Hydrogen delivery and storage options for backup power and off-grid primary power fuel cell systems: Two years later

In 2008, ReliOn presented a paper discussing hydrogen delivery and storage options for fuel cells delivering backup and off-grid primary power. As fuel cells become a more widely deployed solution for telco backup, the delivery and storage of hydrogen remains key. In addition, the attention paid at both the corporate and government level to fuel cells as alternative energy solutions increases. In late 2008, The U.S. Department of Energy released a Funding Opportunity Announcement, targeting Market Transformation for stationary fuel cells for communications backup. One specific requirement of this program is the capability to provide 72 hours backup on compressed hydrogen. ReliOn has been at the forefront of hydrogen supply alternatives and infrastructure strategies since the company was established in 1995. In 2009, U.S. DOE issued multiple awards under the Market Transformation sub-topic. ReliOn was awarded a program to deploy 200 fuel cells with 72 hours backup. The majority of these sites will incorporate a field-refillable hydrogen storage module, placing into service both the storage solution and delivery model discussed in our 2008 paper. Driven by the prospects of this program, further development of market-ready options has occurred, and the industry is in the first phases of a nation-wide deployment of 72 hour backup solutions based on hydrogen fuel cells. This paper provides an overview of the program and preliminary status update, focusing on the storage and fueling solutions presented two years ago, and the influence these specific programs have had in stimulating the emergence of bulk hydrogen delivery for stationary backup applications.