Rolls-Royce and Mercedes launch fuel cell venture

Rolls-Royce Power Systems, a German subsidiary of the gas turbine, aerospace and nuclear giant, is collaborating with Lab1886, an innovation laboratory that is part of Mercedes-Benz, to develop and deploy hydrogen fuel cells for stationary power generation. The units, to be sold under the brand name MTU, are aimed specifically at providing continuous and emergency power for safety-critical applications such as data centres.

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The Rolls-Royce unit, whose main focus is high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, trains, heavy land vehicles and defence applications such as tanks, already supplies generator sets for such safety-critical applications, but these are currently generally based on diesel engines. It believes that fuel cells might be an alternative which could be more environmentally-friendly as these emit no pollutants during operation, and if the hydrogen is generated using low-carbon electricity the overall emissions to the atmosphere are zero. The company is developing technologies for the manufacture of hydrogen and other synthetic fuels, and has teamed up with Lab1886 because of Mercedes’ expertise in hydrogen-powered electric vehicles. The pilot plant, at Friedrichshsfen, will be based on fuel cells built by Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell.