California Hydrogen Research 

Consortium

Jennifer Kurtz, Sam Sprik, Mike Peters, Bill 

Buttner, Shaun Onorato

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

April 30, 2019

DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 

2019 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting

This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information.

Project ID H2041 
NREL | 2

Overview

• Project start date: 1/15/2019 

Project end date: 1/15/2021 

(estimated)

• Total project budget: $840k

– Total recipient share: $300k

– Total federal share: $540k

– Total DOE funds spent*: $45k

* As of 3/1/19

• Reliability and Costs of Hydrogen 

Compression (Delivery B)

• Other Fueling Site/Terminal 

Operations (Delivery I)

• Hydrogen from Renewable Resources 

(TV G)

Timeline and Budget Barriers

• Governor's Office of Business and 

Economic Development, Tyson Eckerle

• California Air Resources Board, Andrew 

Martinez

• California Energy Commission, Jean 

Baronas

• South Coast Air Quality Management 

District, Naveen Berry

• Jennifer Kurtz, NREL, PI

Partners
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Relevance

Hydrogen and fuel cell stakeholders worldwide are using California’s 

experience as a model case, making success in California paramount to 

market acceleration and adoption. The technical research capability of 

the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will be used to assist 

California in decisions and evaluations, as well as to verify solutions to 

problems impacting the industry. 

Because these challenges cannot be addressed by one agency or one 

laboratory, a hydrogen research consortium has been organized to 

combine and collaborate. The collaboration aims to: 

• Ensure that data are available to evaluate projects and inform 

decision makers 

• Independently verify and validate component solutions 

• Provide experimental results for future hydrogen infrastructure 

• Increase the availability of technical experts for quick-need issues for 

California hydrogen infrastructure development, deployment, 

operation, and technology advances. 

The specific objective for the last year (4/2018 – 3/2019) was to complete the 

agreement and initiate research 
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Approach: Cross-cutting R&D objectives 

with multiple stakeholders

Regular communication and collaboration between research partners enables 

flexible, real-time identification of needs and project progress in order to 

address top priority hydrogen infrastructure gaps. 
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Approach: Integrated with H2@Scale Themes 

STORE

Improved Bulk Storage Technologies

Research Task 1: 

Data Collection & Analysis

Research Task 2: 

Medium/Heavy-Duty Fueling

Research Task 3: 

H2 Contaminant Detector

Research Task 4: 

Nozzle Freeze-Lock

Research Task 5: 

CA H2 Integration

Research Task 6: 

Technical Assistance
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Approach: Utilize NREL Core Capabilities

R&D tasks leverage existing NREL capabilities and research staff.
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Approach: Project Management

General research reporting includes monthly update partner webinars for 

research status and final reports.

Note, Task 6 is as needed and is not specifically scheduled at this time.
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Accomplishments & Progress: Data Analysis

Task 1: Data Collection & Analysis

12 months, $40k DOE, $40k CA

Perform analysis and aggregation of station performance, 

operation, and maintenance data. 

In Progress

• Draft templates for station (e.g., addition of vehicle SOC at fill start) and truck data collection

• Analysis of quarterly reported data

• Initiated discussions regarding top priority station metrics
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Accomplishments & Progress: M/HD Fueling

In Progress

• Information gathering initiated to identify:

• Existing station data sources (e.g., Zero-Emission Bay Area Demonstration)

• Future station data sources (e.g., Zero-Emission and Near-Zero Emission Freight 

Facilities)

• M/HD stakeholders

• Evaluate possible second-by-second data collection opportunities

• Prototype remote data monitoring system

• Investigate initial use at NREL’s Hydrogen 

Infrastructure Testing and Research Facility

Task 2: M/H-Duty Fueling

12 months, $150k DOE, $50k CA

Perform analysis and reporting of retail and experimental 

fueling data to inform fueling-method decision makers and 

fueling system design. 

Zero-Emission Bay Area Fuel Cell Bus

Source: NREL
NREL | 10

HCD 

requirements 

matrix

Accomplishments & Progress: HCD

In Progress

• Leverage previously funded HCD work

• Initiated review of possible HCD and

selection criteria

• Initiated interface experimental setup

and risk review

Task 3: H2 Contaminant Detector

24 months, $300k DOE, $100k CA 

Complete near real-time compliance verification to the J2719 

requirements of an in-line hydrogen quality detector(s) prior to 

validation at retail hydrogen stations. 

Prototype image of HCD interface for 

initial verification of HCD operation

Source: NREL
NREL | 11

Accomplishments & Progress: Nozzle

In Progress

• System test platform design in progress

• System redesigned to leverage vehicle tank simulator 

to meet project schedule and safety requirements

• Safety review completed

Task 4: Nozzle Freeze-Lock 

Evaluation

6 months, $10k DOE, $60k CA, 

$75k Industry 

Create an environmentally controlled experiment to identify 

conditions leading to nozzle freeze-lock and for verifying 

solutions. 
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Accomplishments & Progress: H2 Integration 

& Tech Assistance

In Progress

• No status to report as of 3/4/19, tasks will be initiated beginning of March

Task 5: CA Hydrogen Integration

12 months, $30k DOE, $20k CA 

Identify the top priorities for data share and experimental 

scenarios to integrate hydrogen into California’s energy 

management strategies. 

Task 6: Technical Assistance

12 months, $10k DOE, $30k CA

National laboratory technical experts will be available for 

California infrastructure development, deployment, and 

operation. 
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Accomplishments and Progress: Responses to 

Previous Year Reviewers’ Comments

• This project was not reviewed in 2018.
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Collaboration and Coordination

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), California Energy 

Commission (CEC), South Coast Air Quality Management 

District (SCAQMD) and Governor’s Office for Business and 

Economic Development (GO-Biz) identified a need to 

leverage national laboratory research capabilities and staff to 

support their hydrogen efforts. This research consortium 

identified the research tasks based on research needs and 

priorities for the California agency partners. Specific focus is 

placed on sharing and translating lessons learned to other 

jurisdictions, which is a priority in this partnership between 

state and federal agencies and laboratories. The partnership 

includes identifying priorities, providing data, and evaluation 

of research progress and targets. 
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Remaining Challenges and Barriers

• Tasks have just started so the majority of the research 

will take place the remainder of FY19 and into FY20

• Hydrogen contaminant detectors are not expected to 

meet all of the requirements of SAE J2719

• Publication is an important metric for the research 

tasks in order to provide data to stakeholders
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Proposed Future Work

Task 1: Data Collection & Analysis

12 months, $40k DOE, $40k CA

• Hydrogen station and truck template updates

• Identify top priority station metrics for monthly updates

• Complete monthly and quarterly station analysis and reporting

Task 2: M/H-Duty Fueling

12 months, $150k DOE, $50k CA

• Down-select data sources (stations and fleets) based on availability for 

initial review

• Complete data analysis phase and publish key findings

Task 3: H2 Contaminant Detector

24 months, $300k DOE, $100k CA 

• Down-select and order HCD

• Complete verification of HCD operation with pre-mixed gases

• Integrate HCD into NREL’s HITRF for in-situ operation (1 – 12 months)

Task 4: Nozzle Freeze-Lock Evaluation

6 months, $10k DOE, $60k CA, $75k 

Industry 

• Review, build, and commission experimental ambient control test 

platform

• Complete with stakeholder review test plan

• Complete nozzle experiment to benchmark failure frequency and 

condition (ambient temperature and humidity) and publish results

Task 5: CA Hydrogen Integration

12 months, $30k DOE, $20k CA 

• Collect CA stakeholder needs

• Publish review of existing hydrogen integration data and analyses 

results that address needs

• Identify gaps and possible future analyses

Task 6: Technical Assistance

12 months, $10k DOE, $30k CA

• Check in with project partners for brief projects in need of national lab 

technical expertise

• Generate problem, scope, budget, expert(s), and report if a project is 

agreed upon by the project partners
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Technology Transfer Activities

• None at this time
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Summary

• Expected benefits of this consortium begin with 

coordinated research efforts that:

– support the DOE’s and CA hydrogen goals and requirements

– share lessons learned with other states to inform 

implementation efforts outside of California 

– support shifting the hydrogen infrastructure progress from a 

government push into a market pull 

– advance the station technology and operation to meet the 

next waves of vehicle demand 

– leverage existing core capabilities and researchers

– publish findings from research tasks via relevant 

conferences, NREL technical reports, and journals

• Research tasks progress are in initial stage
www.nrel.gov

NREL/PR-5400-73801

Thank You

This work was authored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, 

for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308. Funding provided by the U.S. 

Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office. The views 

expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government 

retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a 

nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow 

others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes.