The "Zero-Emission Saphir" project aims not only to reduce emissions in inland shipping, particularly inland shipping, in particular CO2, but also to shed light on the economic, operational and logistical logistical aspects of an alternative ship propulsion system. Particularly in the full operation of ships in scheduled service, the electric storage units with their their large weight (in relation to capacity) as well as the very short station stays and low energy and low energy transfer rates of existing installations are a major limitation. The The challenge is therefore to find an efficient way of storing the large amount of energy required for the drive system and the vehicle electrical system efficiently, safely and reliably. To make this possible, a range extender concept with a fuel cell and a battery as a buffer is being battery as a buffer is being investigated and installed and tested as part of a pilot project. The conversion of the ship "MS Saphir" as part of this pilot project is not only intended to be the first hydrogen-powered passenger ship in Switzerland, but also serve as a proof of concept for other passenger ships. for other passenger ships: Locally produced green hydrogen will be used, and the project and the project forms the basis for potential annual CO2 savings of around 64,400 tons for the entire Swiss fleet. entire Swiss fleet.

The Swiss Association of H2 Producers (H2-Produzenten) is a nationwide association that promotes the interests of producers of green hydrogen, which is produced on the basis of renewable energies. Green hydrogen is a sustainable energy carrier that links the electricity, heat and transport sectors through energy storage and conversion. Sustainably produced hydrogen, in conjunction with various other technologies, can make an important contribution to a sustainable energy supply, this as a fuel in mobility, in industry or as a long-term energy storage for the recovery of electricity. The electrolytic production and subsequent use of hydrogen form the central element of various power-to-gas concepts. In Switzerland, there are only a manageable number of hydrogen production plants. Information on the applicable procedures for the planning, construction and operation of hydrogen production plants is incomplete. The operating and construction permit procedure of such plants is addressed in various laws. In order to provide clarity on the procedure, this project will develop a permit guide for authorities, investors, operators as well as other interested parties as an "orientation aid" for the planning, construction and operation of hydrogen production plants.

POLIZERO aims to assess the impact of European energy and climate policies on the Swiss energy system. A suite of decarbonisation policies relevant for Switzerland, which could also be based on successfully implemented examples in other European countries, is assessed in terms of effectiveness and efficiency by considering the interactions of the Swiss and European systems. The aim is to generate robust dynamic adaptive policy pathways and their implementation timing in meeting the national energy and climate targets. Uncertainties influencing the implementation of policies are explored via parametric energy scenario analysis. A comprehensive policy inventory of current and planned energy and climate policies in Switzerland and other European countries was constructed during the project's first year. The inventory is a detailed policy catalogue and information about each country's policymaking traits. It also includes the latest key energy and emissions statistics to provide a comprehensive view of the energy transition challenges and how these are tackled in different countries. Together with the policy inventory, a stakeholder workshop was conducted within the annual meeting of the Common Advisory Board of POLIZERO, with experts from academia and energy policy, to prioritise those policies from the inventory relevant for Switzerland. Among others, the discussions highlighted: a) the need to continue and enforce the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) together with complementary instruments such as carbon levies to share the mitigation pressure from ETS and non-ETS coverages; b) to move to a market-based deployment of renewables in electricity supply with technology-neutral tenders and direct subsidies for the transitional period; c) to promote the security of supply by supporting (and enforcing via mandates to some extent) combined installations of renewable technologies and storages; d) to strengthen carbon taxes in heating fuels and eventually move to carbon pricing schemes also for sectors not covered by the current ETS (e.g., transport); e) to accelerate alternative infrastructure in transport with supports on EV charging and H2 fuel stations; f) to consider subsidy schemes for low-carbon infrastructure development in industry (e.g. bioenergy, hydrogen, e-fuels) and CO2 transport infrastructure; g) to develop legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure availability and access of clean fuels, bioenergy/hydrogen/e-fuels, in the end-use sectors. The next year of the project foresees the development of the interfaces between the quantitative tools employed at POLIZERO, the JRC-EU-TIMES model for the energy systems modelling and the AIM model for the dynamic adaptive policy pathways exploration. Also, the quantitative long-term energy systems modelling for assessing the impacts of the European energy and climate policies on the Swiss energy system configuration and the effectiveness of the Swiss decarbonisation policies will be performed.

An increasing number of countries are releasing hydrogen roadmaps or strategies. Many include the import or export of hydrogen to meet national strategic sustainability goals, at volumes much greater than those traded today. This report will assess the evolving situation and need for future trade rules. It will also identify current trade rules that govern the international trade in hydrogen and its common carriers and will investigate potential barriers to their large-scale trade. It will therefore help countries implement a hydrogen strategy or develop one.

A simulation study has been performed in order to evaluate the performance of a stationary 1MWel-internal combustion engine for heavy duty applications fuelled with hydrogen in comparison to the same engine fuelled with methane. Two operating modes for each fuel have been considered, namely first at the lean burn limit and second with stoichiometric mixtures and at the dilution limit with Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). This comparative evaluation employed a GT-Power model for the flow and thermodynamic process, complemented by a phenomenological model to describe in detail the power cycle (including combustion) with both pre-chamber (PC) and open-chamber (OC) ignition, which was developed in LAV, ETH (Diss. K. Bardis, 2020). The main criterion of performance is the net thermodynamic efficiency achieved by the engine at each operating mode and with each fuel, while respecting important boundary conditions and operating limits such as the peak cylinder pressure, the burnt gas temperature at the exhaust turbine inlet, the avoidance of knock, the maximal pressure ratio across the compressor as well as different NOx-limits according to the actual legislation. The developed pre-chamber combustion model has shown very good agreement with the experimental results in the methane lean-burn mode. Due to the absence of experimental data for the hydrogen operation it was not possible to validate the model with this fuel. Nonetheless, the simulation of methane lean vs. stoichiometric operation with EGR yields consistent trends when compared against previous experimental studies [22] for heavy duty engines. More precisely, the unconstrained efficiency (without the NOx limit) of methane lean operation is more than 3% (absolute points) higher in comparison to the EGR operation. However, similar efficiency is attained, 39% for the methane lean and 38.5 % for the stoichiometric operation with EGR, respectively, when the NOx limit of 100mg/Nm3 is considered. When respecting the various limitation, hydrogen operation shows very similar efficiency with the methane operation. One exception is the hydrogen lean operation with open-chamber where the increased NOx emission require a delayed spark timing in comparison to the optimal. Lean burn operation with H2 and port fuel injection will probably make a 2-stage turbocharger necessary for achieving the required high power densities in the order of a brake mean effective pressure of 17 bar. In contrast, for stoichiometric operation with EGR a single-stage turbo charger is sufficient. The efficiency achieved is relatively high efficiency (37.8% for open-chamber and 39% for prechamber operation) due to the reduced pumping losses in comparison to hydrogen lean operation and the employment of a near optimal spark timing. The present study constitutes an important step towards the development of hydrogen heavy duty combustion engines and the feasibility of lambda = 1 + EGR operation in comparison to the commonly employed lean burn combustion. Certain key modelling assumptions need to be critically revised in the future and the model needs to be validated extensively once experimental data become available.

The EU has targeted net-zero emissions from transport by 2050 which will require rapid take-up of cleaner, non-fossil fuels such as hydrogen. Electric vehicles using hydrogen are filled at hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) but no standardised measurement methods exist to ensure accurate dispensing of fuel for heavy-duty vehicles that require higher flow rates. Furthermore, there are no reference materials or ratified methodologies for detecting impurities, risking damage to both HRS components and vehicle fuel cells. Building on EMPIR project MetroHyV, this project will develop a metrological, traceable framework for testing hydrogen dispensing meters at HRS. Effects of long-term usage on HRS sensors and analysers will be examined and the first harmonised hydrogen sampling methodologies and reference materials will be developed and implemented. New field-validated primary standards for type-approval and initial verification of HRS will be made available allowing customers to be charged correctly when refuelling heavy-duty vehicles. These new measurement capabilities are expected to enable fuel quality to comply to legislation and will be critical for unlocking the potential for wider deployment of hydrogen for heavy-duty road transport in Europe.

The future renewal of bus fleets with the licensed public transport companies (ETC) will be significantly affected by the 2050 energy strategy and the future CO2 law. It will no longer be sufficient to order the latest Diesel bus model from the usual supplier and to put a vehicle that is a perfect continuation of the previous ones into service. The energy source, operation, maintenance and costs (Total Cost of Ownership) will be completely different in the future. This study, carried out in close collaboration with the Transports Publics Fribourgeois (TPF), evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of replacing the Diesel buses in the TPF fleet with buses equipped with a hydrogen-powered combustion engine (H2ICE). An extensive measurement campaign on urban and regional "reference" bus lines of the TPF network was carried out and served as a basis for the calculations and simulations used to define the total cost of ownership of the future H2BICE hydrogen bus. In parallel, an engine base was identified at Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT/IVECO) to be converted to hydrogen combustion and a vehicle base was selected at the bus manufacturer HESS. The conditions necessary for the integration of the various components required for the realisation of a bus equipped with an H2ICE (engine, hydrogen tanks, etc.) were considered to verify the feasibility of the vehicle. A safety analysis as well as the conditions required for the approval of such a vehicle complete the feasibility analysis of the vehicle. Finally, a more global reflection, integrating the production of the green hydrogen required for the daily operation of a fleet of H2BICE vehicles was carried out, providing an overview of this new technology. The work carried out has shown that the realisation of such a vehicle is possible both technically and in terms of safety, and that it is economically very competitive compared to the CO2-neutral technologies known to date (TCO 26% lower than fuel cell vehicles and 34% lower than battery-powered vehicles for extra-urban journeys by 2050).

The production of heavy-duty trucks with zero emissions for commercial operations can support the EU's efforts to reach zero-emission mobility. The EU-funded H2Haul project will advance and demonstrate 16 new heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell trucks in collaboration with two of the major European truck manufacturers, IVECO and VDL. The project will be deployed on small-level prototypes to achieve standardised zero-emission trucks for commercial activities. In addition, a network of refuelling stations will be designed and installed. It will test and examine data from the best end users over several years to ensure that the technical, financial and environmental requirements are met and that hydrogen fuel cell trucks can provide zero-emission mobility even in harsh conditions. H2Haul will develop and demonstrate a total of 16 new heavy-duty (26–44t) hydrogen fuel cell trucks in real-world commercial operations. The project includes two major European truck manufacturers (IVECO and VDL), who will build on existing small-scale prototyping activities to develop new zero-emission trucks tailored to the needs of European customers, mainly in large supermarket fleets. The vehicles will be standardised as far as possible to help encourage the development of the European supply chain. New high-capacity hydrogen refuelling stations will be installed to provide reliable, low carbon hydrogen supplies to the trucks. Most of the stations will be publicly accessible and this project will thus support the uptake of a broader range of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. The vehicles and infrastructure will be thoroughly tested via an extended trial with the high-profile end users over several years. The comprehensive data monitoring and analysis tasks will ensure that the technical, economic, and environmental performance of the hardware is assessed, and that the business case for further deployment of heavy-duty fuel cell trucks is developed. The scope and ambition of this innovative project will create a range of valuable information that will be disseminated widely amongst truck operators, representatives of the retail sector, policy makers, and the broader hydrogen industry. Hence, H2Haul will validate the ability of hydrogen fuel cell trucks to provide zero-emission mobility in heavy-duty applications and lay the foundations for commercialisation of this sector in Europe during the 2020s.

FCH have a central role to play in the development of renewable energy sources and, consequently, in the reduction of environmental damage caused by conventional energy sources such coal or oil. A dedicated model of education is needed, especially one directed at the coming generations, in order to make the ecological thinking a fundamental part of our culture and habits, in the context of the industrial priorities in this field. Working out such forms of education is the purpose of FCHgo. Along the project, a wide activity of dissemination of a toolkit for teachers and pupils at the primary and secondary school level will be realized, ensuring technical and pedagogical excellence. Our methodological approach - takes into account the cognitive tools of pupils at various stages of development - uses different forms of expression by employing narrative forms of communication and - includes the presence of stakeholders and industries active in the field, to tell the stories of successful applications and fostering careers in this field. FCHgo will result in a set of tools, namely: an educational toolkit with narrative explanations of the technology, its functioning and applications, translated in 10 European languages; a website as connecting point for all the users and containing a wiki-space; a set of workshops in the classrooms of 6 countries, involving pupils from 8 to 18 to test and improve upon the materials and set the indicators for the activities’ evaluation; the first edition of an annual award to the best idea/solution to employ FCH, including an award ceremony; a final guideline describing an educational program delivery model, linked to priorities defined by industry.

The Helios project was launched on the initiative of Shiptec AG in collaboration with INERSO GmbH to analyse the use of hydrogen in Swiss inland shipping. With the support of the Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), the shipping company Lake Lucerne (SGV) and Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG, the question to be clarified is whether a passenger ship of medium size can be operated economically and ecologically. As a result, a hypothetical conversion from a diesel engine to a hydrogen propulsion system was carried out during the project based on an existing passenger ship of the SGV, the MS Saphir. In addition to the shipbuilding aspects of such a conversion, including the regulations to be used, the production and availability of hydrogen as well as the most suitable form of hydrogen storage were examined. Technically, it is quite possible to convert an existing passenger ship on a Swiss inland lake to a hydrogen propulsion system. However, due to the space requirements of new systems, certain compromises have to be made in the use of the rooms, which is simpler in a new ship. Depending on the operational profile of an inland vessel, as the project has shown, a hydrogen-battery hybrid system makes more sense. The main drivers for this decision are, in addition to the available space and weight, the daily docking time and the maximum transferable energy from the shore power grid. Sustainably produced hydrogen in various forms, but above all as 350 bar of compressed gas, as selected in this project, is available in Switzerland. At present, the operation of a hydrogen propulsion system is not yet commercially competitive with mineral oil-tax-exempt diesel fuel. With regard to the development of hydrogen infrastructure for road traffic and the production facilities that are under construction or freshly in operation, a continuous reduction in the price of hydrogen is expected over the next few years. In addition to the operating costs, costs for a new or rebuild of the ship and initial investments in filling station infrastructure totalling CHF 3.6 to 4.4 million are to be expected. The benefit is a completely pollutant-free operation of a passenger ship on a Swiss inland lake. In addition to reducing pollutants, the noise and vibration load on board and for residents of ship landing points is lower. All this goes hand in hand with a big image gain for the operating shipping company.

Thanks to their compact size and high efficiency, high-speed turbo compressors are ideally suited for mobile fuel cell systems, e.g. for trucks or trains. These compressors are in need for electric motors with higher power. Furthermore, the specifications for vibration resistance, torque, speed and efficiency require special motor configurations, which are not state-of-the art in terms of de-sign and manufacturing, thus shall be investigated within this project.

The project ACTIF aims at optimized operation strategies for automotive fuel cell systems regarding the three main aspects efficiency, life-time and costs on the stack level. This will be enabled by a significantly enhanced understanding of fuel cell stacks on the base of innovative and advanced characterization and analysis. The project is a French-German-Swiss initiative for research collaboration on fuel cells and hydrogen for automotive application. German partners apply for funding within NIP2 (National Innovation Programme for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technology). French partners will apply for funding at Direction Générale Energie et Climat. ZHAW from Switzerland will apply for Swiss funding. Collaboration within Switzerland between the Institute of Computational Physics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the Swiss company GreenGT will target the time-dependent modelbased characterization of fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems.

Auf den Werkhallen der BLS in Bönigen wird die PV-Anlage zur eigenen Stromversorgung genutzt. Der Ertragüberschuss wird primär in Salzakkumulatoren gespeichert, sekundär soll Wasserstoff (Erweiterungsprojekt) zur Mobilität der zweier Rangierlocksauf den Areal hergestellt und zwischengespeichert werden. Tertiär wird mit einer Hochtemperatur-Wärmepumpe das Brauchwarmwasser für Fahrzeugwaschanlagen und Heizkreise auf bis zu 90°C erwärmt. Als Kältemittel dient das natürliche Kältemittel CO2. Die erzeugte Enegie der PV-Anlage soll vollumfänglich vor Ort zur Deckung des Eigenbedarfs genutzt werdenkönnen.

A feasibility study was carried out to assess the possibility of seasonal energy storage using an aluminum redox cycle. To charge the storage, oxidized aluminum is reduced to its basic form in a central processing plant with the help of surplus electricity from renewable energies in summer. Discharge is carried out in winter at the place of energy demand, through a reaction of aluminum with water. This reaction releases heat, hydrogen and aluminum hydroxide or aluminum oxide. At the time of storage discharge, the hydrogen can be immediately converted into electricity and heat with a fuel cell. This path of energy storage was considered for an energy system for a single-family house, which is to be supplied with 100% solar energy. Building-integrated photovoltaics, in combination with a heat pump and conventional short-term storage systems, provide electricity and heat for the building during most of the year. In the summer, electricity surplus is delivered to a central plant that regenerates aluminum from aluminum hydroxide for seasonal storage. This elementary aluminum is returned to the building, where it is oxidized in winter and the released hydrogen is converted in a fuel cell. Both, the reaction heat generated and the electrical energy produced, are used to cover the winter demand for electricity and heat of the building, that remains after priority has been given to direct supply from PV, heat pump and storage. The chemical steps of the aluminum redox cycle have already been carried out and demonstrated on a laboratory scale at different institutes. The investigations carried out in this current project have shown that both the life cycle assessment and the cost evaluation of the proposed system are positive. The challenge will be to further optimize the sub-steps of aluminum hydrolysis and the reduction of aluminum with inert electrodes demonstrated in the laboratory for a controllable continuous operation or batch process, which can serve as a basis for the construction of prototypes that can be used in the field.

Hydrogen production in Switzerland is estimated at 21,500 tonnes per year at full capacity. The largest producer is the refinery in Cressier for its own use, followed by the chemical site in Visp and the chlor-alkali electrolysis plant in Pratteln, each of which produces hydrogen as a by-product. In addition, there are several other industrial hydrogen production plants based on natural gas steam reforming, as well as water electrolysis. A comparatively small amount of liquid hydrogen is imported from abroad. Industrial gas companies distribute hydrogen to different customers, and often have access to by-product hydrogen, but also operate their own production facilities. The hydrogen demand in Switzerland is estimated at 13,000 tonnes per year and is spread over various applications. The largest demand is in the refinery in Cressier. The discontinuation of fertiliser production in Visp in spring 2018, which used most of the by-product hydrogen available locally, led to a significant decline in demand for hydrogen.

Systems for biogas cleaning were assessed by a techno-economic survey of technically feasible options, including the consideration of supplier quotations. In a lab-based test bench using a synthetic biogas mixture, sorbents were evaluated for their capacity for dimethyl sulfide (DMS), as we consider DMS as one of the most difficult organic sulphur compounds to be removed. A fully automated sulphur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) system was build and commissioned which allows online measurement of total sulphur at concentrations far below 0.5 ppmv. For SOFC application this concentration level is considered as the targed value for a cleaned biogas. This unique online SCD system is considered as critical for testing and evaluating gas cleaning concepts for SOFC application. This analytical system allows a fast testing of different designs and operation conditions tested at pilot scale or in the commissioning phase of demonstration plants. Based on the sorbent selection in lab tests and on techno-economic considerations this project culminates in a pilot-scale field demonstration of biogas cleaning to a degree that should be suitable for SOFC. The best sorbent experiment performed until end of August 2019, was an experiment with SulfaTrap R7 & CuO-AC for the duration of 200 hrs. During the first 150 hrs of the experiment, no measureable sulphur breakthrough was observed after the second bed. Nevertheless further tests on sorbent materials are needed in order to prepare a scale up of a gas cleaning system. It is not yet fully clear, what the critical factors are for the observed limitation of sorbent capacity for organic sulphur. One hypothesis is that the measured capacity of sorbent material for DMS is dominated by physisorption.

This project aims to validate a robust sorption-based gas cleaning system, which removes the contaminants from manure-derived biogas to a degree that is suitable for high-temperature fuel cells, i.e. SOFC. Sulphur and siloxanes are critical compounds for SOFC We present detailed results of our biogas sampling campaigns performed in 2018 at three Swiss agricultural biogas production sites to study the variation in trace contaminants affecting fuel cells and gas cleaning systems. As expected we could confirm the large variability of contaminants in the raw biogas mainly depending of the feedstock digested and the importance of removing organic sulphur. Systems for biogas cleaning were assessed by a techno-economic survey of technically feasible options, including the consideration of supplier quotations. In a lab-based test bench using a synthetic biogas mixture, sorbents were evaluated for their capacity for dimethyl sulfide (DMS), as we consider DMS as one of the most difficult organic sulphur compounds to be removed. A fully automated sulphur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) system was build and commissioned which allows online measurement of total sulphur at concentrations far below 0.5 ppmv. For SOFC application this concentration level is considered as the targed value for a cleaned biogas. This unique online SCD system is considered as critical for testing and evaluating gas cleaning concepts for SOFC application. This analytical system allows a fast testing of different designs and operation conditions tested at pilot scale or in the commissioning phase of demonstration plants. Based on the sorbent selection in lab tests and on techno-economic considerations this project culminates in a pilot-scale field demonstration of biogas cleaning to a degree that should be suitable for SOFC. The best sorbent experiment performed until end of August 2019, was an experiment with SulfaTrap R7 & CuO-AC for the duration of 200 hrs. During the first 150 hrs of the experiment, no measureable sulphur breakthrough was observed after the second bed. Nevertheless further tests on sorbent materials are needed in order to prepare a scale up of a gas cleaning system. It is not yet fully clear, what the critical factors are for the observed limitation of sorbent capacity for organic sulphur. One hypothesis is that the measured capacity of sorbent material for DMS is dominated by physisorption. This project has been extremely valuable to further improve the testing capabilities for gas cleaning systems. The application of cleaned biogas from agriculture in a SOFC is most likely one of the most difficult cases. One reason is that the cleaned biogas should not differ much from natural gas in term of gas quality, temperature and pressure. This would allow to use turn-key SOFC systems for biogas application, which have originally be designed for natural gas operation. However, this would also mean, that the biogas should be cleaned at room temperature and low pressure in order to keep the biogas cleaning system simple. From a chemical point of view of the gas cleaning increasing temperature and pressure are both advantageous for a better gas cleaning (technical, economic). We expect that knowledge of this project will be transfer to other biogas value chains. This can be either for different end uses of the biogas, such as biogas cleaning for upgrading plants based on membrane or scrubbers as well as catalytic methanation. For each value chain a review of the specification of the end use system is needed as well as for the raw gas quality in order to select best option in sorption based gas cleaning. Given the high variance of raw gas qualities and required clean biogas qualities most likely for each value chains a dedicated gas cleaning system has to be designed. Whenever possible these gas cleaning solutions should be built on “standard building block”, which can be easily combined for specific applications. Our project has confirmed that a fundamental understanding of all relevant processes in gas cleaning is critical for a smart design of gas cleaning systems and good collaboration between industry and academia is a key to success.

As the FCHT industry gradually emerges into the markets, the need for trained staff becomes more pressing. TeacHy2020 specifically addresses the supply of undergraduate and graduate education (BEng/BSc, MEng/MSc, PhD etc.) in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies (FCHT) across Europe. TeacHy 2020 will take a lead in building a repository of university grade educational material, and design and run an MSc course in FCHT, accessible to students from all parts of Europe. To achieve this, the project has assembled a core group of highly experienced institutions working with a network of associate partners (universities, vocational training bodies, industry, and networks). TeacHy2020 offers these partners access to its educational material and the use of the MSc course modules available on the TeacHy2020 site. Any university being able to offer 20% of the course content locally, can draw on the other 80% to be supplied by the project. This will allow any institution to participate in this European initiative with a minimised local investment. TeacHy2020 will be offering solutions to accreditation and quality control of courses, and support student and industry staff mobility by giving access to placements. Schemes of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) will be integrated into the project activities. We expect a considerable leverage effect which will specifically enable countries with a notable lack of expertise, not only in Eastern Europe, to quickly be able to form a national body of experts. TeacHy will offer educational material for the general public (e.g. MOOC’s), build a business model to continue operations post-project, and as such act as a single-stop shop and representative for all matters of European university and vocational training in FCHT. The project partnership covers the prevalent languages and educational systems in Europe. The associated network has over 20 partners, including two IPHE countries, and a strong link to IPHE activities in education.

The issue of the fossil fuel desertion in our society has been put on the table with the 21st of May 2017 vote on the “Stratégie Energétique 2050” (SE 2050) subject, and more generally we have seen these past few years that things appear to move forward quicker, in sync with the technologies evolution, the largely publicized scandals, the impoverishment of the resources, and the political pressure. The public transportation companies have the important duty to lead the energy transition because it is possible to effectively replace the diesel engine in the public transportation. This study has shown through the detailed evaluation of relevant alternative technologies over five different scenarios that there is not a single universal solution to avoid the use of diesel, but few different solutions depending on the chosen compromises. One has to consider each case individually, in particular due to the local disparities inherent of our country regarding the availability of energies, their cost, the topography, etc. Those technologies have been evaluated upon 15 criteria under five categories such as: performance, user attractiveness, nuisances, operation, and economy. This work has put to light the strong and weak points of each technology, but also the points to take in consideration when choosing a technology over another. Thanks to the discussions with nearly a dozen public transportation companies, testimonials and first hand experiences were collected and proved that there is a real desire to learn more about this subject and to have efficient tools to select the right option more easily. The obstacles slowing the transportation companies from an energy transition have been identified and solutions have been proposed. The work done during the project shows that only the surface has been scraped in this big challenge that is the busses energy transition, that there is a general void of knowledge, and a need to know more in this highly scalable field.

For the hydrogen refueling of passenger cars an energy-intensive pre-cooling to -40 °C is re-quested, regardless of the ambient conditions, the quantity of the fuel or tank specifications. With-in this project, different fueling scenarios in terms of pressure, temperature of the hydrogen, refu-eling times, initial filling level, tank geometries and the influence of the ambient temperature are investigated to reduce the energy consumption of the pre-cooling.

We aim at enabling the efficient generation of emission-free hydrogen (H2) as a transport fuel by coupling the H2 production with the separation of CO2 directly. Additionally, we will advance sustainable geoenergy processes with characterization, risk mitigation, and public perception work, whose achievements will co-benefit the fields of geothermal energy, seasonal (hydrogen) gas and heat storage, as well as CO2 sequestration. By using biomass as a feedstock to such process or by capturing CO2 from the air, net-negative CO2 emissions are achieved, which are envisaged to compensate unavoidable emissions from other sources in an economic way. The activities include the analysis of business opportunities and obstacles as well as the development of a holistic H2-CCS-chain modelling tool that allows assessing different technology options based on a life-cycle impact analysis.

High-speed turbo compressors are ideally suited for mobile fuel cell systems, such as in vehicles, UAVs or emergency power supplies due to their compact size and high efficiency. Thus, they offer a large potential for energy savings compared to standard compressors. However, research con-cerning condensation is missing, therefore, in this project, phenomena and impacts of condensa-tion in turbo compressors shall be investigated.

Against the background of a growing share of intermittent renewable energy, the challenges of temporal and spatial grid balancing are expected to increase in future. Power-to-Product (P2X) technologies represent potential solutions for this challenge and to en-hance the energy system’s flexibility. The objective of this project is to collect the major existing P2X knowledge and to provide a synthesis and evaluation for the Swiss energy market.

In the near future most engines will be powered electrically or by fuel cells. One of the major factors limiting fuel cell commercialization is the development of bipolar plates. Their characteristic requirements are a chal-lenge for any class of materials, and none meets the requirements exactly. This project focuses on the devel-opment of innovative polymer based composites suitable for bipolar plates. The developed composites must fulfill the given requirements and additionally ensure the route towards industrial production.

An existing solar boat (PlanetSolar), that concluded in 2012 the first solar powered round-the-world trip, was adapted with a range extender system based on hydrogen and fuel cell technology, Main ob-jectives were to upgrade this electric vessel according to emergent technologies and to massively in-crease its energy storage capacity without affecting too much its total weight. The project was designed and carried out in close collaboration with the international class society in charge of the complete system certification (DNVGL). Its involvement from components pre-selection phase facilitated definition of safety concept and related equipment. All components have been installed and gathered in a hydrogen container located on the solar deck of the vessel. The hydrogen system, monitored and improved over a period of 3 years during a 28’000 nautical miles navigation on open oceans, was last upgraded end of 2019 in Hong Kong. Final certifi-cation by the DNVGL, the world’s largest classification society, was obtained beginning of 2020, which represents a valuable reference in this sector. Among lessons-learned, one can point out that hydrogen represents a concrete solution for energy storage in complement to batteries for renewable energy systems. In addition, such a system could be integrated on a small power system by complying with strict dimensional constraints. Due to subsys-tem interdependencies, each interface should be optimized in order to reach global system efficiency that could be expected from supplier datasheets. This operational and certified system, a first of its kind, illustrates the working principle of a stand-alone hydrogen production, storage and conversion plant. The navigation around the globe offered to test a large range of weather conditions in a demanding environment with constant humidity, salty air, and high temperature amplitudes. Operating over months brought a lot of learnings and a unique re-turn of experience to be applied in various energy projects for a wide range of applications, not only in the maritime sector.

In MARANDA project an emission-free hydrogen fuelled PEMFC based hybrid powertrain system is developed for marine applications and validated both in test benches and on board the research vessel Aranda, which is one of about 300 research vessels in Europe. Special emphasis is placed on air filtration and development of hydrogen ejector solutions, for both efficiency and durability reasons. In addition, full scale freeze start testing of the system will be conducted. When research vessels are performing measurements, the main engines are turned off to minimize noise, vibration and air pollution causing disturbance in the measurements. The 165 kW (2 x 82.5 kW AC) fuel cell powertrain (hybridized with a battery) will provide power to the vessel's electrical equipment as well as the dynamic positioning during measurements, free from vibration, noise and air pollution. One of the major obstacles for wider implementation of fuel cells in the marine sector is the hydrogen infrastructure. To alleviate this problem, a mobile hydrogen storage container, refillable in any 350 bar hydrogen refuelling station will be developed in this project. This novel solution will increase hydrogen availability to marine sector as well as many other sectors. The consortium of this project contains companies from the whole fuel cell value chain, from balance-of-plant components to system integrator and end user. The fuel cell system will be tested in conditions similar to arctic marine conditions before implementation to the target vessel. In addition, long-term durability testing (6 months, 4380 operating hours) of the system will be conducted at an industrial site. The project will increase the market potential of hydrogen fuel cells in marine sector, which have for long lagged behind road transportation. General business cases for different actors in the marine and harbor or fuel cell business will be created and therefore the impacts in the whole industry will be notable.

To achieve European ambitions to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases by 80% before 2050, emissions of the transport and the energy sectors will need to decrease drastically. The Hydrogen Economy offers ready solutions to decarbonize the transport sector. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) close to be deployed in the market in increasing numbers. For FCEVs to be introduced to the market in volumes, a network of hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) first has to exist. Green hydrogen is figured, in the medium – long term, as the target technology to decarbonize the transport sector. Indeed, this will not be commercially attractive in the first years. Similarly, new-built hydrogen supply capacity will not be viable in the first years with low demand. CH2P aims at building a transition technology for early infrastructure deployment. It uses widely available carbon-lean natural gas (NG) or bio-methane to produce hydrogen and power with Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. Similar to a combined heat and power system, the high quality heat from the fuel cell is used to generate hydrogen. CH2P therefore generates hydrogen and electricity with high efficiencies (up to 90%) and a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional technologies. The system will have high dynamic (more than 50% of energy will be in form of hydrogen), purity level of hydrogen at 99.999%, a CO-level lower than 200 ppb. The target cost for the hydrogen generated will be below 4,5 €/kg. The overall technology concept will be based on modularity to enable a staged deployment of such infrastructure. CH2P will realize two systems, one with hydrogen generation capacity of 20 kg/day, for components validation, and another at 100 kg/day for infield testing. A dissemination campaign will use the project results to demonstrate the technical readiness of CH2P technology, while industrial partners are committed to enter the market after the project end.

The aim of INN-BALANCE is to develop a novel and integrated development platform for developing advanced Balance of Plant components in current fuel cell based vehicles, in order to improve their efficiency and reliability, reducing costs and presenting a stable supply chain to the European car manufacturers and system integrators. Accordingly, INN-BALANCE technical objectives are (i) to develop highly efficient and reliable fuel cell BoP components; (ii) to reduce costs of current market products in fuel cell systems; (iii) to achieve high technology readiness levels (TRL7 or higher) in all the tackled developments; and (iv) to improve and tailor development tools for design, modelling and testing innovative components in fuel cell based vehicles. To this end, a European Consortium composed by major automotive companies, consulting groups, research institutes and universities was established. INN-BALANCE will be focused on four main general topics; first of all on new components developments, addressing the latest changes and trends in fuel cells vehicles technology, from new air turbo-compressor, anode recirculation/injection module and advanced control/diagnosis devices to new concepts of thermal management and anti-freeze units based on standard automotive components; secondly, on the vehicle integration and validation of the components in a TRL7 platform placed at a well-known car manufacturing platform; thirdly, providing innovative and cost optimized manufacturing processes especially developed for automotive BoP components; finally, on the results dissemination and exploitation, new technology broadcasting and public awareness of new, low-cost and reliable clean energy solutions in Europe bringing at the same time highly qualified new job opportunities.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising alternative fuels for future energy and transport applications, offering to increase energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To support its use as a low carbon transport fuel, an extensive infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles is currently in development across Europe. However, the hydrogen industry cannot yet meet the measurement requirements of legislation surrounding the use of hydrogen fuel, due to a lack of methods and standards. This project will develop methods, standards and calibration facilities to ensure accurate flow metering and fair pricing for customers at refuelling stations, and methods, reference gases and online analysers to provide quality assurance and control of the hydrogen dispensed. These results will support the uptake of low-emission hydrogen vehicles and the growth of Europe’s hydrogen economy by increasing confidence among both manufacturers and consumers.

The overall objective of the QualyGridS project is the establishing of standardized tests for electrolysers performing electrical grid services. Alkaline electrolysers as well as PEM electrolysers will be considered individually in performance analysis and in an assessment of business cases for these electrolysers’ use. A variety of different grid services will be addressed as well as multiple hydrogen end users. The protocols developed will be applied to alkaline and PEM electrolysers systems, respectively, using electrolyser sizes from 50 kW up to 300 kW. Additionally, a techno-economic analysis of business cases will be performed covering the grid and market situations in the most relevant regions of Europe. The consortium adressing these tasks includes three electrolyser manufacturers and well as research institutions with plenty of experience. Inclusion of a European standardisation institution will allow for maximum impact of the protocols. An advisory committee including TSOs from several countries and a key player in US electrolysis research will support the project with valuable advice. Experience from previous FCH-JU electrolyser projects and national projects is available to the project.

The main goal of the BALANCE proposal is to gather leading research centres in Europe in the domain of Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) to collaborate and accelerate the development of European Reversible Solid Oxide Cell (ReSOC) technology. ReSOC is an electrochemical device that converts electrical energy into hydrogen (electrolysis mode) or alternatively fuel gas to electrical energy (fuel cell mode). It is characterised by its very high efficiency compared to competing technologies. ReSOC enables to store renewable electricity when it is produced in excess or to convert it into a CO2-free transport fuel. Therefore, it is considered as a key technology to allow the broad penetration of renewable electricity into the European energy system. Fragmented national research efforts are currently impeding quicker development and deployment of next-generation fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. Therefore, BALANCE will identify, quantify and analyse national activities dealing with the diverse aspects of ReSOC technology. This analysis will result in an integrated European research agenda for ReSOC technology to gain synergies and to generate breakthroughs in this highly promising but currently low-TRL technology. Close communication with the advisory board will enable alignment of the proposed agenda with the roadmaps and activities of EERA, IEC and IEA on the topic of hydrogen technologies. Technical development will cover the development of the next generation of ReSOC cells, their integration in the optimised stack assembly, and investigation of the constraints from reversible operation at system level and integration with the grid. Cost will be addressed by using low-cost materials and improving manufacturability. The experimental work will be supported by modelling and simulation at all scales and by the techno-economic analysis of different integration of the ReSOC technology in industrial applications.

This review examines the combination of photoelectric cells (PEC) and microbial fuel cells (MFC), including photosynthetic MFCs. It was found in a number of investigations that photoanodes and photocathodes can be well combined with electrogenic and photo-electrogenic microbes. The progress in this field originates from the idea that MFCs using light to power converting electrodes generate more power than with the dark reaction in an MFC alone or by solar power in a PEC. There are a multitude of possible designs for establishing Photo-MFCs. It is noteworthy that in addition to electric power, also hydrogen, methane and other solar-bioelectrofuels are producible using hybrid MFC-PEC type reactors, which are assembled from artificial and native photosensitive electrodes and electrogenic microbes.

High-speed turbo compressors are ideally suited for mobile low power fuel cell systems, such as in UAVs or emergency power supplies due to their compact size and high efficiency. Thus, they offer a large potential for energy savings compared to standard compressors. In this project, a turbo compressor based on the specifications for mobile use shall be engineered and designed.

Together with a partner consortium, the company ESORO has developed the world's first hydrogen truck in the 34-tonne class for Coop, which thus has the necessary transport capacity to be fully integrated into the regular Coop logistics disposition process. Within the framework of this project, Coop tests the fuel cell truck it in operational operation (goods distribution). Both technical and economic aspects are investigated and the basics for a future roll-out of fuel cell trucks in Switzerland are worked out. In the planned logistics concept of Coop, the trucks will distribute the goods in a star shape from the distribution centre in Schafsheim. Thus, at the beginning only one filling station near the distribution centre will be needed. (https://doi.org/10.1016/S1464-2859(16)30367-4)

H2 Energy AG realized a hydrogen production plant at the run-off-the river power plant from Eniwa Ltd. The PEM-electrolyzer generates hydrogen for mobility applications based on renewable power. The obtained H2 is supplied to the hydrogen refueling station in Hunzenschwil. The pilot-production facility is part of an ecosystem in combination with the H2 refueling station from Coop Mineraloel Ltd and a hydrogen fuel cell truck of the 35 to GCW vehicle class owned by Coop to demonstrate the validity of hydrogen as a fuel in heavy duty transports based on renewable power. The H2 generation plant enables experience in regular plant operation and generates learnings for improvement to be applied for larger scale plants. Dynamic load changes can be applied within seconds to the electrolyzer. Therefore, the prerequisites are given for delivering grid support services as secondary or tertiary control power. A qualification to deliver such control power has not been performed, given the small nominal power of the H2 production plant. The production plant has always been able to supply the hydrogen demand from the fueling station in Hunzenschwil. The method of gas-transfer to a lower pressure level in a storage tank is not very efficient. About 1/3 of the capacity must be transported back to the H2 production plant. The transfer process last between 45-60 min. Therefore, the use of containers at 350 bars may be a more productive concept by swapping containers at the HRS. The quality standard for hydrogen (ISO 14687-2) has been fulfilled over the full project duration by using a dedicated transport trailer in combination with the PEM-electrolyzer. Cost advantage can be achieved in a scale-up if the logistics will be done by high pressure tanks (350 bar) placed in ship-containers. For the certification of hydrogen produced based on renewable energy, Guarantees of Origin certificates can’t be used in this project. The certificates are created at the entry point of the power to the grid. In our case the electrolyzer is powered directly from the generators. Therefore, we can proof the origin of the renewable energy on physical evidence, as long as the electrolyzer is only operated in case the power plant is producing electricity and is not consuming power out of the grid. The pilot plant obtained high visibility and interest in the public. The site has welcomed over 1000 visitors during the duration of the project.

The goal of this project is to integrate a 10kW Fuel Cell range extender into an electric Renault Kangoo ZE to double at least its usable energy with the hydrogen storage and the fuel cell systems. Initial calculation shows that additional useable 25 kWh can be added. The Kangoo ZE has been equipped with the hydrogen range extender and homologated for Swiss roads. The Kangoo has been chosen because it’s one of the most appreciated utility vehicle in Europe and has already a proven Electric version available in series and on the market since 2012. The modified vehicle has been delivered to its final user in September 2017 and some preliminary performance analysis following 9 months of services are presented.

In the Balance of Plant of fuel cell systems, additional converters are required to supply the com-pressor system from battery or fuel cell voltage. These additional converters can be omitted with application specific compressor electronics. In this project the resulting reduction of system complexity and increase in efficiency of the fuel cell system shall be demonstrated experimentally.

The key objective of the HyGrid project is the design, scale-up and demonstration at industrially relevant conditions a novel membrane based hybrid technology for the direct separation of hydrogen from natural gas grids. The focus of the project will be on the hydrogen separation through a combination of membranes, electrochemical separation and temperature swing adsorption to be able to decrease the total cost of hydrogen recovery. The project targets a pure hydrogen separation system with power and cost of < 5 kWh/kgH2 and < 1.5 €/kgH2. A pilot designed for 25 kg/day of hydrogen will be built and tested. To achieve this, HyGrid aims at developing novel hybrid system integrating three technologies for hydrogen purification integrated in a way that enhances the strengths of each of them: Membrane separation technology is employed for removing H2 from the “low H2 content” (e.g. 2-10 %) followed by electrochemical hydrogen separation (EHP ) optimal for the “very low H2 content” (e.g. <2 %) and finally temperature swing adsorption (TSA) technology to purify from humidity produced in both systems upstream. The objective is to give a robust proof of concept and validation of the new technology (TRL 5) by designing, building, operating and validating a prototype system tested at industrial relevant conditions for a continuous and transient loads. To keep the high NG grid storage capacity for H2, the separation system will target the highest hydrogen recovery. The project will describe and evaluate the system performance for the different pressure ranges within 0.03 to 80 bar (distribution to transmission) and test the concept at pilot scale in the 6-10 bar range. HyGrid will evaluate hydrogen quality production according to ISO 14687 in line not only with fuel cell vehicles (Type I Grade D) but also stationary applications (Type I Grade A) and hydrogen fueled ICE (Type I grade E category 3). A complete energy and cost analysis will be carried out in detail.

For storing fluctuating renewable energy, polymer electrolyte electrolyzers convert electric power into hydrogen. In this application efficiency is of primary interest. Efficiency losses are also due to transport limitations of water and gas in the porous titanium current collectors, materials initially developed for the filter industry. In this project these materials are characterized to and new prototype materials made with better efficiency.

High-speed turbo compressors are ideally suited for mobile fuel cell systems in cars thanks to their compact size and high efficiency. Thus, they offer a high potential for energy savings compared to standard compressors. In this project, a turbo compressor has been further developed based on the specifications for mobile applications, a prototype system has been realized, the design has been experimentally validated and the potential for energy savings has been shown.

Project ESMOBIL-RED developped an assessment methodology of the energy demand of the Swiiss fleet of passenger cars, comprising its current and potential future propulsion technologies. To that end, a small fleet of test vehicles was characterised in laboratory and field tests. The laboratory test data served to calibrate so-called «Willans» models for all propulsion systems investigated during ESMOBIL-RED, namely conventional, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains fuelled by diesel, gasoline or natural gas, as well as battery electric and fuel cell electric systems. A Willans-model describes the total efficiency of a propulsion system as an affine relationship of the mean positive propulsion load. The latter can be computed for any car, given certain technical and operational characteristics (such as the effective mass and a speed profile). It is independent of the propulsion system, as the Willans-line is independent of the car. The model can thus be used to describe any car using any propulsion system. The data of the field tests were used to estimate the real-world energy demand under road conditions. It was expressed as a correction factor relative to the norm consumption as defined by the legislative “WLTP” procedure. The variance of the factor value could be partially explained by the average velocity, the average positive acceleration, the experienced road topography and the load of auxiliary devices such as lighting or the cabin heating system. On average, the specific energy demand of all propulsion systems was 20-30% elevated in real-world conditions. The consumption model was then applied to the entirety of the Swiss fleet. Its daily driving requirements were quantified by using the Swiss “Mikrozensus Mobilität und Verkehr” by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics. Then an optimizer selected the mix of propulsion technologies yielding minimal CO2 emissions over the entire fleet. It accounted for the effectively required autonomy range (using the microcensus data) and the CO2 emissions of providing the potentially required alternative energy carriers. For the specific boudnary conditions of Switzerland, full electrification of the fleet was shown to be an effective and robust decarbonisation strategy: it is robust against fluctuations of the CO2-intensity of the average consumer electricity mix; of course the reduction effect is directy propotional to that CO2-intensity. There is a delay between the introduction of electric propulsion technologies in the market and the achievement of full electrificatino of the fleet. This was explored using a dynamic cohort model. It describes the natural renewal of the fleet as new vehicles entering the fleet through the market and old vehicles leaving the fleet as a function of their age. Postulating that the market share is the limiting factor of vehicle electrification, we developed a series of scenarios reflecting the current decarbonisation strategy of the Swiss respectively EU governements. To evaluate the scenarios, we used the resulting cumulative CO2 emissions until reaching full electrification in a sufficiently distant future. The results highlight the important role of vehicles sold before and shortly after the beginning of the analysis in 2019: they stay in the fleet for over a decade, locking in large amounts of CO2. For a fast and effective decarbonisation, it is thus paramount to quickly reduce the specific emissions as much as possible. Practically, this can be achieved by influencing the market share of hybrid and battery-electric vehicles (e.g. through subsidies), or by addressing vehicles in the fleet, either through accelerating the substitution dynamics (through scrapping subsidies) or by providing drop-in replacement fuels such as “e-fuels” or biofuels. The results shown in this report prove the usefulness of the ESMOBIL-RED approach in investigating various questions around the energy integration of future propulsion systems. The most important methodological elements were made public in 3 specific scientific publications.

BIONICO will develop, build and demonstrate at a real biogas plant (TRL6) a novel reactor concept integrating H2 production and separation in a single vessel. The hydrogen production capacity will be of 100 kg/day. By using the novel intensified reactor, direct conversion of biogas to pure hydrogen is achieved in a single step, which results in an increase of the overall efficiency and strong decrease of volumes and auxiliary heat management units. The BIONICO process will demonstrate to achieve an overall efficiency up to 72% thanks to the process intensification. In particular, by integrating the separation of hydrogen in situ during the reforming reaction, the methane in the biogas will be converted to hydrogen at a much lower temperature compared with a conventional system, due to the shifting effect on the equilibrium conversion. The fluidization of the catalyst makes also possible to (i) overcome problems with temperature control (formation of hotspots or too low temperature), (ii) to operate with smaller particles while still maintaining very low pressure drops and (iii) to overcome any concentration polarization issue associated with more conventional fixed bed membrane reactors. Dedicated tests with different biogas composition will be carried out to show the flexibility of the process with respect to the feedstock type. Compared with any other membrane reactor project in the past, BIONICO will demonstrate the membrane reactor at a much larger scale, so that more than 100 membranes will be implemented in a single fluidized bed membrane reactor, making BIONICO’s In this way a more easy operation can be carried out so that a stable pure hydrogen production can be achieved. BIONICO project is based upon knowledge and experience directly gained in three granted projects: ReforCELL, FERRET and FluidCELL

The project investigated the long-term behaviour in the field of five systems for uninterruptible emergency power supply with PEM fuel cells for the national security radio network POLYCOM and mobile radio communication. The power to be protected is between four and six kilowatts. The operation was tested with indoor and outdoor systems under various environmental conditions in the agricultural environment, at the tunnel entrance of a motorway and in the mountains at over 2000 metres altitude. Depending on user requirements and existing infrastructure, the systems were either integrated into the existing system as an integrated system or installed as a stand-alone system. At a POLYCOM site, the project involved a conversion from an integrated system with battery-operated standard UPS to a stand-alone system with its own developed startup unit with supercapacitors. Taking into account measurements and good results from previous projects with remote-controlled stress tests, the systems have very good reliability and stable operation after a total of seven years of operation. There is still potential for improvement in the expansion of service availability for fuel cell products in Switzerland and in the handling of hydrogen, particularly in cylinder supply and cylinder replacement.

The project entitled “Combined service station for battery electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles” started on the 1st of December 2015 and was finished on the 30th of November 2018. The results obtained during this period are reported here. The project was divided into six work packages: Technical installation and preparation of the building (WP1), Hardware installation (WP2), Automation and programming of the control system (WP3), Measurements and data analysis (WP4), Technical studies and modelling (WP5), Communication and knowledge transfer (WP6). In WP1 and WP2, an electric charging station coupled with a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) was installed and a hydrogen refilling station with on-site hydrogen production was built. The fueling station was inaugurated in September 2016 and is in operation since then. The design allows a high flexibility to refill various vehicles such as a Swiss Hydrogen Kangoo (1.5 kg at 350 bar), a Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell (5 kg at 700bar) and the Green GT H2 Speed (8 kg at 700 bar). In WP3, the control software and communication protocols between all subsystems were programmed and implemented for a synchronized operation of the demonstrator. In nominal operating conditions, 0.75 kg of H2 per hour can be produced, purified and stored at 200 bar. In WP4, the whole benefits of the custom hardware and software realized in WP1, WP2 and WP3 were fully exploited for measurements. 28 variables are recorded every second during the operation of the refilling station and 43 variables per second for the electrolyser allowing an accurate process modelling and identification of energy losses. In WP5 and WP6, we successfully generated interest and shared knowledge with private companies (Green GT, H55, Enerox), public utilities (ESR, SIG), academic partners (HES-SO Valais Wallis, Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research – Heat and Electricity storage (SCCER-HaE), University of Strathclyde) and the general public (Rallye du Valais, Swiss Mobility Days, various interviews and coverage with RTS, Le Nouvelliste, Le Temps, Le Matin). 3 scientific papers were published, another 2 are in the final stage of redaction and two more are expected after additional data collection.

The project involves the realisation and operation of the first two hydrogen filling stations in Switzerland, which are accessible to private individuals and also enable refuelling at a nominal pressure of 70 MPa. A nominal pressure of 70 MPa corresponds to the worldwide standard for refuelling fuel cell passenger cars. The filling stations located at Empa in Dübendorf and at Coop in Hunzenschwil have been in operation since 2016 and are currently used by more than 60 fuel cell passenger cars registered in Switzerland and one fuel cell truck (as of Sept. 2019). Adding up the quantities refuelled at the two fil-ling stations results in a turnover of more than 6 tonnes of hydrogen per year. The operation of the filling stations has provided valuable experience in practical operation and user behaviour. Teething troubles, which in the first 1 - 1.5 years of operation increasingly led to malfunctions at the filling stations, were eradicated. It was found that, from beginning of operation, there were no problems with the main components and the intrinsic process underlying hydrogen refuelling at either filling station. Electrolysis, compression and fittings for controlling the refuelling functioned almost flawlessly over the entire duration of the project. The cause of malfunctions was almost exclusively small components such as temperature and pressure sensors or card reader failures. In addition to practice-oriented and scientific analyses of the hydrogen path from production to the vehicle wheel (well-to-wheel balances), regulatory and legal issues relating to the construction and operation of hydrogen filling stations were also investigated. Within the framework of the project, a guideline was drawn up which breaks down the approval process for hydrogen filling stations in Switzerland in the form of a step-by-step instruction. In the appendix of the guideline all laws, regulations and standards are listed which are important for the realisation of hydrogen filling stations in Switzerland. Among other things, these regulations specify the Ex zone classification applicable to the refuelling of gaseous fuels. The Ex zone regulations applicable throughout Switzerland at the start of the project led to additional expenditure and costs for the integration of hydrogen dispensers into conventional filling stations. Within the framework of the project, an option was found in cooperation with Suva and based on detailed calculations and series of measurements, which allows a redefinition of the Ex zone while maintaining the same safety. Thus the integration into conventional filling stations could be simplified substantially by this project which will help for the construction of future hydrogen filling stations. To this effect, an official letter describing this option and the associated conditions was filed internally by Suva and can, as of now, be referenced by filling station constructors. While the above activities concentrated on legal and regulatory aspects in Switzerland, activities were also carried out in order to address the existing international challenges with regard to calibration capability (traceability) and hydrogen purity. As part of the project, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) built a calibration device with which initial calibration measurements were carried out at Empa's hydrogen filling station. The results showed, among other things, that in addition to uncertainties at the measuring and calibration device, the design and concept of the hydrogen dispenser in particular had a major influence on deviations in the mass measurement. The knowledge gained and the calibration device itself form an important basis for further investigations in the European project "MetroHyVe" launched in 2017, in which METAS and Empa are participating. Hydrogen mobility in Switzerland is only just beginning and many further efforts are needed to promote it. With the results of the present project, however, a decisive step forward could be taken and the basis could be laid for further initiatives to set up a hydrogen filling station infrastructure.

The overall aim is to create the foundations for commercializing an automotive derivative fuel cell system in the 50 to 100 kW range, for combined heat and power (CHP) applications in commercial and industrial buildings. More specifically, the project has the following objectives: • develop system components allowing reduced costs, increased durability and efficiency • build and validate a first 50 kW PEM prototype CHP system • create the required value chain from automotive manufacturers to stationary energy end-users Mass-market production of fuel cells will be a strong factor in reducing first costs. In this respect, joining the forces of two non-competing sectors (automotive and stationary) will bring benefits to both, to increase production volume and ultimately reduce costs to make fuel cells competitive. As a consequence, the project partners have identified a PEM fuel cell based CHP concept to address the stationary power market, primarily for commercial and industrial buildings requiring an installed capacity from about 50 kWe to some hundreds of kWe. The main components of the system have been validated to at least laboratory scale (TRL>4). As a part of the present AutoRE proposal, the overall system will be demonstrated and further validated to increase the technology readiness level to TRL5. In addition, innovative solutions will be demonstrated to continuously improve performance and reduce costs and complexity. The project consortium reflects the full value chain of the fuel cell CHP system which will enhance significantly the route to market for the system/technology. The proposal relates to FCH-02.5-2014: Innovative fuel cell systems at intermediate power range for distributed combined heat and power generation, and it addresses the main specific challenges and scope laid down in the FCH JU AWP2014 to “develop, manufacturing and validation of a new generation of fuel cell systems with properties that significantly improve competitiveness

A new Power-to-Gas technology was validated in collaboration between PSI and Energie360°. By way of "direct methanation of biogas", the CH4 yield of biogas is considerably increased. For this purpose, H2 was added in a test facility to the biogas from the sewage treatment plant as well as a bio-waste digestion plant on the Zurich-Werdhölzli site. Several subprojects supported the experimental investigations and helped to focus the experiments. One of the subprojects dealt with the question of the potential of suitable biogas plants in Switzerland which are suitable for direct methanation of biogas (Power-to-Gas). The focus was, on one hand, on existing waste water treatment plants (WWTP) and on the other hand on industrial biogas plants, which are digesting green waste. Agricultural biogas plants were not the subject of this analysis. The most important results from this subproject are that the largest potential of units are plant with an average size of 200 m3 of biogas per hour (11 GWh/a). There is a potential of 39 plants of this size in Switzerland. A further subproject was the techno-economic assessment of several concepts for "direct methanation of biogas" for the plant size of 200 m3 of biogas per hour. Various catalytic methanation processes were analysed with two different ways of hydrogen removal (membrane versus two-stage methanation). On the basis of this study, the concept of fluidised-bed methanation with a downstream hydrogen membrane was further investigated, as this concept is more flexible in the operation of a commercial plant. The pilot plant COSYMA was built at PSI in 2016 for the long duration experiments. On the ESI platform the plant was commissioned and a first series of scientific methanation test were performed. In January 2017 the plant was installed on the Zurich-Werdhölzli site close to an existing biogas upgrading plant and connected to the gas grid. In a further subproject, sorbent based gas cleaning was reviewed. Promising sorbent materials were selected and tested in the laboratory and integrated into the pilot plant COSYMA. For the continuous documentation and monitoring of the long-duration test with the pilot plant, improved gas diagnostic systems were successfully implemented (mGC, liquid quench system). This way, it could be detected at an early stage if impurities such as H2S, dimethylsulphide (DMS) or siloxanes were no longer sufficiently removed by the gas purification. In the first half of 2017, the 1’000 hour long-time experiment was successfully carried out in Werdhölzli with a single catalyst charge. The predicted gas quality of the methanation was reached. The experimental results of fluidised bed methanation and gas cleaning can be scaled up from the COSYMA scale to that of an industrial plant of 200 m3 biogas per hour. Outcomes of the project have been regularly reported in journals and on events. Within the scope of this long-duration experiment, the project was also presented to an interested public.

The life-time of SOFC-stacks is currently one of the main hurdles to overcome in the area of µ-CHPs. One crucial aspect is hereby the degradation of the electrical contact between metallic interconnect (MIC) and cell. Hence, the main goal of this project is to develop a bulk ferritic MIC with superior resistance towards oxidation, which allows to operate a stack for more than 100’000 hours. In the Fermi project, a ferritic interconnector including a cost-effective protective layer was successfully developed to production maturity. This allows a positive outlook regarding the manufacturing costs of future Hexis fuel cell systems and their expected performance degradation. In this regard, this key outcome of the project is considered to be an extremely important and strategically important starting point for future product development. The project has shown that the thermo-mechanical compatibility of the ferritic interconnector to the current cell design is vital and key for the future application. Furthermore, seal concepts could be successfully established at the stack level, which make it possible to use thinner and therefore more efficient electrolytes. In addition, the following aspects have been developed in the framework of the project which will form the basis for future development activities: - Promising new protective coating for 1.4509 and Crofer22 APU - Development and further development of elementary test benches for future development - Deepened understanding of thermo-mechanical aspects of RU level - In-depth understanding of how MIC affects structure degradation