The Fuel Cell Industry Review 2019 - The Year of the Gigawatt has just been released, which offers data, analysis and commentary on key events in the global fuel cell industry during 2019.
Now in its sixth year, this free to access Review has been compiled by a team led by SHFCA member E4tech, a specialist energy strategy consultancy with deep expertise in the hydrogen and fuel cell sector. This team also includes SHFCA member Jonathan Lewis, formerly with Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems. The full Review is 52 pages and covers fuel cell applications, technology, regional uptake, and reported shipment data. The Fuel Cell Industry Review 2019 is based on direct contact, either verbally or in writing, with over 100 companies globally.
2019 was a landmark year for fuel cells in more ways than one.
The fuel cell industry finally shipped more than a gigawatt of fuel cells – around 1.1 GW in fact – evidence of an increasingly capable supply chain. Major corporate players placed reasonably-sized bets on fuel cells being a part of the future energy mix. Some swallowed smaller pure-play entities whole, while others chose the route of multiple partners for the multiple applications and solutions. More MW means lower costs ahead. And the MW grew by 40% from 800 MW in 2018 to more than 1,100 MW in our preliminary figures for 2019, which include a forecast for the final quarter.
Korea turned up the volume, pushing out a Hydrogen Roadmap, a lot of stationary power, and more cars than anyone else, plus setting ambitious targets for many other sectors. California still leads in cars on the road, though with fewer fuelling stations than either Japan or Germany. And Toyota has still produced more vehicles than anyone.
Amongst all the activity, Fuel Cell Industry Review 2019 identifies a lot of the fundamentals settling into place. The supply chain is investing, with Umicore’s new factory in Korea to provide catalysts to Hyundai is a case in point. The various acquisitions and investments by Cummins, Bosch, CNH, and others also points towards a heavy-duty fuel cell world. Two Alstom hydrogen trains have already been running for a year in Germany, and dozens more are on order, meaning that more manufacturing capability will be added.
Fuel cell buses moved ahead in Korea, and Europe is following on from various programmes with H2Bus – a plan for 1,000 fuel cell buses at prices competitive with almost all other options.
The stationary sector also shows signs of development. A lot has been put into making larger-scale ‘commercial’ fuel cells of multiple kW, which can slot into a niche between the sub-kW Ene-farm systems and the hundreds of kW – and even MW – provided by the biggest players. These newish units should increasingly become available, in Asia and Europe at least.
The value of fuel cell technologies is starting to be noticed by politicians, who want to ensure jobs and economies are protected in the energy transition, and especially in the maelstrom of change that is the automotive industry. Financial investment is coming back. Costs are coming down, and will come down much further, if momentum is sustained.
Two-thirds of fuel cell capacity in MW shipped during 2019 came from two companies – Toyota and Hyundai. Other manufacturers, with the honourable exception of Honda, and to some extent Daimler – are mainly talking about BEVs, cutting costs to pay for them, and cutting jobs. Trucks are an obviously appealing application because of the limitations of batteries – but few currently run. Developing solutions for an understandably conservative and cash-poor industry will require real proof of performance and reliability, or some very strong policy measures.
2020 should bring two things: more solidification of the supply chain through investment and large corporate engagement, and more units operating, consistently, across a swathe of applications. Then, by the end of 2020, we’ll have a lot more evidence of what will work.
To access your full version of the Fuel Cell Industry Review 2019 please visit http://www.fuelcellindustryreview.com/