Distributed Energy Systems' subsidiaries Northern Power Systems and Proton Energy Systems are to build an advanced hydrogen fueling station through a partnership with EVermont in the state of Vermont.
The new hydrogen station will also be supported by a nearly $1 million Department of Energy (DOE) grant. The grant will be administered by the DOE’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cell, and Infrastructure Technologies Program.
Subject to local approvals, the system will be located at the Department of Public Works in Burlington, Vermont. The system will convert electric energy and water into clean hydrogen fuel, which will be stored on-site and then dispensed into hydrogen-fueled vehicles.
Electricity for the project will be supplied by Burlington Electric Department, which generates a significant portion of its power from renewable sources, including a wind turbine located adjacent to the Public Works site.
As the overall project manager, Northern Power Systems will act as coordinator between all participating entities including EVermont, DOE, Proton, and the Burlington Department of Public Works.
In addition, Northern will provide turnkey services including project design, equipment procurement, site preparation, and installation and commissioning. Northern’s SmartView monitoring system will enable the program to collect data and conduct analysis and reporting for DOE.
Proton Energy Systems will contribute the hydrogen expertise to the project and will supply the fueling station with a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) H Series electrolyzer, which is capable of producing 12 kg of hydrogen per day.
We anticipate that the Vermont station will validate a number of DOE hydrogen objectives, including reducing the cost of production, improving efficiency, and engineering an integrated system design and control, says Rob Friedland, senior vice president of Proton’s Hydrogen Technology Group. At the same time, the project results should help reduce some of the technical barriers to widespread application of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure.