in the engine cycle so as to ensure sustained engine operation without any symptoms of undesirable combustion. The other practical aspect which has delayed the regular implementation and commercialization of hydrogen fuel for vehicular application centres round the problem of onboard storage. This paper discusses various possible storage techniques for hydrogen use in the automobile sector.