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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MetaFuel (High Temperature Methanol Fuel Cell)

Teaser

Summary

More than 1.5 billion people are without access to a stable electrical grid. Currently, diesel generators sets are the backup solution for the instable grid and for solar and wind energy. Siqens vision is to replace diesel generators, which is environmentally harmful, loud, unhealthy and inefficient. Siqens also sees great potential in speeding up the widespread use of e-mobility. By providing a hybrid energy converter for power-heat-coupling which increases the range, especially in winter, battery-powered vehicles will become more user-friendly and economically attractive.
Siqens has developed a fuel cell-based energy system that uses methanol as a low-carbon and environmentally-friendly fuel source to close the gaps in PV / wind supply and to provide extra energy for charging batteries or providing interior heating in electric cars and utility vehicles

Work performed

Business development and marketing concepts as well as in-depth market research activities, led to the choice of industrial off-grid applications as the best market entry for Siqens. European customer groups have been identified for these markets and addressed in corporate communications and marketing. The market entry product, including variants, has been defined and is ready to be marketed. The focus on B2B customers allows Siqens to easier scale the sales of the new Ecoport 800 fuel cell. Relations to these integration partners have been successfully established allowing for increased access and promotion to customers and end user. Currently, the Ecoport is being marketed and sold from the company base in Munich, Germany. The first customers, with whom there exists a working partnership and through testing and evaluating the Ecoport 800, have provided valuable and very positive feedback.
All of the advantages achieved during the SME project enable Siqens to provide an environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient technology to close the power supply gaps in PV / wind energy and to provide much needed extra energy for electrified cars and utility vehicles. The considerable interest in the technology by key industrial partners for addressing mass markets is clearly visible. These include energy supply for off-grid telecommunication towers and battery-based delivery vehicles in Europe and Asia.

Final results

Siqens intends to replace the harmful and inefficient diesel generator with a fuel cell-based energy system that uses low-carbon and environmentally-friendly methanol. Siqens technology will also support and facilitate the further expansion of stable and economically viable renewable energy production, in particular solar and wind power. And Siqens wants to contribute to spread, acceptance and competitiveness of electric vehicles in our cities and towns.

With urban population growth increasing worldwide and the constant demand for mobility and energy in these areas growing, the health problems from a reliance on diesel and petrol-powered vehicles as well as wood and coal burning for heating and cooking are considerable. Fine particle matter and nitro oxides are a tremendous health impact on the population. The World Health Organisation estimates that 90% of the urban population is exposed to particle matter concentrations exceeding air quality guidelines. In Europe, around 425,000 people die prematurely due to air pollution of which about 10,000 deaths are linked to the high concentration of NOx in the air. These deaths are avoidable if air quality guidelines are maintained or even exceeded. Siqens and the Ecoport are part of the solution. Widespread shift away from diesel engines to electric vehicles is the key.

Siqensâ€™ product has the ability to support the growth and development of the e-mobility market. Electrified individual and logistics mobility is seen as a key solution to making transport in cities healthier, cleaner and climate-friendly. E-mobility is still suffering from insufficient charging infrastructure and battery range. In winter and summer, interior heating and air-conditioning use valuable battery power. In particular for utility vehicles, such as delivery vans, diverting battery power away from the drive translates into loss of productivity and time. We see the solution in creating an Ecoport-battery hybrid drive where the fuel cell powers air-conditioning and non-drive-related applications as well as recharging the battery to increase the effective range.

In recent years, sustainable energy has been able to increase energy supply worldwide through PV, wind energy and batteries. The power supply for small consumer applications in off-grid areas (rural electrification), however, requires a weather-independent supply. Still more than 1.5 billion people are without access to a stable electrical grid. The instable power grid is backed up by diesel generator sets, PV or hybrid solutions. In rural but also urban areas in developing countries, businesses, health facilities, agricultural enterprises and manufacturing desperately need a safe, inexpensive and stable energy supple to function and, therefore, to provide services, produces products and employ people. We are convinced that the solution lies in a backup power source to close the supply gaps.

Besides the health benefits by avoiding toxic gases in cities, the Ecoport system has a significant role to play in preventing climate change by replacing diesel generator. With more than 62 GW installed power worldwide in 2015, exhaust fumes from diesel generator sets are a major contributor to climate-damaging gases. Changing to a methanol fuel-based power system will make the difference. For example, a 0.5 kW or 12 kWh of power per day is needed, the switch from a diesel generator to an Ecoport would reduce the CO2 emissions from 9 â€“ 12 tonnes to 5 tonnes per year. And if bio-methanol from regenerative sources is used, the C02 emissions are neutral. Along with the direct CO2 reduction, a considerable reduction potential is to enable PV-based off-grid power supply or battery-based e-mobility.
Market success with the Ecoport system will lead to regional and European jobs security and creation â€“ at Siqens and with suppliers. The cooperation with Danish Power Systems (DPS) and other suppliers have highlighted the significant economic opportunities through t