International Standards Bodies Announce Virtual Plenary Meetings

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

With travel restrictions in place, IEC/TC 105, the international body responsible for preparing standards for fuel cell technologies, and ISO/TC 197, the international body responsible for preparing standards for hydrogen energy technologies, have each announced they will hold their annual plenary meetings virtually.

IEC/TC 105 has announced the next plenary meeting of TC 105 originally scheduled to be held in Paris, France, is to be held as a remote meeting on 16th and 17th November 2020.

Delegates are requested to register as normal via the IEC Meeting Registration System (MRS), no later than 15th November.

Please note that the plenary meetings will now be carried out in the following schedule:

  • 2020-11-16: Commencing at 12:00 hours and ending at 15:00 hours (Geneva time/UTC+1) (6:00 – 11:00 am Eastern US)

  • 2020-11-17: Commencing at 12:00 hours and ending at 15:00 hours (Geneva time/UTC+1) (6:00 – 11:00 am Eastern US)

  • ISO/TC 197 has announced their next meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held virtually on Wednesday, December 9th, 2020, from 8:30 am – 12:00 noon Eastern US. A poll is currently out to confirm the date and time.

Delegates or observers must register through their national member bodies. In the U.S., please contact Jill Thompson at CGA. Individuals planning to attend the plenary meeting as part of the U.S. delegation are requested to complete and return the required registration form by Monday, October 12th, to be accredited by ANSI.

Technology to Detect and Mitigate Unmanned Aircraft Systems

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

On 17 August 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an advisory guidance document to help non-federal public and private entities better understand the federal laws and regulations that may apply to the use of capabilities to detect and mitigate threats posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations.

DoJ Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/interagency-issues-advisory-use-technology-detect-and-mitigate-unmanned-aircraft-systems

FAA Press Release: https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=95733&omniRss=news_updatesAoc&cid=101_N_U

DHS Press Release: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/08/17/interagency-issues-advisory-use-technology-detect-and-mitigate-unmanned-aircraft

FCC Press Release: https://www.fcc.gov/document/joint-advisory-unmanned-aircraft-systems-mitigation-technology-use

DHS Advisory: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/interagency-legal-advisory-uas-detection-and-mitigation-technologies

California Releases Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook

by Connor Dolan, FCHEA

On September 15, the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) released the second edition of its Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook.  The document is intended to help both local regulatory authorities and hydrogen station developers navigate and streamline the station development process.  The first edition of the guidebook was produced in October 2015 and since then the California hydrogen refueling station market has grown from just two open retail stations for 46.  In addition, the fuel cell transportation industry has grown dramatically in volume of cars, several new fuel cell vehicle offerings, and expansion beyond the light-duty sector into medium and heavy-duty applications.

The Guidebook goes in detail through the stages of hydrogen fueling station development process, including pre-application outreach, planning review, building review, construction, and commissioning.  The Guidebook describes the key activities and expected timeframes for each step in the process, as well as shares best practices. 

The full Guidebook is accessible online here.

Europe Launches Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles

by Connor Dolan, FCHEA

On August 31, 2020, TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory announced the development of standards for accurate flow metering and pricing at hydrogen refuelling stations, Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles (MetroHyVe). This initiative is being advanced as part of the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR). TÜV SÜD states that this is the world’s first large-scale research project to tackle hydrogen fuel measurement inaccuracy challenges.

Over the course of three years, TÜV SÜD will assist equipment manufacturers and hydrogen station operators improve accuracy for hydrogen dispensing operations. The goal of this project is to develop new hydrogen measurement standards for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. Ultimately, TÜV SÜD expects to extend the measurement efforts to train and tram refueling efforts in the future.

The new hydrogen standards developed through the Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles project will be validated and harmonized with standards developed by other European National Measurement Institutes (NMIs).

More information on this project is available online here.

EU Survey of National Regulatory Authorities Hydrogen Pipeline and Blending Efforts

by Jennifer Gangi, FCHEA

The European Union (EU) Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), through its Gas Infrastructure Task Force (GITF), conducted a survey of national regulatory authorities (NRAs) to identify if the existing gas transportation system had the technical ability to accept biomethane, pure hydrogen injections, and admixtures of hydrogen and natural gas.  It also looked into ongoing and planned investments for hydrogen blending and biomethane injection.

The responses were compiled and summarized in Hydrogen, Biomethane, and Related Network Adaptations Evaluation of Responses Report, released in July.  The report found that the majority of existing systems are not set up for hydrogen injection and that rules vary across Europe. 

Seven countries, Austria, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden) accept the injection or transport in its gas transmission network, with Germany at the highest at 10%. 

The consensus among NRAs was that there should be harmonization of hydrogen admixing limits and gas quality standards across the entire EU instead of being set by individual Member States.  The recommendation from the report was that the admixing limits should be at least 2% by volume.  

To enable hydrogen injections into the current system, the report finds that investment and upgrades are needed, including to metering equipment, which would require chromatograph replacement in order to be able to measure hydrogen concentrations in the gas network.  There might also be the need to retrofit gas turbines, compressor stations, compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks and storage that are unable to accept higher hydrogen concentration. 

The report found that only Germany, France, Poland, and the Netherlands have reported plans to develop devoted hydrogen pipelines and networks. 

The full report, including all of the responses to each question on the survey, can be found here.

Australia Adopts Several International Standards on Hydrogen

by Quailan Homann, FCHEA

In recent years, Australia has pushed into hydrogen market, looking to capitalize on the country’s abundance of renewable energy to kickstart a hydrogen economy. Australia’s hydrogen goals include solidifying energy security and creating supply chains for international export into the global hydrogen economy. To ensure the safety of hydrogen users, Australia’s non-governmental standards development body, Standards Australia, in July 2020 announced it was adopting eight hydrogen standards to help guide the storage, transportation, refueling, and international trade of hydrogen.

The standards adopted include:

  • AS 16110.1:2020, Hydrogen generators using fuel processing technologies, Part 1: Safety (ISO 16110-1:2007, MOD): addresses hazards and hazardous situations and events pertaining to hydrogen generators used as intended.

  • AS ISO 16110.2:2020, Hydrogen generators using fuel processing technologies, Part 2: Test methods for performance: details measurement and documentations practices for the performance of stationary hydrogen generators for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.

  • AS ISO 14687:2020, Hydrogen fuel quality – Product specification: sets minimum quality characteristics of hydrogen for transportation and stationary applications.

  • AS 22734:2020, Hydrogen generators using water electrolysis – Industrial, commercial, and residential applications (ISO 22734:2019, MOD): defines construction, safety, and performance requirements of hydrogen gas generation appliances including both alkaline and PEM electrolyzers.

  • SA TS 19883:2020, Safety of pressure swing adsorption systems for hydrogen separation and purification (ISO/TS 19883:2017, MOD): defines safety measures and design features for pressure swing absorption systems for hydrogen separation and purification.

  • AS ISO 16111:2020, Transportable gas storage devices – Hydrogen absorbed in reversible metal hydride: defines requirements for metal hydride transportable hydrogen gas storage systems.

  • AS ISO 19881:2020, Gaseous hydrogen – Land vehicle fuel containers: defines requirements for material, design, and manufacture of permanently attached containers for fuel cell grade hydrogen storage on land vehicles.

  • AS 19880.3:2020, Gaseous hydrogen – Fueling stations, Part 3: Valves (ISO 19880-3:2018, MOD): sets requirements and test methods for high pressure gas valves used in hydrogen stations up to H70 designation.

For more information on this announcement, a summary from Standards Australia is available here.