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Common parlance is ATEX where I work. DSEAR is wider and includes dangerous substances.
The point is this is a well understood area, safety process will have due diligence, it doesn’t require some new uninvented technology to provide the controls required. Therefore this has no chance of holding back AFC. The hydrogen economy is coming, electric vehicles are coming, AFC are going big!!
Working in safety I’m familiar with ATEX regulations and they are not insurmountable. Flour is explosive given the right conditions and there were accidents in flour factories but we still make bread and eat it. The point someone made earlier was storage would be away from the charging point and could be converted to electricity away from the charging point at a safe distance. The only infeed to the charging point is an electric cable so with that set any maintenance or use of the charging point has no gas safety requirements. All the controls and ATEX compliance would be at the storage and conversion point. This is already done in industry everyday. It’s nit new. This is totally different to filling your car with hydrogen, we are filling it with electric charge. I also went on a brewery tour the other day and the talked about how the CO2 in the fermentation process is so concentrated it can kill people who are cleaning the tanks. Hasn’t stopped people making and drinking beer! That’s because like all processes a hazard analysis and appropriate controls are put in place. In this case sensors, alarms and ventilation and safe working practices. It’s not rocket science industry does it the worlds over.
Talking of rockets- The only thing going into orbit about AFC is the SP! This one is going places , onwards and upwards. Have faith chaps, I can sense panic and desperation in the naysayers with their dubious agendas. Think positive, no need for optimism because the reality is so darn good!
Working in safety I’m familiar with ATEX regulations and they are not insurmountable. Flour is explosive given the right conditions and there were accidents in flour factories but we still make bread and eat it. The point someone made earlier was storage would be away from the charging point and could be converted to electricity away from the charging point at a safe distance. The only infeed to the charging point is an electric cable so with that set any maintenance or use of the charging point has no gas safety requirements. All the controls and ATEX compliance would be at the storage and conversion point. This is already done in industry everyday. It’s nit new. This is totally different to filling your car with hydrogen, we are filling it with electric charge.
I think they are still investigating the causes as there is evidence the technology was not at fault. We are seeing increased momentum for the hydrogen solution not less. There has been an equal share of petroleum producer and storage fires and lithium battery explosions but in proportion the probability of an accident is as low as reasonably practicable. I can’t see this being held back.
Fortunately inverters and transformer rectifiers allowing efficient conversion between DC and AC has been around for donkeys years. So have thick cables and step up / step down transformers. Cable losses not a problem. We are talking relatively short distances when you compare to the distances covered by the grid
The good thing about technology is it has moved on since the Hindenburg zeppelin and so have safety practices. Hydrogen is already out there produced by industry and stored everyday. I can’t recall any industrial accidents with it, probably because there haven’t been any. There are hazards everywhere in the world but they are well managed - I can’t imagine a human getting access to a pressurised gas container and managing to stick their head in it. Has anyone ever managed to stick their head in a gas container? It might be news to some people but storage of gas and the connectors and pipes from storage to processing unit doesn’t require a new technology. It exists in industry in spades and is happening 24/7 around the world. I work in safety engineering so hazard analysis, mitigation’s and controls by safe design, manufacturing process controls to give the guarantees on final products for safety, installation checks is bread and butter stuff, it is my profession. So I can honestly say I think some of the posts on here and the reference to Hindenburg are complete nonsense written with the intent of deramping. We are not talking about introducing a whole new pipeline network across the country before AFC technology can be deployed, it can be deployed right now (that’s why they are showcasing it) and they can either get the supply by transporting it to off grid locations, local storage, and short feeds to the unit, or alternatively use ammonia and take hydrogen from that using off the shelf (that is proven and available now) technology. Safety always comes first, that’s why I’m in it, but the solution is out there.
There is also the ammonia option (NH4), laden with hydrogen (4 parts to 1 part hydrogen), and as I’ve mentioned before can be converted by off the shelf systems already. So the good news is this is already solved! The future is hydrogen, it’s clean, it’s green, it’s very very efficient. Everyone is talking about it in industry (see Hydrogen Council) and UK government committees. I think AFC are right on the money with their solution
There is nothing new here, safety of hydrogen is well known. Hydrogen is already managed in industry which already complied with safety standards. Otherwise it wouldn’t exist today in copious quantities or be readily available. The Hydrogen Council are all over this.
...and of course hydrogen is coming. More quotes from the hydrogen council and the UK governments view:
According to the Hydrogen Council, an industry group backed by companies such as BMW and Air Liquide, the hydrogen market could be worth around US$2.5trln by 2050 as part of a push to lower carbon emissions from transport and limit global warming to safer levels.
Hydrogen is seen as a key element of the UK government's recent announcement of a new target for the country to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which was on the back of a strongly worded report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
For PIs new to AFC here are quotes from proactive investors on supply options for EV chargers.
Can use readily available ammonia for an off grid solution to EV charging, it’s cheap and it’s abailable and it’s been trialled already:
Recently concluded trials have shown that AFC's proprietary fuel cell system can use "off the shelf" ammonia cracking technology, with little difference in performance compared to hydrogen sourced from industrial plants.
Here is the link to watch:
https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/211982/afc-energy-lays-out-string-of-markers-for-hydrogen-fuel-cells-211982.html
The other interesting thing from the proactive investor video is the licensing options open to AFC for some of their products like the Alkomem membrane which have spinoffs in other areas. Quite useful to have spinoffs in addition to the main EV product line and good be a good earner.
This is more misinformation from the derampers. The supply solution is discussed in the excellent proactive investors video i posted earlier. AB uses Japan as the example as it transitions to electric vehicles. AFC can use low grade hydrogen or ammonia to make the cost of electricity extremely competitive. For those who might be duped by this latest attempt at deramping, please see the investor video and decide for yourself.....interesting pattern emerging here: those with faith in AFC and a positive attitude to investing in a green and clean world beating technology company pointing to facts and asking people to check it out for themselves, and those with questionable deramping motives offering opinions and no evidence to back it up. Can’t be fairer to PIs in saying don’t take my word for it, do the research and check for yourselves. I have confidence you will arrive at the same conclusion as me: great prospects, on the cusp of something big, technology ready to go and linked to some BIG players Rolec and Denora with established reputations and supply/manufacturing networks.
It only went south because triggered by a placement announcement the shorters saw an opportunity. That’s lost momentum now and people are realising they’ve just created a great chance to buy in at a price lower than the big investor placement. New PIs can actually thank them for that it’s a great entry point
Those who took my advice to buy when the doomsayers were out in force at 4p have done super well! A quadrupled investment and prospects for the big time! This is going onwards and upwards. Read the RNS folks and see for yourselves
Let’s not forget the roadshow this year which will come after the shareholder day. AB said in the last proactive investor video that they will be demonstrating at a number of Rolec charging sites. It’s going to be an exciting close to the year! https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/211982/afc-energy-lays-out-string-of-markers-for-hydrogen-fuel-cells-211982.html