The ZBT Center for Fuel Cell Technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has been awarded €380 000 (US$535 000) for its HiPerLoCo project, on the Development of High Performance and Low-Cost PEM Fuel Cells.

Renewable Energy Focus ZBT will collaborate with the National Research
Council Canada – Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (NRC-IFCI) in Vancouver.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy for
the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW), under the NRW-EU
Objective 2 program. The award is part of the state government’s support for
the development of versatile, low-cost polymer electroloyte membrane
(PEM) fuel cells that could be used in the future for power generation or in
transportation.

ZBT will work closely with the NRC-IFCI, a leading fuel cell research center.
The international cooperation aims to exchange materials and scientists,
and to enhance knowledge in a variety of technologies and processes.
The project will in parallel develop NRW as a focal point for the North
American fuel cell sector. The technical and scientific exchange will be
boosted through the involvement of companies in the NRW region, to create
and consolidate jobs in research and industry.

‘Over the next three years, using mass production techniques, we will
explore in the project how to create versatile, practical, low-cost fuel cell
systems,’ says ZBT Director, Professor Dr Angelika Heinzel. ‘Applications
include, for example, mobile drive applications with battery hybrid
technologies, as well as stationary power generation.’

The project focus is technology development for system components and
operational performance in the 5–10 kW range. Of particular interest are
mobile power applications with battery hybrid technologies.
This ties in with the Electric Mobility Strategy of the EnergieRegion.NRW, in
which batteries and fuel cells are seen as complementary technologies.
Other activities within this strategy in the Rhine-Ruhr electric mobility region
can also benefit from this project. In addition, stationary applications for
high-quality power supply (e.g. UPS systems) will be optimized.
The ZBT Center for Fuel Cell Technology provides services in applied
research, development and innovation. Its scientific and technical
departments are conducting industry-related fuel cell research. Supported
by funding from NRW and the European Union, the ZBT is a bridge
between university research and the demands of industry in terms of
possible applications.