Permitting Guideline to Facilitate European Installations
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
The Hydrogen Permitting (HYPER) project started at 1 November 2006, and is scheduled to end in February 2009. The work programme of the HYPER project was structured around the development of an Installation Permitting Guide (IPG) and includes:
- An assessment of current knowledge on installation requirements of small stationary hydrogen and fuel cell systems
- Detailed case studies of representative installations
- Modelling and experimental risk evaluation studies to investigate fire and explosion phenomena
The IPG was created in response to the growing need for guidance to facilitate permitting of small hydrogen and fuel cell stationary installations in Europe. This document is not a standard, but is a compendium of useful information for a variety of users with a role in installing these systems, including:
- Design Engineers
- Manufacturers
- Installers
- Operators/Maintenance
- Regulators
The draft document is presently organised as follows:
- Introduction and Scope (Chapter 1)
- Background (Chapter 2)
- General and Higher Level Requirements (Chapter 3)
- System Specific and Siting Considerations (Chapter 4)
- Appendices
The Installation Permitting Guide (IPG) provides a structured analysis of known documents relevant for the permitting of hydrogen and fuel cell systems in Europe, records best practices for the installation of different generic types of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, provides guidance on issues not properly dealt with in existing documents, and hence, provides the basis for harmonized permitting guidance. The IPG takes account of issues such as the installation environment, country and jurisdiction as well as taking full account of the already established permitting requirements for natural gas appliances.
The project is mainly aimed at installations incorporating fuel cells with net electrical outputs up to 10kWel (small according to IEC 62282-3-3 Ed. 1, Chapter 11). Systems providing combined heat and power (CHP) on the order of 50 kW combined heat and electrical power, suitable for small back up power supplies, residential CHPs and small renewable storage systems may therefore be included. In addition, much of the guidance provided may also be applicable to larger systems which may serve small communities or groups of households.
The draft has evolved in recent months following targeted stakeholder meetings and reviews. The UK is planning a review on November 26th to introduce the IPG to UK regulators, and to get feedback from a regulatory perspective. This information will be incorporated into the draft, which will then be made available for public review.
The NHA will seek permission to publish the draft, or to provide a link to the draft, in the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety Report once it is available for public review.
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