Honda has started a demonstration project with Tokuyama and Mitsubishi to operate a data center using by-product hydrogen and a stationary fuel cell (FC) power station designed to reuse FC systems from fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The companies recently held an opening ceremony at the demonstration site in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
The project was proposed and adopted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in June 2023 as one of the projects for the Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society / Development of Technologies for Regional Hydrogen Utilization initiative.
In the demonstration project, a stationary FC power station, that Honda has developed based on the assumption that reusing fuel cells recovered from FCEVs, uses by-product hydrogen produced by Tokuyama’s salt water electrolysis business to generate electricity to supply to a distributed data center operated by Mitsubishi.
Through this demonstration project, the three companies aim to explore the potential of reusing automotive FC systems for stationary FC power station applications, as well as verifying the possibility of contributing to: a reduction in the economic burden on customers that will install and operate stationary FC power stations; and the decarbonization of electric power, through effective use of FC systems, which are expected to see broader adoption in the future.
A further increase in power demand for data centers is expected in the long run due to the advancement of technologies that require large-volume data processing, such as generative AI and automated driving. By using by-product hydrogen – which can be produced/supplied stably with low-carbon emissions – and reusing FCs to supply electricity to distributed data centers, the companies hope to contribute to the green transformation of these centers as well as the wider digital transformation.
During this demonstration, electricity from multiple sources, such as a stationary FC power station that uses by-product hydrogen, the power grid, stationary batteries and renewable energy sources, will be combined to verify more efficient and optimal power configurations for different patterns of operation.
The following specific patterns of stationary FC power station use, based on various possible scenarios, will be demonstrated by switching among these operation patterns using an energy management system (EMS): use as a backup power source, as an off-grid primary power source, for peak shaving of grid electricity consumption, and for grid supply-demand balancing, including supplying electricity back to the grid.
In addition to verifying the practicality and business viability of stationary FC power station operation, a wide range of potential applications will also be explored in this demonstration project.
In related news, Stellantis has announced its decision to discontinue its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program. Read the full story here