[월간수소경제 이종수 기자] The hydrogen fuel cell (PEMFC) that goes into the hydrogen electric vehicle’Nexo’ is also used for power generation.
On the 20th in Ulsan City, Korea East-West Power, Hyundai Motor Company, Deokyang, etc. participated online, and the completion ceremony of the’Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEMFC) hydrogen fuel cell demonstration facility (1 ㎿ class) through the digital touch method Held’.
The 1㎿ polymer electrolyte membrane hydrogen fuel cell demonstration facility that can supply power to about 2,000 households is a facility that generates electricity by receiving hydrogen directly from hydrogen pipes and reacting with oxygen collected in the air and ion exchange membrane electrolyte.
A total of 6.6 billion won will be invested in this project, jointly participated by Hyundai Motor Company, Korea East-West Power, and Deokyang. In October 2019, the construction of a demonstration facility with a scale of 650m2 in the Ulsan Power Plant headquarters in Namhwa-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, was completed.
The main facilities are fuel cell main unit, hydrogen supply facility, transmission and electric facility, cooling facility, etc.
The 1MW-class hydrogen fuel cell power generation system developed by Hyundai Motors consists of two container modules capable of producing 500kW of electricity, and the most important feature is that the vehicle fuel cell module of the Nexo hydrogen electric vehicle is used for power generation. Since several Nexo hydrogen electric vehicle power modules are mounted in a container, it is possible to expand the supply to several tens to hundreds of MW depending on the number of containers in the future.
In addition, Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen fuel cell power generation system has the advantage of being differentiated from the existing fuel cell power generation system in terms of rapid power control. Unlike the existing fuel cell power generation system, Hyundai Motor’s vehicle fuel cell technology is applied to the facility to rapidly control the amount of electricity produced in real time, enabling efficient power supply. Through this, the problem of power supply and demand fluctuations of renewable energy such as solar and wind power can be supplemented.
An official from Hyundai Motor said, “In the past, most of the fuel cells for power generation in Korea were based on overseas technology, so parts replacement and maintenance costs were high, but through this pilot project, we introduced a hydrogen fuel cell system developed with domestic purely proprietary technology. If the market expands, it is expected that it will contribute to the decrease in the price of hydrogen vehicles as well as the price of fuel cells for power generation.”
Deokyang built 2.8km of dedicated hydrogen pipes to expand the supply of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEMFC) hydrogen fuel cells throughout Korea East-West Power. By-product hydrogen produced in the petrochemical complex is supplied to this demonstration facility through hydrogen piping.
Participating organizations plan to accelerate research and development to demonstrate localization of hydrogen fuel cells for power generation and secure operating technology by October 2022.
Young-jo Ji, President of Hyundai Motor Company, said, “By successfully completing this project, we will open an era of power generation that combines fuel cells for transportation (PEMFC) with by-product hydrogen and pure hydrogen in industrial complexes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, green new deal, etc. He said, “We will do our best to contribute to the growth of related industries and job creation in connection with the government policy.”
Korea East-West Power President Park Il-joon said, “We will actively respond to the government and Ulsan city’s hydrogen policy through the completion ceremony of this 1 MW class domestic hydrogen fuel cell demonstration facility, and will strive to revitalize the local economy and foster the hydrogen industry through localization of hydrogen fuel cells in the future.” .
Deokyang Lee, CEO Hyun-tae, said, “We will actively cooperate with the government and Ulsan city’s hydrogen policy as a hydrogen specialized company so that the hydrogen economy can be revitalized in Ulsan, the root of Deokyang.”
Ulsan Mayor Song Chul-ho said, “Currently, Ulsan City has implemented the entire hydrogen industry cycle in the field of hydrogen mobility, from hydrogen production, manufacturing of related parts to production of finished cars,” and “plans to create a global hydrogen industry ecosystem by expanding the field of hydrogen fuel cells for power generation.” Said.
Meanwhile, Ulsan City declared the ‘2030 Ulsan Hydrogen City Vision’ in 2019 and is pursuing related projects with the goal of establishing 250 MW for hydrogen fuel cell power generation by 2030.