At the end of August, Toyota announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to jointly provide proof of new fuel cell technology through the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Their goal is a megawatt-scale multi-mission generation package with the aim of developing the necessary technology to smooth the grid through renewable energy storage.
The project seeks to "build, install and evaluate" a 1 MW prototype proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell technology system at NREL's Colorado campus.
The automaker said the power generation system will be fully operational by the end of 2022. It has about 15 times the power generation capacity of conventional automotive-grade fuel cells, which are used in the Toyota Mirai. In addition, it can support AC or DC output.
In addition to generators, this hydrogen fuel cell technology project also includes electrolyzers and hydrogen storage units. The electrolyzer is a 1.25 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) unit and the storage system has a capacity of 600 kg. The project, which will be part of a larger NREL project, is working to demonstrate "megawatt-scale direct renewable hydrogen production, energy storage, power generation and grid integration," Toyota said in a recent statement.
The researchers intend to use their findings to study new applications for hydrogen fuel cell technology and how it can be integrated with other systems. This may include combinations to power heavy equipment or industrial applications. Their idea is that future systems based on this technology could strategically store and release renewable electricity from solar and wind power. With the addition of hydrogen, it could be used to replace large-scale battery packs that require more raw materials to build.
