H2IT » Finances

The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking launched today its 5th annual call for proposals

Camilla — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:37:31 +0000

€ 150 million’s worth have been allocated for the support of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies through research and demonstration projects, with € 77, 5 million from the European Commission matched by in-kind contributions from industry and research organisations. The 2012 call covers 31 topics divided into 5 application areas: transportation and refuelling infrastructure; hydrogen production and distribution; stationary power generation, early markets and cross-cutting issues.

The call for proposals FCH JU- 2012-1 is published on the participant portal http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/cooperation?callIdentifier=FCH-JU-2012-1 and on the FCH JU web site.

The deadline for submission of applications is 24 May 2012, 17.00 pm.

A public information session and a brokerage event co-organised by the Industry and Research Groupings of the Joint Undertaking will take place on 9 February in Brussels, in the premises of the FCH JU.

To get more information and to register, please contact events@fchindustry-jti.eu

TEN-T Call for Proposals Open January 10th 2012

Camilla — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:33:28 +0000

The European Commission’s Trans-European Transport Networks TEN-T Programme is one of the most important Community financing means for European transport infrastructure projects — equalling €8 billion for 2007–2013.

The TEN-T programme consists of hundreds of projects whose ultimate purpose is to ensure the cohesion, interconnection and interoperability of the trans-European transport network, as well as access to it. TEN-T projects, which are located in every EU Member State, include all modes of transport:

road
rail
maritime
inland waterways
air
logistics
co-modality
innovation

As a whole, TEN-T projects aim to:

Establish and develop the key links and interconnections needed to eliminate existing bottlenecks to mobility
Fill in missing sections and complete the main routes – especially their cross-border sections
Cross natural barriers
Improve interoperability on major routes

The call can serve as a good basis for proposal for deployment of hydrogen infrastructure projects.

January 10th 2012 the call was officially opened for proposals until 13 APRIL 2012.

The Public Information day is scheduled for 31 January in Brussels.

For more information on the event and the TEN-T Call see: TEN-T Webpage

The text for the call for proposals may be found via: TEN-T call 2011

Intelligent Energy Europe 2012 Call for Proposals Open

Camilla — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:47:04 +0000

Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE), was launched in 2003 by the European Commission, the programme is part of a broad push to create an energy-intelligent future for us all. It supports EU energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, with a view to reaching the EU 2020 targets (20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% improvement in energy efficiency and 20% of renewables in EU energy consumption). Intelligent Energy – Europe creates better conditions for a more sustainable energy future in areas as varied as renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings, industry, consumer products and transport.

Running until 2013, the programme is open to all EU Member States, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A budget of € 730 million is available to fund projects and put into place a range of European portals, facilities and initiatives.

The new IEE call for project proposals is now open. In 2012, there will be € 67 million available for funding. Do not miss the opportunity to submit your ideas for projects in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, clean transport and local energy investments!

The call closes on 8 May 2012 for all types of actions except the Build Up Skills initiative which has different deadlines.

The IEE Info Day on the Call for Proposals will be held on January 24th 2012 in Brussels for more information on the event see: European Info Day 2012

Find out more on: IEE How to Get Funds

You may also contact the “Intelligent Energy – Europe” helpdesk

Trans-European Energy Networks 2012 Call for Proposals

Camilla — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:00:54 +0000

The Trans-European Energy Networks 2012 call for proposals is open with the deadline for submission 29/02/2012.

The 2012 annual work programme for grants in the field of trans-European networks (TEN) – area of energy infrastructures (TEN-E) – will encourage the effective operation and development of the internal market, reinforce the security of supplies and the diversification of energy suppliers and routes, facilitate the development and reducing the isolation of less-favoured regions, contribute to sustainable development and protection of the environment, inter alia by involving renewable energies.

The indicative EU budget allocation available for this programme is EUR 21,129.600 million

Particular attention is given to projects of European interest that contribute to:

(a) The development of the network to strengthen economic and social cohesion by reducing the isolation of the less-favoured and island regions of the Union;
(b) The optimisation of the capacity of the network and the integration of the internal energy market, in particular concerning cross-border section;
(c) The security of energy supply, diversification of sources of energy supplies and, in particular, interconnections with third countries;
(d) The connection of renewable energy resources; and
(e) The safety, reliability and interoperability of interconnected networks

For more information see: TEN-E, TEN-E Call for Proposals

Alpine Space Programme: the fourth call for project proposals is open !

Camilla — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:44:40 +0000

The Alpine Space Programme is the EU transnational cooperation programme for the Alps. Partners from the seven Alpine countries work together to promote regional development in a sustainable way.

During the period 2007-2013, the programme is investing 130 M € in impact-oriented projects in which key actors develop shared solutions on specific Alpine issues as laid down in the programme objectives.

While the call 3 projects just started their activities and call 1 are about to close, the programme opens it’s 4th and probably last call for proposal. Partnerships have until January 20th 2012 to submit the Expression of Interest (EoI) in one of the three priorities. EoI can be submitted only from November 28th only, via the Alpine Space website.

Meet your Alpine Contact Point (ACP) for first hand information and feedback on your project idea!

The Commission launches a new round of FP7 calls for transport research

Camilla — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:41:24 +0000

On July 19th, DG Research and Development of the European Commission has announced the adoption of the 2012 Work Programme and on July 20th formally launched the calls for proposals for research and innovation projects under the FP7 that is worth €7 billion. This announcement marks the biggest ever calls for proposals that is up by 9% from the previous year with a stronger focus on innovation and on tackling the challenges of our era with an eye on climate change, energy and resource efficiency.

The six activities covered under Sustainable Surface Transport are:

1. The greening of surface transport

2. Encouraging modal shift and decongesting transport corridors (co-modality)

3. Ensuring sustainable urban mobility

4. Improving safety and security

5. Strengthening competitiveness

6. Cross-cutting actions for implementing the sub-theme.

The activities are further divided in areas where proposers can find the topics calling for proposals. Topics are classified in two levels of categories according to the degree of specification of the topic descriptions: Level 1 (generic) and Level 2 (specific).

It is also indicated that there is no direct relation between budget allocation and either topic levels or the funding scheme. The indicative budget of the FP7-SUSTAINABLE SURFACE TRANSPORT (SST)- 2012-RTD-1 is given at €114.04 million of which €37.04 million is dedicated to the Group of topics Nº 3: Implementing research for the European Green Car Initiative.

The budget broken down by topics and the European Green Cars Initiative together with more information on eligibility criteria and deadlines are available on the Work Programme 2012.

More information here and here.

Commission adopts proposal Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020

Camilla — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:59:49 +0000

The EU Commission on June 29, 2011 presented its proposal Council Regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020. that should facilitate business-driven research and innovation through the use of public funding to leverage private investments.

A key step to modernising EU programmes for research and innovation is to bring together within a single Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation (CSF) the three main existing initiatives and sources of funding: the 7th Framework Programme (FP7); the innovation part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP); and, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT). The CSF will set out the strategic objectives for all EU research and innovation funding actions. It will be more streamlined than current funding schemes, and will be implemented through harmonised rules and procedures…

Regarding innovative financial instruments, the Commission proposes a new type of instrument, i.e. the EU project bond initiative which would be used as a means of securing investment resources for infrastructure projects of key strategic European interest. A contribution from the EU budget will be used to support projects through enhancing their credit rating, and thereby attract financing by the EIB, other financial institutions, and private capital market investors to pursue the following objectives:

(1) Foster the capacity of the private sector to deliver growth, job creation and/or innovation: support to start-ups, SMEs, mid-caps, micro-enterprises, knowledge transfer, investment in intellectual property.

(2) Build infrastructures by making use of Public Private Partnership schemes to reinforce EU competitiveness and sustainability in the transport, energy and ICT sectors.

(3) Support mechanisms that mobilise private investments to deliver public goods, such as climate and environment protection, in other areas.

More info on the Commission’s website.

European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEE–F) Launched

Camilla — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:22:54 +0000

On 1st July 2011, the Commission launched a new European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEE-F) as part of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR).

It will allocate around EUR 146 million from the EEPR (3.7% of the total EEPR envelope) towards a new financial facility dedicated to projects in energy efficiency and renewable energies. This EU contribution comes from funds mobilised for the EEPR in 2009 which could not immediately be allocated to projects in the sectors of infrastructure, off-shore wind and carbon capture and storage. The setting up of the fund follows an agreement between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament in December 2010 to a European Commission proposal.

The EEE-F will invest in energy saving, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, particularly in urban settings, achieving at least 20% energy saving or GHG/CO2 emission reduction.

The fund will offer a wide range of financial products such as senior and junior loans, guarantees or equity participation to local, regional and (where justified) national public authorities to promote sustainable energy investments.

At its launch the initial fund volume will be EUR 265 million : in addition to the EU contribution (EUR 125 million), the European Investment Bank will invest EUR 75 million, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA (CDP, Italy) EUR 60 million and the designated investment manager (Deutsche Bank) EUR 5 million. Other financial institutions at Member State level have been invited and could also join the fund later. In addition private sector investors are expected to leverage the public sector contribution. The final size of the fund will depend on additional investors (public but also private) and the eventual investment portfolio.

In addition, about EUR 20 million of the EU funding will be made available as grants for project development services (technical assistance) related to technical and financial preparation of projects.

For more information see: EC EEE-F

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: France’s National Program

Camilla — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:25:49 +0000

The French National Research Agency (ANR) in 2005 launched a research program on new energy technologies. Special attention was paid to hydrogen technology as an alternative to technologies that use traditional fuels.

The priorities set by the Agency concerned on the integration process with research carried out at European level, on the specialization on some key issues such as water electrolysis for hydrogen production with low CO2 emissions and on the hydrogen storage. The research on fuel cells has focused in particular on the components of the PEMFC and the development of prototype batteries for specialized markets.

The Pan-H program (2005-2008) 4 call the ANR mobilized about 84 M€ for hydrogen (approximately the 20% of the budget devoted to the theme ”Sustainable Energy and Environment) for a total of 73 projects funded.

The HPAC program (2009 – 2010) 2 call the ANR mobilized about 15,3 M€ for a total of 16 projects funded.

The Sustainable Electricity Production and Management (PROGELEC 2011-2013) is the new program based on three former programmes: “Intelligent Housing and Photovoltaic Solar Energy (HABISOL)”, “Innovative Energy Storage (Stock-E)”, ”Hydrogen and Fuel Cells” (H-PAC). The program intends to accelerate the French research for developing renewable energies and integrating innovative systems allowing an optimized electricity management. The objectives are to reinforce the partnerships between the industrial and scientific communities, and to improve the competitiveness of the French technologies by favoring technological breakthroughs. The program also intends to support more fundamental research allowing new industrial orientations to be prepared at mid-term.

The objectives of the PROGELEC programme are :

To develop innovative electricity production systems from renewable energies, especially from photovoltaic solar energy;
To manage the intermittent production through the development of buffer storage systems ;
To develop performing stationary and on-board storage and/or production systems ;
To pilot domestic and mobile usages of electricity ;
To design reliable and « intelligent» devices for energy management from multiple sources.

The first call for proposals of PROGELEC program (deadline on 7/04/2011) is structured around photovoltaic electricity production, thermoelectricity, hydrogen production and its use in fuel cells, electricity storage, management and hybridisation of components and centralised and decentralised electricity management.

More information here.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Korea’s National Program

Camilla — Thu, 05 May 2011 10:27:28 +0000

As stated by a survey of Korea elaborated by FuelCellToday, South Korea represents one of the world’s most promising markets for fuel cell adoption and is one of the foremost countries for fuel cell manufacturing. Korea has expertise in R&D and manufacturing of stationary, portable and transport fuel cells, with early markets for domestic adoption and large export opportunities.

The South Korean government is firmly committed to the idea of low carbon economic growth and economic stimulus through the promotion of new technology. The motivation for government interventions in green technology, and particularly fuel cells, is to create conditions for future economic growth by establishing a domestic supply chain for ‘green’ manufacturing and to adopt clean energy technologies in Korea while building a market for future exports. Fuel cells represent one of the few realistic low carbon technologies that can be brought to market in the short term, helping achieve climate and energy policy targets while having the advantage of creating jobs and wealth for the Korean economy.

South Korea has one of the most supportive policy environments for fuel cells apart from Japan. In terms of specific policies, there are a number of government programmes to increase energy efficiency and new and renewable energy, and promote economic growth including:

A requirement that by 2012, Independent Power Producers must generate 2% of entire energy needs from new and renewable sources.
80% government subsidies for small stationary fuel cell installations, as well as up to 10% from local government.
Government is also supporting the development of component manufacturing (through R&D support of Membrane Electrode Assembly, bipolar plate, and balance of plant manufacture).

The Korean government has been involved with fuel cell R&D since 1987. In 2003, the government produced a 10 year plan for the development and dissemination of new and renewable technology. R&D funding was rapidly increased, with US$500 million going into RD&D between 2004 and 2008. In 2008, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) announced the ‘3rd Basic Plan for the Development of New and Renewable Technology’ which included fuel cells as one of six ‘new growth engine technologies’. This included a second phase of the stationary fuel cell demonstration programme, which was begun in 2010, as well as a number of projects on fuel cell manufacturing technology. In addition, the Korean government in 2008 introduced a year-based feed-in tariff (FIT) for fuel cells, with the total capacity of US$50 million until 2011. From 2011, the government is introducing a year-based feed-in tariff for stationary fuel cells and from 2012, a Renewable Portfolio Standard will decree that 2% of generating capacity for Independent Power Producers must come from new and renewable sources.

In total, the budget for fuel cells in Korea is around US$100 million per year, mainly coming from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Ministry of Environment (MOES) as well as a smaller amount from industrial sources. There are separate funding streams for basic research, short term manufacturing technology research, demonstration and medium-long term strategic projects. This, together with a clear government roadmap for fuel cell commercialisation (due to be updated in early 2011), adds up to substantial levels of government support for fuel cells, which is rivalled only by the US and Japan.

The overall strategy contained within the National Long Term Plan is to achieve commercialisation of fuel cells in the domestic market in the early 2010s, and establish an export industry before around 2020. 2020-2040 will be the period where market expansion takes place and ‘realisation of the hydrogen economy’ is achieved.

Courtesy of Eng. Angelo Moreno (ENEA - CR Casaccia, Rome - Italy) in the attached pictures it is possible to see the resources allocated for fuel cells research, development and dissemination from 2001 to 2009 and the roadmap of the national program on fuel cells.