Shell
Hydrogen signs agreement with Vandenborre Technologies to develop
and market home hydrogen refueling unit
Posted: 16 June 2003
Shell Hydrogen, a global business of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group
of Companies, signed a development, marketing and sales agency agreement
with Vandenborre Technologies N.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Stuart Energy Systems Corporation.
The agreement gives Shell Hydrogen access to Vandenborre’s
electrolyser-based hydrogen home refuelling products.
A home hydrogen refuelling unit consists of a small-scale electrolyser
powered by mains electricity that converts water from the domestic
supply into a slow stream of hydrogen.
The only local emission is oxygen. The technology offers the prospect
of drivers parking in their front drives or parking spaces at the
end of the day and connecting their vehicles to home refuelling
units for a steady refill overnight.
Under the agreement, Shell Hydrogen obtains non-exclusive rights
to act as agent for Vandenborre’s home refuelling technology.
Shell Hydrogen will conduct market analysis of the potential of
home hydrogen refuelling, while Vandenborre Technologies will develop
and manufacture home refuelling units.
The companies expect to introduce a first prototype for field testing
within a year, in a European market.
Shell Hydrogen is exploring the potential of home hydrogen refuelling
as part of its activities to develop a global hydrogen refuelling
infrastructure. These efforts also include work on solutions to
technical problems such as hydrogen storage and participation in
demonstration projects of hydrogen refuelling stations.
In April Shell Hydrogen opened the first Shell-branded hydrogen
refuelling station, in Reykjavik, Iceland.
“Ultimately customers will decide how they want to receive
hydrogen,” said Jeremy Bentham, Chief Executive Officer of
Shell Hydrogen. “For widespread acceptance we believe refuelling
infrastructure will probably have to resemble existing infrastructure.
But we can foresee that new and innovative solutions, such as home
refuelling, may be deployed and some may prove successful with consumers.
In remote locations or regions with limited hydrogen demand, for
example, home refuelling may be an elegant solution. Some commuters
using their vehicles for short daily journeys may also choose home
hydrogen refuelling if it is safe, easy and attractive in terms
of cost.”
Jon Slangerup, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stuart
Energy, said: “Through this agreement, we will be combining
our technical and market expertise with Shell Hydrogen’s extensive
market analysis capabilities and distribution channels.”
Hugo Vandenborre, founder of Vandenborre Technologies, added: "Since
the early 1990’s, Stuart Energy and Vandenborre Technologies
have accumulated a great deal of experience and expertise in safely
delivering hydrogen to vehicles using our electrolysis refuelling
stations. As a combined team, Vandenborre Technologies and Stuart
Energy have installed or have on order 19 hydrogen refuelling stations
in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. We look forward to applying
this know-how to the further development of the home hydrogen refuelling
units and to collaborating with Shell Hydrogen as we begin commercialisation."
Later this year, Shell Hydrogen plans to install a hydrogen dispenser
at an existing Shell retail site in Washington DC. Showa Shell is
a partner in a hydrogen refuelling station in Tokyo to be used by
fleets of fuel cell vehicles supplied by various automotive companies.
Shell Hydrogen is also involved in hydrogen demonstration projects
for sustainable mobility in California, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Shell is the only global energy group active in demonstration projects
in all three of the key hydrogen markets — North America,
Europe and Japan.
For more information see www.shell.com.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
Information supplied by companies
or PR agencies who are responsible for content. Send press releases
to info@pipelinedubai.com |
