The increasing demand for low-emission fuels, deployment of hydrogen storage tanks in the transportation sector and rising ammonia and methanol consumption worldwide are driving the market. Hydrogen storage is a technology that has enabled the advancement of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies which are then used as portable and stationary power and in transportation.

The hydrogen storage market is witnessing the trend of increasing research and development activities. Countries such as India, the U.K., and the U.S. are developing advanced hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. This is enabling the development of adequate hydrogen storage for material-handling equipment, light-duty vehicles and portable power applications. Further, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is developing high-performance, cost-effective hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for portable and stationary power and transportation.

The increasing investment in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies holds massive potential for the hydrogen storage market. Further, governments are also coming up with supportive initiatives to popularize the adoption of these technologies. Europe and North America are increasingly focusing on producing zero-emission hydrogen vehicles, for which the U.K. and the U.S. have released funds to boost hydrogen-fuelled vehicle manufacturing. The high demand for methanol and ammonia and stringent emission policies in India, South Korea, Japan and China are further predicted to boost market growth.

One of the factors affecting hydrogen storage market growth positively is extensive use of hydrogen storage tanks in the transportation sector. Owing to high storage performance and cost-effectiveness, hydrogen storage tanks are preferred to power fuel cell and electric vehicles. The World Nuclear Association mentioned the demand for hydrogen for transport fuel from crude oil would witness an increase in the coming years. Also, the volatile prices of crude oil are a big factor driving the demand for hydrogen as transport fuel.

The segments of the hydrogen storage market are region, form of storage, application and type of storage. Based on storage, the bifurcations of the market are material-based and physical storage. The larger market revenue share in the historic period (2012–2015) was accounted for by physical storage. This is credited to the increasing application of hydrogen in various sectors, such as ammonia production, crude oil refining, metalworks, glass production and transportation. The physical storage form is expected to continue leading the market in the forecast period.

Based on application, the categories of the hydrogen storage market are transportation, portable power and stationary power. Owing to surging demand for hydrogen for generating energy and the popularity of hydrogen storage applications in grocery stores, airports and data centers, the stationary power category generated the highest revenue during the historic period. During the forecast period, the highest value CAGR is predicted to be exhibited by the transportation power category on account of the increasing usage of hydrogen as fuel in vehicles.

Therefore, the market for hydrogen storage is set to witness significant growth in the forecast period due to technical advancements in the field of energy storage.

Key players

The key players in the hydrogen storage market include Linde AG, Air Liquide S.A., Worthington Industries Inc., Praxair Inc., HBank Technologies Inc., McPhy Energy S.A., VRV S.p.A., Hexagon Composites ASA, and INOXCVA.

Contracts and agreements have been the major developments in the global hydrogen storage market in recent years. Worthington Industries, Praxair and Linde AG are among the companies which have signed new agreements for the development of hydrogen storage technologies around the world.

This article originally appeared on pv-magazine-usa.com, and has been republished with permission by pv magazine (www.pv-magazine.com and www.pv-magazine-usa.com).

German coach company planning start-up Flixbus will test hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on long-distance routes.

Flixbus may soon be operating European-made hydrogen fuel cell coaches across the continent.
Image: Janusz Jakubowski/Flickr

From pv magazine Spain.

Germany’s FlixMobility, parent company of coach firm FlixBus, is working with electromobility business Freudenberg Sealing Technologies to test hydrogen fuel cell buses on long-distance journeys.

Flixbus said it has already begun talks with bus manufacturers about the introduction of hydrogen models.

“After being the first to successfully launch three fully electric buses, we now want to develop the first long-distance buses powered by fuel cells, along with Freudenberg technology, to mark another milestone in the history of mobility,” said André Schwämmlein, founder and CEO of FlixMobility.

The first e-buses in France and Germany were produced by Chinese manufacturers BYD and Yutong for FlixBus. The company claims fuel cell transport offers European bus makers a chance to participate in the future of sustainable mobility.

Flixmobility said fuel cell vehicles must have a range of at least 500km and refueling should take a maximum of 20 minutes. The performance characteristics of fuel cell buses, such as power and acceleration, must also align with current long-distance bus standards, said the travel company.

Pilot fleet

Claus Möhlenkamp, ​​CEO of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies said: “A hybrid system that properly combines the battery and fuel cells is especially practical for heavy vehicles that cover long distances since purely electric vehicles still do not have the ability to cover long distances. In the first phase of the FlixBus fuel cell project, a representative bus fleet will be equipped with the technology as a pilot test.”

FlixBus – which owns no buses or drivers – offers permitting, network planning, marketing, pricing, quality management and customer services to regional bus companies, which supply coaches and drivers and day to day management of routes. The company was created in Munich in 2011 by three entrepreneurs who wanted to offer sustainable, comfortable and affordable travel. At the same time, MeinFernbus started in Berlin, with its green buses circulating throughout Germany.

The bus market was opened up to competition in Germany in 2013 and the rival startups merged two years later with Flixbus becoming the leader in the German market. In 2015, FlixBus began its international expansion with long-distance networks in France, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and Croatia and cross-border routes to Scandinavia, Spain, England and Eastern Europe.

By Pilar Sánchez Molina

Originally published on https://www.pv-magazine-india.com/2019/11/12/european-carrier-plans-hydrogen-buses-for-long-distance-routes/