The 2016 Hydrogen Student Design Contest invites undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students worldwide to apply their creativity and academic skills to advance the hydrogen and fuel cell industries.
The 2016 contest is themed: “Development of a Hydrogen Powered Micro-Grid to provide grid support during peak hours and full back-up power”.
The grand prize winning team will be invited to present their design to industry leaders in a session of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meetings (AMR), scheduled for 6–10 June 2016, in Washington, D.C.. The winning team will also be awarded a stipend of up to $5,000 to cover trip expenses and their design will be published in an issue of the International Journal for Hydrogen Energy (IJHE).
The Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) challenges participants to design a renewable hydrogen powered micro-grid capable of solely supporting a town or military base for approximately 2 days, and be able to handle at least 10% of peak demand while the macro-grid is active. The system should utilize local resources to produce and store hydrogen as well as provide hydrogen dispensing capabilities to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCEVs). Optimizations for as little environmental and economic impact as possible are required.
Established in 2004, the Hydrogen Student Design Contest showcases the talents of students in many disciplines, including engineering, architecture, urban planning, marketing, and entrepreneurship.