Drawing from the Humboldt State University Team's Design The University of Waterloo Team, Grand Prize Winners for 2011 Detail from the University of Toronto's Design The Kyushu University Team, 2013's Grand Prize Winner Detail from the University of Waterloo's 2011 Grand Prize-Winning Design

News

University of Toronto Wins Grand Prize of 2017-2018 Hydrogen Student Design Contest on Power-to-Gas

June 15, 2018 – WASHINGTON – Today, the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) announced the University of Toronto as the winner of the 2017-2018 Student Design Contest at the Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2018 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR). The University of Toronto – University of Florida Joint Team presented their Power-to-Gas design, Motion+, at the H2@Scale and Technology Acceleration Session. It is the Unviersity's third HEF award and first Grand Prize win. Read the announcement here >>

Three Student Teams to Receive Hydrogen Contest Awards at Department of Energy Conference

June 1, 2018 – WASHINGTON – Today, the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) announced that the top three teams for the 2017-2018 HEF Hydrogen Student Design Contest will be unveiled at the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2018 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting on June 13-15 in Washington D.C. The three winning teams will provide poster presentations on Thursday, June 14 at the Hydrogen Production and Delivery Session at 6:30 PM. On Friday, June 15, the Grand Prize winner will present during the H2@Scale and Technology Acceleration Session from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM ET. Read the announcement here >>

Rules & Guidelines Published for HEF 2017 Power-To-Gas Student Design Contest

August 3, 2017 - Today, Hydrogen Education Foundation published the Rules & Guidelines >> for the 2017 Power-to-Gas Hydrogen Student Design Contest. Participating student teams will choose a site in their area, engage their local electric and gas utilities, coordinate with regulatory bodies and safety experts, and create educational materials, including a short video. Registration deadline is September 15, 2017, and interested students can sign up here >> while recruiting their team. Read the announcement here >>.

2017-2018 Contest Announced: Design a Power-to-Gas System 

June 12, 2017 - Today, the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) announced the topic of its 2017-2018 Hydrogen Student Design Contest, "Designing a Power-to-Gas System." The HEF is planning to challenge student teams to design a hydrogen power-to-gas system that uses electricity to produce hydrogen for cross market uses, including energy storage, ancillary services, and transportation fuel. The teams will choose a site in their area, engage their local electric and gas utility, coordinate with regulatory bodies and safety experts, and create educational materials, including a short video. Learn more about the contest and registration here >>

Grand Prize Winner of the 2016 Contest is University of Waterloo

June 21, 2016 - The Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Air Liquide, sponsors of the 2016 Contest, announced University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada, as the Grand Prize Winner. This is Waterloo's third Grand Prize and fifth award in the history of the Contest. The team's design used Cornwall, ON, Canada, as the basis for the location of their renewable hydrogen-powered micro-grid design. Hydrogenis used as an energy storage medium to be converted back into electricity by PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cells.The system is designed to supply hydrogen to 100 forklifts used at a food distribution center and more than 30 FCEVs used in the residential community. Wind, solar and hydrogen power continuously supply 10% of the energy demand of the community as well as the full demand for two days in the event of a blackout. Key to meeting this criteria is the vehicle-to-grid concept used in the design, where FCEVs can be connected to charging stations to supply power back to the grid during peak demand or emergency scenarios.

Final Submissions Returned, Grand Prize Winner to be Announced at Annual Merit Review

June 8, 2016 - All student team Final submissions were analyzed and scored by a panel of judges. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced Thursday, June 10, 2016, at the Department of Energy's Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation (AMR). The winning team will present their design at 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM, with representatives from the Department of Energy, Air Liquide, and the Hydrogen Education Foundation, will participate in the award ceremony. All are welcome to attend. More information on the AMR and how to register, visit www.annualmeritreview.energy.gov.

Student Team Abstracts Returned, Webinar Announced

March 10, 2016 - All student team abstracts have now been reviewed by our judges, and their comments have been returned to the teams. Teams will now have an opportunity to review these comments and continue developing their designs. Teams may also submit follow-up questions to judges, which will be addressed in the next webinar, on March 17th, 2016, at 2 PM EST. Click here to see other important dates or register for the webinar >>

Extended Registration- February 24

February 8, 2016 - Due to the 1-week delay of the introductory webinar, registration for the Hydrogen Student Design Contest is being extended to Wednesday, February 24, 2016. Register here>>

Introductory Webinar Announced

January 20, 2016 - Students are now able to begin signing up for the introductory webinar for the 2016 Hydrogen Student Design Contest. This free 1-hour webinar will take place on Tuesday, January 26th, at 2pm EST, and is designed to provide an overview of the contest and answer student questions. Students are encouraged to register for the contest before signing up for the webinar. Learn more about registration here>>

Student Design Contest Launches Registration

January 8, 2016 - The Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) has officially launched registration for the 2016 Student Design Contest. This semester-long project challenges undergraduate and graduate students to design a hydrogen-powered microgrid capable of powering a town, military installation, port, or similar industrial facility for approximately 2 days.

Teams must register by end-of-day February 10, 2016, with a project outline due on February 24. A webinar on March 14th will help provide feedback on student progress. The contest is primarily sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), with other sponsors and a panel of experts across industry and academia.

The winning team will receive a trip to Washington, DC to participate in the DOE Annual Merit Review, and present their project to leaders in the renewable energy field. All winning teams’ designs are also planned to be published in the International Journal for Hydrogen Energy (IJHE), a major industry publication. Sponsors may also consider students for internship positions. Additional prizes for the 1st place team and 2nd-place team will be determined by sponsorship levels.

2016 Contest to Design a Hydrogen Powered Micro-Grid 

WASHINGTON, DC - October 8, 2015 - Today, on National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) announced the topic of its 2016 Hydrogen Student Design Contest. The HEF is planning to challenge student teams to design a hydrogen powered micro-grid to provide grid support and services, including back-up power for a municipality.     

The HEF is actively encouraging industry partners to consider supporting the Contest, and interested parties should contact Emanuel Wagner, Hydrogen Education Foundation at ewagner@ttcorp.com or +1-202-223-5547 x360.

About the Contest

Since 2004, the Hydrogen Student Design Contest has challenged multi-disciplinary teams of university students to apply their creativity and academic skills in the areas of design, engineering, economics, environmental science, business and marketing to the hydrogen and fuel cell industries.