The 5th International Fuel Cell Workshop 2009

The 5th International Fuel Cell Workshop 2009 will be held in Kofu, Yamanashi, August 23 and 24.

The Workshop gathers invited oral presentations by top scientists in the PEFC field from the United States, Europe and Asia, including Japan, and contributed posters. An exhibition, with an FC system, FCEVs (including driving demo), and general materials, is also scheduled. The 5th IFCW is sponsored by NEDO, ISE, and University of Yamanashi.

Registration
Date, Location, and Program
Contact
Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center, University of Yamanashi
Takeda 4, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan
IFCW Organizer, Masahiro Watanabe
FAX: +81-55-254-0371 or +81-55-220-8618
TEL: +81-55-220-8619 (Uchida) or +81-55-220-8707 (Miyatake)
E-mail: ifcw@yamanashi.ac.jp

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New catalyst for residential FC co-generating system

A new catalyst for use with ENEFARM (residential fuel cell co-generating system) was developed by Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center, University of Yamanashi. The catalyst developed this time belongs to the Catalyst for Selectively Methanating CO. With use of the catalyst newly developed, the fuel processor will be cost-reduced by about 20%, and the fuel processor will be volume-reduced to 2/3 of the current processor.

The results of using the new catalyst in the ENEFARM’s fuel process for converting city gas into hydrogen are:
1) Removal of the residual carbon monoxide by at least 99.9%, and
2) Reduction of size, weight and the amount of used catalyst and simplified structure, and much reduction of cost.
It is sure that the new catalyst will accelerate spread of ENEFARMs the sales of which started on this May.

The results of the study will be presented in Symposium of “2009 NEDO Development Results Report on Fuel Cell/Hydrogen Technologies” (June 30, 2009), and “104th Catalyst Forum” (September 27, 2009).
>> To learn more, contact source or contact fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com
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Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center, University of Yamanashi
Center director: Professor Masahiro Watanabe

TOYOTA’s 2015 FC vehicle is probably fuel-cell hybrid vehicle, much innovated

According to Asahi Shimbun, one of the major newspapers in Japan, TOYOTA is plan to sell a new fuel-cell (FC) hybrid vehicle in or before 2015. The new vehicle will be much improved in performances and endurance when compared with the current one. The company intends to foster the new FC hybrid vehicle into the environmentally friendly vehicle, in addition to the hybrid vehicle and the electric vehicle. To this end, the company has plan to place much emphasis on manufacturing cost reduction in development. [http://www.asahi.com/business/update/0623/NGY200906230026.html]

TOYOTA released the fuel cell hybrid vehicle, “TOYOTA FCHV-adv”, in 2008.
To develop the FCHV, TOYOTA gathered and accumulated a vast amount of data through the demonstration and field tests of the FCHV in various conditions and in different countries, and further made steady research efforts to elucidate the mechanisms causing problems. The fuel cell system was renewed on the basis of the results of the analysis and the research, and the low temperature startup performance was improved and the cruising distance was increased.
[http://www.carmode.net/calendar_detail.php?no=177]

Market research on power & energy system sector, by Fuji-keizai

Fuji-keizai, one of the major market research companies in Japan, publicly released a brief of the market research on the power & energy system sector. The research was conducted during the period from March to May in this year.
The expected and forecast figures of the following items in 2009 and 2017 are tabulated: fuel cell, solar cell,wind power/biomass, secondary batteries/power storage system, heat source equipment, and lighting. For the table, visit Detail-1.
Fuel Cells:
The fuel cell market will grow since the residential fuel cell cogeneration systems will start their sales to general consumers on this May. It is anticipated that the fuel cell market will be driven to rapidly grow by their sales promotion to be conducted.
Solar cells:
Fuikeizai’s forecast figure will be revised upward to a much-increased figure because Prime Minister Aso declared “The Japanese government plans to increase the current number of the solar power generator systems to 20 times by 2020.”
Wind power:
The major electric power companies successively announced plans to aggressively build wind power systems.
Lithium ion batteries:
Full-scale incorporation of the lithium ion batteries into motor vehicles will start from around 2015. Note that the Japanese government has decided to drive development of the electric power storage technologies.
>> To learn more, contact the source or contact fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com
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Fuji-Keizai

Motor-driven vehicles world market forecasts, by Fuji-keizai

Fuji-keizai forecasted the world market of motor-driven vehicles, including electric vehicles, fuel cells vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc.
The market scale of the motor-driven vehicles will reach 12 cho 1265 oku-yen in 2015. [cho = 10,000 oku-yen, 1 oku-en = 100, 000, 000 yen]
Hybrid vehicles:
Fuji-keizai forecasts the world market scale of the hybrid vehicles in 2015.
The expected figures of strong hybrid, mild hybrid and EV (electric vehicle) in 2015 are 4 cho 4,500, 5 cho 700, and 7,700. [The monetary unit of those figures = oku-yen, for example, 139 means 139 oku-yen, and oku-yen = 100, 000, 000 yen.]
It has been considered that the hybrid vehicle will be an interim vehicle till real commercialization of the fuel cell vehicle. However, it is now the favorite for the environmentally friendly vehicle.
The market scale of the hybrid vehicle is forecast to be 3 cho 7169 oku-yen in 2010, 12 cho 3899 oku-yen in 2011, and 12 cho 1465 oku-yen in 2015. The number of the vehicles will reach 11,120,000 in 2015. The price of the vehicle will rapidly drop since the number of market participants will increase and the mass production plants will be built.
Batteries:
The market scale in 2015 will reach 5,000 oku-yen, and the number of batteries will be 433,000,000.
>> To learn more, contact the source or contact fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com
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Organic thin film solar cell, remarkably improved by DNP

Improvement: The energy conversion efficiency of a large solar cell of 50 mm2 size (square in shape) exceeds 4 percent.
The figures result from the research efforts of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP). DNP successfully presents one of effective solutions to the problem left unsolved that the energy conversion efficiency decreases as the solar cell size increases.

Sample shipping of the new solar cell will start in 2012. Commercialization of the cell will start in or before 2015.

The organic thin-film solar cell having about 5 percent (conversion efficiency) has been known. The solar cell size is small, about 2 mm2.
If the size of this solar cell is increased to 50 mm2, the conversion efficiency is about 0.1 percent at most.

To solve the problem, the DNP’ researcher established a hypothesis that the conversion efficiency decrease resulting from its size reduction might be due to the electrical energy loss that is created by heat, which is generated in the transparent conductive film when electric power generated is led to the peripheral electrodes.
A try was made to form an auxiliary electrode having a specially designed opening in the transparent conductive film by a modified photo-etching process. Provision of the auxiliary electrode such structured reduces resistance in the electric power path to the peripheral electrode, and reduces the loss by heat generated.
>> To learn more, contact the source or contact us at fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com
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New solar cell backseat, not using aluminum

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has revealed a new solar cell backseat with extremely high water-vapor barrier property.
With this solar cell backseat, the solar cell manufacturing field has entered a post-aluminum foil era.

No aluminum foil is used. The price is low. Water-vapor barrier property: 0.01g/cm2・day. The price: comparable with that of the previous aluminum-foil based backseat.
The sample shipping of the new backseat will start soon. 500 million Yen (target sales amount) will be reached in 2012.
A new converting process, developed anew, enables the formation of the new backseat. The converting process uses a non-oxide vapor deposited film having high water-vapor barrier property and an adhesive having high weather resistance

As known, use of the aluminum foil for the solar cell backseat is a common practice particularly in the thin film solar cell and the crystal solar cell because high water-vapor barrier property is essentially required for the solar cells. The process to electrically insulate the ends of the aluminum foil is also essential to eliminate a chance of electrical contact of the aluminum foil with the wires led from the solar cell. This is a serious workload.
>> To learn more, contact the source or contact us at fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com
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