Mid of July, Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH had the honour of welcoming a hydrogen delegation from Egypt to the production facilities in Puchheim as part of the “Egypt meets Bavaria” initiative. It was an inspiring exchange, highlighting the international efforts towards sustainable energy. A big thank you to Bayern International and the AHK Egypt for organising this visit. Proton Motor is looking forward to more exciting and fruitful visits in the future!
Already at the beginning of July, Proton Motor had great pleasure of welcoming a 24-member energy management delegation from South Korea with the topic focus on “Combined Heat and Power & Efficiency”. Proton Motor Fuel Cell sincerely would like to thank the participants for the visit and the engaging discussions! A special thanks to energiewaechter GmbH for the excellent organisation of this exchange.
On 28 June 2024, the listed Proton Motor Fuel Cell parent company, Proton Motor Power System plc (Link directly to RNS_Final Results 2023), announced the audited results for the year ended 31 December 2023. As a highlight, it should be mentioned that there was a notable shift in demand to stationary applications which comprised 96 percent of order intake in 2023 (2022: 59 percent). Sales in 2023 were GBP 2,122k (2022: GBP 2,088k), representing an annual increase of 1.7 percent. Due to progress in the delivery of the new production facility, the commissioning of the new second Proton Motor site in Fuerstenfeldbruck in the Munich metropolitan region is planned for 2025.
DB Bahnbau Gruppe orders the 25th Proton Motor system since 2015
On 25 June 2024, Proton Motor received a new order from DB Bahnbau Gruppe GmbH for the complete hydrogen fuel cell emergency power system “HyCabinet® S24”. This follow-up order represents the 25th system since the co-operation between Proton Motor and DB Bahnbau Gruppe was signed in 2015. The HyCabinet® product will be integrated into the same railway control centre as the system that was handed over on the 16 May 2024 in the greater Berlin area. Both systems can be operated independently of each other for a total rated power output of 48 kW.
Caption: The graphic shows the installation layout of the emission-free emergency power supply in the Bahnleitstelle._(c) Proton Motor
Shortly after the announcement of the handover of the “HyCabinet S24” product to “DB Bahnbau Gruppe GmbH”, which is being developed for installation in a railway control centre in the greater Berlin area, Proton Motor Fuel Cell has also received its first follow-up order from “H2tec AG”. The customer acts as a full-service provider for fuel cell emergency power systems on behalf of the Swiss „Federal Roads Office“ (FEDRO), which operates 300 road tunnels in Switzerland.
Following the successful commissioning of the Proton Motor hydrogen fuel cell system “HyFrame® S28” in the Neuenhof Tunnel in the canton of Aargau in December 2022, the new order for the plug-and-play fuel cell product “HyCabinet S16” is planned. A “HyModule® S8” system (view teaser product image) is integrated into the arrangement as the heart of the package, with the possibility of easy expansion with an additional HyModule® S8.
Professional technology response to safety aspect and emission control regulations
For the safety aspect in road tunnels as well as in signal boxes that need to be equipped with uninterruptible and emission-free power generators, hydrogen fuel cell systems from Proton Motor provide a professional technology answer. The demand for hydrogen fuel cells in the rail and road infrastructure segment illustrates the importance of clean energy from renewable sources.
In a recent stock exchange notification, Proton Motor has announced the successful delivery and completion of its follow-on order from “DB Bahnbau Gruppe GmbH”, a subsidiary of “Deutsche Bahn AG”, the operator of the German Rail network. The company from the Munich Metropolitan region has delivered to the customer a complete hydrogen fuel cell emergency power system for installation at a railway control centre in the greater Berlin area (view photo below), which has now passed the site acceptance test, customer handover, and serial and operational approval.
The completion of this follow-on order represents the first fuel cell emergency power system under the customer’s brand name “EnerRail H024” and has a rated power output of 24kW. It follows the co-operation agreement signed between Proton Motor and the customer in 2015, under which 23 systems have already been delivered for various emergency power applications. The systems delivered to the customer include, among other things, the indoor plug and play “HyCabinet S24” fuel cell system, which consists of three fully redundant “HyModule® S8” systems.
Proton Motor CEO Dr. Faiz Nahab said: “The successful completion of this follow-up order from DB Bahnbau Gruppe is further evidence of the company’s progress in commercialising its proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technologies and reaffirms Proton Motor’s leadership in the sector. We look forward to continuing to work further with DB Bahnbau Gruppe to provide them with zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell solutions as Deutsche Bahn look to phase out diesel generators by 2026.”
| New political Position Papers, Manifesto in the run-up to the European elections and current Open Letter to the German government with appeals for the promotion of key technologies “Made in Germany” for decarbonisation to achieve climate targets. |
Climate in court: In mid-May, the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has successfully won two lawsuits against the German federal government. The existing climate protection programmes of the current legislature are unlawful and must be improved in the short term with effective concrete measures. The DUH demands that the “pseudo-climate protection policy” stand by its sustainable responsibility for climate protection in order to meet the climate targets by 2030 or 2045. In particular, it requires political will to implement in the decarbonisation sectors of energy, industry and buildings, and transport.
As early as last November 2023, the German hydrogen fuel cell producer Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH analysed the current status of an emissions gap in the stationary market segment in a new Position Paper. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is assessed as an ideal element for the success of the energy transition and transformation of Germany as a business location. Stationary, decentralised and local hydrogen fuel cell applications overcome the investment blockades and guarantee the reduction of 35 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector in the European Union. The CO2-neutral conversion can only succeed with the storage renewable energies using green hydrogen.
The first Position Paper of the industry network Clean Power Net (CPN), which was signed in March 2024 by a total of 32 signatories with 17 CPN industry partners including Proton Motor Fuel Cell as a member, also points to the urgency of accelerating national strategies for the decarbonisation of stationary and critical applications. The release of the CPN publication took place shortly before the February 2024 manifesto of Hydrogen Europe on this year`s European elections, to which the Bavarian high-tech company contributed substantive expertise. In addition, immediately after the Hannover Messe in April, the initiative Clean Energy Partnership e.V. (CEP) has sent – in co-operation with the German Hydrogen Association e.V. – a four-page Open Letter to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the ministries of finance, economics and transport.
At the beginning of May, Manfred Limbrunner (Director Investor Relations and Communication) and Christoph Pauli (Governmental Affairs & Funding) had the pleasure of welcoming five Representatives of the German Bundestag (view group picture): Mr. Dr. Andreas Lenz (CSU), Mr. Florian Ossner (CSU), Mr. Michael Schrodi (SPD), Mr. Andreas Mehltretter (SPD) and Mr. Nils Gruender (FDP). After a small get-together and a presentation on Proton Motor`s future plans with a discussion on market ramp-up scenarios, there was a tour through the new office and manufacturing site in Fuerstenfeldbruck will operating in 2025. After having had an impression of the fuel cell potential in general, the company`s visit continued at the present premises in Puchheim.
The visitors where able to gain a deep insight into the specific heart of the hydrogen fuel cell core technology: The Proton Motor HyStack® and its way into the system products of the Hy-brand portfolio, such as the products HyFrame® and HyModule® as well as the HyShelter® turnkey solution, currently under manufacturing for the European “Green Hysland Project”. In addition to lively discussions on the political dimension of climate protection, the focus of the conversations was on how the hydrogen and fuel cell market in Germany can be accelerated so that further necessary business investments will be made.
Climate targets of the energy industry through stationary and mobile market segments
Back in April, Mr. Dieter Janecek (Buendnis 90/Die Gruenen), Member of the German Bundestag and Federal Government Coordinator for the Maritime Economy and Tourism (photo below), was already welcomed by Proton Motor Fuel Cell. Alongside presenting Proton Motor`s new location in Fuerstenfeldbruck, the focus of the discussion was primarily on how and to what extent hydrogen fuel cells will contribute to the energy transition. Only with fuel cells in stationary and mobile markets, the climate targets of the energy industry can be achieved.
The “Clean Energy Partnership” (CEP) initiative was founded in 2002 by the Federal Ministry of Transport and ten industrial partners at the time. In an Open Letter to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – published at the Hanover Trade Fair 2024 (link see below) – which was co-signed by Proton Motor Fuel Cell, the urgent appeal for the immediate resumption of reliable funding for hydrogen mobility has now been formulated. According to the CEP, the current policy recklessly and unnecessarily gambles away Germany’s position as the lead market for hydrogen applications and thus enormously weakens the entire business location – far beyond the transport sector.
HyCologne H2 topics from over 50 players for over 15 years
The recent General Meeting of the “HyCologne e.V.” network, which is based in the cathedral city of the Rhineland with a connection to the Ruhr area, also dealt with emission-free mobility, among other things. Because latest company or better “club vehicle” is a new Toyota Mirai in Yves Klein Blue (photo detail_all (c) HyCologne): Only hydrogen comes in, only water comes out – quiet and odourless, a striking eye-catcher for the public!
At the same time, however, HyCologne H2 topics are about production and application, transport and operation, research and funding. That is why the membership structure of more than 50 players, of which Proton Motor Fuel Cell has been a founding member since 2007, is diverse from industry and business.
With today`s #Earthday, more than 500 companies will be showcasing their products for the use of hydrogen in industry and business at this year’s “Hannover Messe”. This makes the trade fair location in Lower Saxony the world’s most important and largest one for the hydrogen economy. From 22 to 26 April, users of the H2 key technology will be able to get a holistic picture of the innovative and competitive capabilities of Proton Motor hydrogen fuel cells at the “Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe” industry platform in hall 13 (booth no. E34). The Proton Motor Sales team and experts help to find the right hydrogen fuel cell solution for applications in energy transition projects from concept to operation. On April 24 at 1:45 p.m., Proton Motor Sales Manager Albert Stangl does give a lecture at the “Technical Forum” (hall 13/A30) on the topic “The fuel cell and its potential in stationary applications”.
Clean Power Net: A strong industry voice for climate protection and the energy transition of Germany as a business location
As a long-standing partner of the “Clean Power Net” (CPN) innovation cluster, Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH supports the first CPN Position Paper. The industry network’s four-page document published ahead of Hannover Messe 2024 focuses on the core topics of the “Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action” with the demand for the development of sustainable, decentralised energy supply infrastructures. In addition, national strategies for the decarbonisation of stationary and critical applications are to be accelerated. The current 17 CPN member companies are appealing to political decision-makers to support the market ramp-up of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Proton Motor Fuel Cell has now been invited to the event “Hydrogen Enterprises in Dialogue” with the German ministries “Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development” (BMZ) and “Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action” (BMWK). This was a perfect platform for exchange between policy makers and industry stakeholders. The presentations provided important impetus and sent a signal that the national and European hydrogen ramp-up can only succeed in close collaboration between industry and politics.
Decarbonisation objectives for the energy transition
Proton Motor also recently participated in a “Hydrogen Round-Table” in London to discuss the possibilities of the energy transition. Bringing together leading producers, innovators and investors from across the hydrogen value chain, the meeting – co-hosted by “Hannam & Partners” and “Celicourt Communications” (view image_(c) Celicourt) – highlighted the invaluable role of these stakeholders in achieving decarbonisation objectives.
“Hydrogen Europe”is the European association representing the interest of the hydrogen industry anand promoting hydrogen as an enabler of a zero-emission society. With more than 500+ members incl. Germany`s hydrogen fuel cell producer Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, the entire value chain of the European hydrogen and fuel cell ecosystem is encompassed. Hydrogen Europe has published its Manifesto for the 2024 European Elections (6-9 June), highlighting the benefits of hydrogen to Europe’s competitiveness, job creation, and climate goals. The Manifesto (link below) emphasises the benefits of a healthy hydrogen sector – more jobs, global development, and more routes to decarbonisation.
European initiatives make hydrogen attractive | Clean Hydrogen Partnership
According to the study “Fuel Cell Market Size – Share and COVID-19 Impact Analysis”, which spotlights on Proton Motor as a key company in hydrogen fuel technology, the formerly “Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking” (FCH JU; now renamend to “Clean Hydrogen Partnership”) estimated that by 2050, hydrogen fuel would account for arround 24 percent of the total energy consumption.
The European private-public collaborative was responsible for the successful financial management of the “Fit-4-AMandA” project (Fit-4-Automatic Manufacturing and Assembly) from 2017 to 2019. The programme also received funding from the European Union’s research and innovation initiative “HORIZON 2020” as well as from “Hydrogen Europe” and “N.ERGHY”. The so-called “Stack Robot” (see photo), which was symbolically launched in September 2019 by the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Hubert Aiwanger (left) and Proton Motor Chairman Helmut Gierse, will form the focal point of Proton Motor Fuel Cell’s new production facility in the Munich metropolitan region. It will therefore continue to be a central element in the technological hydroverse for the future.
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