Hydrogenics is a developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

products based on water electrolysis and

proton exchange membrane A proton-exchange membrane, or polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM), is a semipermeable membrane generally made from ionomers and designed to conduct protons while acting as an electronic insulator and reactant barrier, e.g. to oxygen and hydrogen g ...

(PEM) technology. Hydrogenics is divided into two business units: OnSite Generation and Power Systems. Onsite Generation is headquartered in Oevel,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and had 73 full-time employees as of December 2013. Power Systems is based in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, with a satellite facility in

Gladbeck Gladbeck () is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gladbeck is quite a young town, first recognised 21 July 1919 when it was given town rights. The town established itself around five farming villages, Br ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It had 62 full-time employees as of December 2013. Hydrogenics maintains operations in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and

with satellite offices in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Business overview

OnSite Generation

The OnSite Generation business segment is based on water electrolysis technology, which involves the decomposition of water into oxygen () and hydrogen gas () by passing an electric current through a liquid

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon ...

. The resultant

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

gas is then captured and used for industrial gas applications, hydrogen fueling applications, and is used to store renewable and surplus energy in the form of hydrogen gas. Hydrogenics' HySTAT electrolyzer products can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Power Systems

The Power Systems business segment is based on PEM fuel cell technology, which transforms chemical energy resulting from the electrochemical reaction of

and

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...

into electrical energy. (Edgar) Its HyPM products can handle electrical power outputs ranging from 1

kilowatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

to 1

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

. The company also develops and delivers hydrogen generation products based on PEM water electrolysis.

Power to Gas

Power-to-Gas is an energy process and storage technology, which takes the excess power generated by

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

, or

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bio ...

power plants and converts

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

into

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane ...

using

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

, enabling it be stored. The excess

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...

can then be held in existing reserves, including power and natural gas grids. This allows for seasonally adjusted storage of significant amounts of power and the provision of -neutral fuels in the form of the resulting

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

source gas.

History

In 1988, Hydrogenics was founded under the name Traduction Militech Translation Inc. In 1995, it entered into the fuel cell technology development business and Traduction Militech Translation changed its name to Hydrogenics in 1990. In 2002, Hydrogenics acquired EnKAT GmbH, which formed its Hydrogenics Europe division. It also acquired Greenlight Power Technologies, Inc., a competing fuel cell testing business, in 2003. A year later, in 2004, the company acquired Stuart Energy, a manufacturer of hydrogen-generation products based on alkaline electrolyte technology. In 2007, Hydrogenics narrowed the focus of its fuel cell activities by exiting the fuel cell testing business and working more on forklift power and backup power markets. That same year, Heliocentris partnered with Hydrogenics and SMA Solar Technologie to incorporate Hydrogenics' fuel cell power modules into stationary backup power systems. In September 2010, Hydrogenics formed an alliance with CommScope Inc., a

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city located primarily in Catawba County, with formal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hickor ...

-based multinational

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...

s company. Per the alliance, CommScope invested US$8.5 million in Hydrogenics as part of a joint product development program. Hydrogenics signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iwatani Corporation, a Japanese industrial energy company, in April 2012. The companies began to collaborate on hydrogen solutions in the Japanese energy market, including utility-scale hydrogen energy storage, hydrogen generation and fuelling, fuel cell integration, and industrial hydrogen generation. Later that month Hydrogenics and

Enbridge Enbridge Inc. is a multinational pipeline and energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enbridge owns and operates pipelines throughout Canada and the United States, transporting crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. ...

Inc. entered into a joint venture to develop utility-scale energy storage beginning in

. Under the agreement, hydrogen produced during periods of excess renewable generation will be injected into Enbridge's existing natural gas pipeline network. In June 2013, Hydrogenics announced that its Power-to-Gas facility was operational with the first direct injection of hydrogen into a gas pipeline. Hydrogenics entered into a joint venture with

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

-based Kolon Water & Energy to provide power generation in that country in June 2014. In 2019 Hydrogenics was acquired in large parts by

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...

as part of their New Power division. Hydrogenics is now owned 81% by Cummins and 19% by Air Liquide.

Projects

In June 2000,

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

and Hydrogenics released their codeveloped HydroGen1, a vehicle powered by a first generation proton exchange membrane fuel cell system. The following year, in October, the two companies developed low-pollution technology to power cars and trucks. In December 2002, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) selected Hydrogenics to develop a next-generation hybrid fuel cells bus; Hydrogenics integrated its vehicle-to-grid technology into a 12.5 meter

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Can ...

Inverno 40i

transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

. Hydrogenics' FC Hybrid Tecnobus

midibus A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long. While used in many parts of the world, the mi ...

was exhibited in Europe in 2005. In January 2010, Hydrogenics began development of a next-generation power system to be used for surface mobility applications on the moon for the

Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; french: Agence spatiale canadienne, ASC) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''. The president is Lisa Campbell, who took the position on September 3, 202 ...

. The system includes an electrolyzer that produces both

and

using

, and a

system that can be used for mobility, auxiliary, and

life support system A life-support system is the combination of equipment that allows survival in an environment or situation that would not support that life in its absence. It is generally applied to systems supporting human life in situations where the outsid ...

s. Heliocentris and FAUN Umwelttechnick collaborated with Hydrogenics to develop a hybrid waste disposal vehicle for BSR (Berliner Stadtreinigung) in August of that year. In July 2012, Hydrogenics joined a consortium with EU members to build the world's largest steady state hydrogen storage facility in the Puglia region of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The system is part of the R&D smart grid project "INGRID." In April 2013, Hydrogenics won a contract to supply a 1 megawatt hydrogen energy storage system to German utility E.ON in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

. The system will use electrolyzers based on Hydrogenics'

(PEM) technology for hydrogen production and use excess power generated from regional renewable energy sources, primarily wind energy. In November the first of E.ON's P2G facilities provided by Hydrogenics became operational. The Falkenhagen facility uses wind-powered electrolysis equipment to transform water to hydrogen, which is then mixed with natural gas. In February 2014, Hydrogenics was awarded two projects with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

government. Hydrogenics will provide its technology to build hydrogen fuel stations throughout the UK. Hydrogenics was selected as a Preferred Respondent for a power-to-gas project in Ontario by the Independent Electricity System Operator. (IESO), a corporation responsible for operating the electricity market and directing the operation of the bulk electrical system in the province of Ontario, Canada, in July 2014.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official site
Sustainable energy Fuel cell manufacturers Electrolysis Energy companies of Canada Membrane technology Technology companies of Canada Manufacturing companies based in Mississauga Cummins