overview

Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran Ministry of Energy

Comprehensive Report








Fuel Cell Development council
The secretariat of fuel cell steering committee
 

In the course of doing research and development about hydrogen systems in Iran, projects called "economical and technical evaluations of producing solar hydrogen and related technologies" and "pilot plan of solar hydrogen technology" were defined by the office of new energies in Energy Deputy of Iran ministry of Energy in 1993 and 1996, respectively. The report of these projects, "Hydrogen, the future fuel, technology, economic and research and development policy", was prepared and its summary was offered to the ministry of energy in 1998. After his approval and notifying, Iran Renewable Energy Organization started doing relevant projects as administrative management.
Then, with the aim of development indigenization of hydrogen technology and fuel cell, steering committee of fuel cell was founded with initiative of Energy Deputy of Iran ministry of Energy in 2002 with participation of Technology Cooperation Office of Presidency (TCO), Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO)( Representative of Ministry of Industries and Mines), Iran Department of Environment, Iranian Fuel Conversation Organization(representative of Iran Ministry of Petroleum), Iran Renewable Energy Organization, Iran Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Management Co.(Tavanir), Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Information Technology Development Center, Iranian Research Organization of Science and Technology (representative of Iran Ministry of Science, Iran Khodro, SAIPA, Dana Environment Research Center and Hezare sevom company for hydrogen in Energy Deputy.
In few first meetings of the committee, the necessity of a precise and scientific study was identified to determine requisites and approach of Islamic Republic of Iran to hydrogen technology and fuel cell. According to this perspective, the project of "feasibility studies - analyzing the fuel cell attraction, and formulation the development strategy of its technology in the country" was defined by Fuel Cell Steering Committee and a qualified consultant became in charge of its execution. Finally, these studies were done by collaborating 20 experts of consultant team and spending 162 expert month. After taking apart 23 meetings by steering committee members and according to above mentioned studies, with consensus of members, document of national strategy of fuel cell development in the country was prepared and approved by cabinet members in June 2007.
According to committee members views, it was arranged that operational plan and roadmap of fuel cell technology were prepared based on predictive activities in the document. This roadmap presents all preliminaries towards hydrogen economic era and its relevant infrastructures for 15 years duration.
Some activities have been done related fuel cell and hydrogen development according to national strategy of fuel cell development by steering committee members in Iran since 1997 are as follows:

1. The theory and technical Studying and evaluating of various methods of hydrogen storage.
2. The conceptual designing of some samples of PEMFC and SOFC.
3. Technical and economic evaluations of solar hydrogen energy system and relevant technologies.
4. Launching of Taleghan new and renewable energy site in order to implement and execute hydrogen and fuel cell pilot plans and preparing, demonstration projects and public awareness in this field.
5. Purchasing 100 educational kits of fuel cell and donating to educational centers throughout country, besides holding workshops for teachers.
6. Establishing solar hydrogen and fuel cell off grid pilot (includes Photovoltaic system with capacity of 10 KW, 5 KW eloctrolyzer and a fuel cell with capacity of 1.2 KW).
7. Manufacturing and installing hydrogen storage tank with 20 m3 capacity and 100 bar pressure.
8. Managing of fuel cell steering committee website.
9. Publishing hydrogen and fuel cell bulletins since September, 2006 (23 issues).
10. Preparing action plans (roadmap) of fuel cell based determined goals in the document.
11. Implementing projects to make of polymeric bipolar plates, MEA and Catalysts as polymeric fuel cell components.
12. Manufacturing, installing and operating 25 KW fuel cell system with the aim of using it as back up and as grid connection in Taleghan new and renewable energy site.
13. Designing and manufacturing PEM fuel cell (5 KW) with the aim of Know-How formulation.
14. Designing and manufacturing 1 KW methanol fuel cell.
15. Feasibility, designing and manufacturing single cell of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) with the aim of Know- how formulation.

According to the document approved by cabinet members, the ministry of energy is responsible for founding fuel cell development council secretariat. In the fuel cell steering committee meetings decisions were made as follows:

1. Evaluating of operational plan to execute national strategy document (formulated by fuel cell steering committee) and approving plan, measures in the first year and relevant budget.
2. Presenting the reports of fuel cell steering committee meetings to first vice president and applying for budget allocation.
3. Asking for council meeting from first vice president (the head of fuel cell council).
4. Selecting 2 industry and university experts for committee membership according to executive chart in the document and presenting to first vice president for improvement as head of council.
5. Coordinating fuel cell conference and assigning related affairs to ministry of science, research and technology.
6. Evaluating method of establishment of fuel cell technology development center.
7. Taking part the first meeting of fuel cell development council under chairmanship of first vice president and head of fuel cell development council in June 2008 and approving the following items:
- The full cell development council's one year plan was presented by fuel cell steering committee and it was approved in the meeting.
- The fuel cell development center will be established in the ministry of energy.
- Required coordination will be done for research grants overhead with science and technology vice-presidency.
- The ministry of energy is responsible for gathering orders of demand side and coordinate those private or public centers that are capable to desire and manufacture the fuel cell.
8. Taking part meetings with research and technology vice president to inform activities done in recent years and making connection to this vice presidency for obtaining budget.
9. Assigning first national conference of hydrogen and fuel cell coordination to Iran University of Science and Technology in January 2009 (according to national strategy plan).
10. Encouraging Master and PhD theses with subjects about both fuel cell and nanotechnology with cooperation of fuel cell steering committee and Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative and starting encouragement of master and PhD theses with various subjects related to hydrogen fuel cell (according to national strategy fuel cell development).
11. Being in touch with university researchers, obtaining their point of views, evaluating supporting techniques and using their experience and specialty to fulfill national strategy fuel cell development goals such as training human resources.
12. Determining technology level of PEM fuel cell in Iran by using Technology Readiness Level (TRL) method.
13. Doing research on definition, methods and different stages of technology transfer and definition of different technology preparation levels in order to evaluate method of participation in international consortium.
14. Installing and operating producing hydrogen unit with capacity of 40 Nm3/hr and supplying for 25 KW fuel cell energy installed in Taleghan new and renewable energy site.
15. Evaluation and feasibility study of purchasing, installing and operating some prototypes of fuel cell systems including new transport and power plant systems.

It is considerate that with starting mentioned projects and measures with support of fuel cell steering committee, about 100 researchers include university teachers, experts, university students in PhD, master and bachelor and enormous engineers in different centers such as Isfahan Inistitue of engineering, Mazandaran university, Khajeh Nasir University, Sharif Technical University, Tarbiyat Modares University, Iran Science and Technology University, Valiasr Rafsanjan University, Niroo Research Institute, Parsian Pooya Polymer, Ril sanat dena company and some consultant and contracting companies started working on this field. These activities show national intention fruit in order to develop this applicable field in the country which vast, extensive and supra organization perspectives are needed.