{"id":4483,"date":"2020-09-30T17:46:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T21:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/?p=4483"},"modified":"2026-01-03T15:21:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:21:40","slug":"usa-canada-quarterly-h2-infrastructure-update-2020-q3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/fuel-cells\/usa-canada-quarterly-h2-infrastructure-update-2020-q3","title":{"rendered":"USA & CANADA QUARTERLY H2 INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE 2020-Q3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome new readers of RMP\u2019s quarterly H2 infrastructure report.  Each quarter we look back on the major stories related to hydrogen infrastructure advancements and we compare the current AFDC database to the AFDC database in the prior quarter to see what has changed.  The AFDC database is updated by the US Dept of Energy & can be found by clicking here<\/span><\/a>.  Canada added a new data repository for hydrogen stations in Q2-2020<\/span>.  The Canadian website is administered by Natural Resources Canada<\/span><\/a>.   RMP will continue to use the US Department of Energy database as our primary data source as we learn more about the new Canadian database.<\/span>  All this data (and more) goes into RMP’s interactive map of hydrogen infrastructure in the USA & Canada you can see by clicking here<\/a>.  <\/span>Ok, on with the report\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big news this quarter is California Energy Commission\u2019s GFO-19-602 Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure draft solicitation being awarded September 4, 2020 for $115.7M & the matching contributions from applicants of an additional $201.7M.  <\/span>$5M of the total award will come from the<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Funds and go exclusively to True Zero with the highest NOPA score at 98.2%.  <\/span>That\u2019s a whopping total of $317.5 million appropriated for 123 next gen H2 refueling stations in California!  <\/span>Can I just say \u201cwow\u201d before writing the next sentence?  <\/span>That\u2019s a lot of money & stations.  <\/span>And, things are different this time around, all 123 stations are next generation stations that can fill 3 to 5 times more vehicles than current stations according to the language in the bid instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every applicant was required to have 3 years of experience designing, planning, constructing, testing, operating, or maintaining hydrogen refueling stations or other pressurized gaseous fueling stations.   <\/span>This means the funds are ready to go and every applicant awarded is experienced at building new stations.   <\/span>That means these stations should be able to come online with dependable project timelines in the march toward 100 stations in California.  In fact, it was an award requirement for the stations to be able to get permitted & built in 18 months and then be open to the public with 12 months of that as next rounds of funding begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"california_hydrogen\"<\/a>
The graphic above shows the areas the California Energy Commission designated as eligible for GFO-19-602.\u00a0 Stations in connector areas will have two fueling positions & stations in other areas may have up to four fueling positions but no less than two.\u00a0 Each fueling position will be capable of providing a minimum of seven 4-kilogram H70-T40 fills in one hour at 95 percent state of charge.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That these stations can come online expeditiously is great, but what really makes this news a double whammy are the next generation station refueling capabilities.  <\/span>The original \u201cdemonstation\u201d stations that have been operating in California since RMP started publishing this infrastructure report in December 2017 were meant to show the general public that hydrogen fuel cells work as advertised.   <\/span>The stations awarded in CEC\u2019s GFO-19-602 are next generation stations.  T<\/span>hese stations are no longer to prove the technology works, these stations are to demonstrate how well hydrogen can scale.  <\/span>We will likely see the number of FCEVs on the road in California (approx 7.5k FCEVs) double & triple with the next round of “big” stations.  <\/span>This simple math will resonate with the public to send this message:  <\/span>as fast as you build the stations, FCEVs can scale.  <\/span>You can never run out of hydrogen, it\u2019s cost only goes down as you make more, and hydrogen refueling stations put zero pressure on the grid.   <\/span>Hydrogen fuel cells are a zero emissions solution that compliments BEVs to really start to take a significant percentage of fossil fuel cars off the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s Look at the Station Requirements:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each station in a “connector” location can have up to but not more than two fueling positions & each station in a Market Initiation, Coverage Growth, or Capacity Growth Area must have a minimum of two fueling positions.  <\/span>Each fueling position needed to meet the following criteria to be eligible for an award:<\/p>\n\n\n\n