The Business Section of the Globe and Mail (Saturday December 5) included a double spread article on \u201cHydrogen\u201d focused on and Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby BC. The time for the \u201chydrogen economy\u201c may have arrived. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and several provinces have begun to roll our Hydrogen Roadmaps and the Nuclear Innovation Institute has included hydrogen technologies and applications as one of its focus areas. I sit on the Bruce Innovates Steering Committee which oversees development of hydrogen infrastructure projects in Bruce County. While the Globe article examined Ballard\u2019s work on hydrogen fuel cells \u2013 there is much more to Canada\u2019s hydrogen story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First I want to thank Edward Stuart<\/strong> of Hydrogen Optimized for sharing the Stuart family 100+ year hydrogen journey which I summarized at the November 2020 Hydrogen Business Council\u2019s \u201cHydrogen Sustainability and Finance Conference\u201d and on which this blog is based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1905 Alexander T. Stuart (Gen I) <\/strong>employed as a summer student in Niagara Falls with the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario (HEPCO-for-runner of Ontario Hydro and now OPG). Alexander was given the challenging task of proposing an economic use of excess hydro-electric power in Ontario. A.T Stuart proposed that large scaleelectrolysis of water to produce valuable hydrogen and oxygen feedstocks for industry sury would be a good way to utilize surplus electrical energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few years passed before A.T Stuart startedbuilding his first prototype electrolyzer in 1912. Then in 1913<\/strong> the Federal Department of Agriculturestarted funding development of hydrogen generation for use in ammonia and fertilizer production. Then in 1918<\/strong> first large scale Stuart Electrolyserwas builtin San Francisco for theStuart Oxygen company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing these promising developments HEPCO, under the leadership of Sir Adam Beck, set-up a laboratory for Alexander Stuart to develop his hydrogen technologies for the Department of the Interior. The early prototype Stuart Cells were optimized in the period from 1918 to 1927. In 1927,<\/strong> A.T Stuart filed his first patent for \u201cCells\u201d – first of more than 50 patents in hydrogen filed by the Stuart family in the coming decades. In fact most electrolysers today contain features licenced from these original Stuart patents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the late 1920\u2019s<\/strong> commercialization of hydrogen systems began to ramp up. General Electric was thefirst of six companies to licence the technology from the government of Canada and A.T. Stuart. From 1920 <\/strong>onwards more than 1000 electrolysis systems built in 100 countries using the early Stuart technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then in the period 1933-1936<\/strong> an experimental electrolysis demonstration plant was built and operated in Leaside, now a very attractive and well-treed residential neighborhood in Toronto. <\/strong>TheHydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario invested $90,000 (lots of money in those days)in a demonstration plant and in the identification of other markets for hydrogen produced with off-peak power including synthetic fuels, synthesis gas production, and the direct reduction of iron ore. Then in 1934<\/strong> HEPCO canceled any funding or involvement in hydrogen as part of the \u201cHepburn Hydro Policy\u201d which stopped all work on development of uses for surplus power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stuart Cellswere deployed in confidential projects to produce hydrogen to reduce Ontario\u2019s demand for hydrocarbon fuels that could be exported to support the war effort and A.T Stuart served as a \u201chydrogen expert\u201d for the British Empire intelligence. Around the same time his son A.K Stuart (Gen II)<\/strong> became an officer for the Royal Canadian Navy serving in the North Atlantic where he learned about the German developmental hydrogen U-Boatprogram in the later days of the War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then in 1948 <\/strong>father and son, A.T and A.K, <\/strong>formed the Electrolyser Corporation <\/strong>which A.K. (Sandy) Stuart ran for the next 50+ years. Sandy built and expanded the company in the 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s when the world wide demand of water electrolysers grew \u2013 with almost all of the installations outside of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then in the 1960\u2019s<\/strong> NASA\u2019s Apollo Moon Landing Program created a large demand for liquid hydrogen to fuel the huge Saturn V moon rockets. The Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) technology that could produces large quantities amounts hydrogen from natural gas feedstock was developed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n OPEC energy crisis of the 1970\u2019s combined with the anticipated low cost of nuclear electricity led to projections that electrolysis could compete with SMR hydrogen in large scale applications. Driven by this vision Sandy Stuart workedonimproved and larger electrolysis equipment to address this potential multi-MW scale market. The \u201cEI-250\u201d electrolyzer was developed in this time frame in a joint venture with Hydro Quebec and Noranda Mines and electrolysis technology was scaled to 100 MW units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the mid 1960\u2019s <\/strong>Electrolyser Corporation was bidding on a 150 MW project in India but the Canadian instead leader lost order because of the export financing that was provided to its Italian competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A.K Stuart addressed this situation with the Canadian government and the helped to justify the creation of Export Development Corp (EDC) which supports Canadian exporters to this day. In the 1990\u2019s <\/strong>Sandy Stuartwas appointed as EDC Chairmen EDC business volume grew from $8 B\/a to $28 B\/a. Sandy Stuart wasnamed tothe Order of Canadafor his EDC and hydrogen leadership <\/p>\n\n\n\n The demand forindustrial electrolysers slumped to a new low in the 1990\u2019s<\/strong> and Electrolyser Corp broadened its lines of business and was renamed Stuart Energy. Sandyled the development of related hydrogen energy and fuelling projects including: large scale hydrogen storage, small packaged hydrogen production models, containerized hydrogen plants. In addition, the first bus and car fuelling stations developed in North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sandy Stuart\u2019s son Andrew Stuart (Gen III),<\/strong> led development of new hydrogen technologies that came into demand to reduce air born particulates when he joined Stuart Energy. Andrew Stuart became President and CEO of Stuart Energy in the late 1990\u2019s. Stuart Energy became a pubic company public on the TSX raising for $ 600 Million Cdn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2005 <\/strong>Stuart Energy Systems was acquired by Hydrogenics which in turn was acquired by Cummins in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\nGenesis of the Hydrogen Vision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Initial Development of the Stuart Cell<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Optimization of the Stuart Cell<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stuart Cell Commercialization<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Development of Hydrogen Applications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hydrogen in World War II<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Electrolyser Corporation <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Interest in Hydrogen at Scale <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A.K Stuart Achievements and EDC<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stuart Energy Systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHydrogen Optimized<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n