New Website Aids Permitting
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
DOE has unveiled a new website to aid permitting of hydrogen refueling stations. The website was created in response to feedback from the DOE Hydrogen Fuelling Station Workshops, which began last year. Permitting processes, technologies involved, delivery options, and a database with appropriate citations to the codes & standards relevant to the application are all included.
The new Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes and Standards website is being developed for permitting officials. The website, which is available now, continues to develop. It will provide a unique resource for building code, fire marshals, fire safety and other local/state officials involved in the permitting of: (i) hydrogen dispensing equipment in existing vehicular fueling stations that dispense gasoline and diesel fuel; and (ii) new retail multi-fuel fueling stations with hydrogen to be one of the fuels dispensed.
The website will be a “one stop” repository /data base relating to hydrogen fueling stations, and includes case studies, technical information regarding fueling station equipment appropriate for permitting officials, among other relevant information.
The website also includes the Hydrogen Fueling Station Permitting Process which is a tool for taking permitting officials step-by-step through all the issues involved in the complete permitting of a fueling station. Currently, NREL is working to add a telecommunications permitting process module to the website.
The International Codes Council (ICC) has granted permission to include excerpts to the applicable sections of the I-codes in the website. NREL is currently negotiating with NFPA to do the same. In the future, other codes and standards development organizations may be approached to have their codes and standards included. The website is specific to refueling stations, and NREL is in the process of doing something similar with other hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, particularly stationary fuel cells.
The website was unveiled during the Hydrogen Fueling Station and Fuel-Cells-for-Telecommunications Permitting Workshop, which was conducted collaboratively by DOE, NASFM and the California Fire Prevention Institute as part of CaFPI’s 2008 Annual Conference. The Workshop was held 12-13 March at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott in Buelton, CA (near Santa Barbara).
Opportunities for additional workshops will be identified by industry. The next workshop is expected to be conducted in the New York City metro area on May 15 &16. It will be targeted at fire safety and permitting officials in New York City, New York State and New Jersey. This will be a DOE/NREL/NASFM/NHA/USFCC collaborative effort.
The address for the website is as follows:
http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/fueling_stations/index.cfm
NREL has encouraged stakeholders to look at the website and provide comments to make it as useful as possible while they continue to improve the website.
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