Reforming the Hydrogen Solution

By: Tim Cortes

The ‘hydrogen side’ of the hydrogen fuel cell equation has never been more important in stimulating mass adoption of these products. Many indicators are pointing to how Plug Power is leading the efforts to make this fuel readily available and ubiquitous, globally. For example:

• In early February 2017, we celebrated the 5 millionth hydrogen refueling from Plug Power fueling stations into an electric vehicle. Plug Power fueling stations have also dispensed more than 3 million kilograms of hydrogen.
• In early January 2017, CEO Andy Marsh, promoted Plug Power’s real commercial success with hydrogen fuel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with the purpose of sharing this progress as strategy that can play in the ongoing transition to clean energy.
• In October 2016, we showcased deployment of our streamlined hydrogen fueling station, reducing costs by 25% and making hydrogen viable to customers with small vehicle fleets

At Plug Power, innovation never stops. And, we’re excited to see the progress made by our GenFuel team as they continue to expand our hydrogen fueling station solutions with new real, cost effective options.

Plug Power has a history of developing elegant hydrogen fueling station solutions. Our current fueling stations are flexible enough to operate with a variety of fuel inputs, including liquid hydrogen, high-pressure gas, electrolyzers and natural gas reformers. Specific to the on-site generation of hydrogen fuel through reformer technology, Plug Power continues to expand our served market, meeting the needs of operating fleets as small as 25 electric trucks.  The on-site generation solution reliably produces 100 kgs of hydrogen per modular reformer and is appropriate for installations which do not require large quantities of liquid hydrogen or are a significant distance from a liquid hydrogen production source.

And, this is not just an innovation for the future – these systems are powering possibilities for material handling professionals today. For instance, the picture below highlights the most recent installation of Plug Power onsite generation reformers in Plainview, TX. This site is appropriate for a reformer solution because of the fleet size and the geographic distance from a scale a liquid hydrogen production source.

The Sustainability Factor:

With this full solution, on-site generation of hydrogen eliminates the need to transport the hydrogen fuel, further improving the sustainability of the overall hydrogen and fuel cell solution Plug Power provides to its customers.  The use of hydrogen as an energy source is attracting attention globally, as its impact on corporate sustainability initiatives is being witnessed today. With more than 90% of global hydrogen refuelings going into a Plug Power product – we know hydrogen. #InfiniteDrive