Sustainable marine and road transport - hydrogen in Iceland
- or The Smart Age in Iceland - SMART-H2
SMART H2 was a demonstration project testing hydrogen fuelled vehicles and vessels. The project tested various types of hydrogen-fuelled company cars and other equipment that runs on hydrogen, including a hydrogen auxiliary power unit for a tour ship. Amongst the car users was the car rental Hertz. The project aim was to demonstrate the infrastructure for compressed hydrogen as a self service filling station and develop further the distribution system, for example by organizing and running a small-scale hydrogen transport service. Special emphasis were be put on data collection, that actually extends to other types of fuel and vehicles that are also tested during the same timen period. SMART-H2 began in March 2007 and ended in 2010. The SMART-H2 will get data feed from methane vehicles, battery, -plug in cars and hydrogen vehicles both with internal combustion engines and battery hybrids.
The Elding, a whale safari tourist boat, will be using an Auxiliary Power Unit, i.e. a fuel cell and battery unit that runs on hydrogen. The APU provides electricity on board for navigation, light and various other modules that run on electricity. The main intention was to be able to shut down the main engine when the boat has met with whales out on sea and offer the guests to see and hear the animals move and blow at the surface and to allow an ever closer encounter with the curious animals. A filling device was therefore designed on the peer where the Elding pickes up the whale safari tourists. The main engine will still run on oil but this test is a very important step to test hydrogen technology in marine conditions, which are damp, shaky, wavy and wet. A showroom explaining the main concept was installed in the hull of the ship.
See also the webpage of the Company Elding
The technological investment and infrastructure in SMART-H2 is entirely funded through Icelandic New Energy and the project partners. Research on the other hand sought funding from various sources, it was a cooperation between Icelandic New Energy, the project coordination and the University of Iceland, department of natural resource management. 5 students were involved in the research, students with background in economy, sociology, engineering, biology and food processing. The research topics touch on fuel consumption, performance, customer attitudes and preferences for all sorts of test vehicles and the relevant filling mechanisms, whether they run on hydrogen, methane, ethanol or battery systems. It is worth emphasizing that the project only reports technical outcomes to the equipment providers but the research is made on the interface between technology and the human factor; the research is on the impacts on society. Also the technical performance of the APU system will give rise to furhter development of such units for the general market. The desing is made by Icelandic Hydrogen and the equipment is classified by Germanishcer Lloyds
The hydrogen station at Grjothals is now open to the public. It is Shell in Iceland and Framtak hf who operate and monitor the station. The drivers of the hydrogen vehicles fill their own cars and therefore clear instructions have been put up on the hydrogen station that demonstrate that if instructions are followed carefully then safety is ensured.
