Hydrogen Powers Progress for FÉTIS Group

At the Hyvolution Exhibition in Paris on January 30th 2024, FÉTIS Group will be showcasing three successful hydrogen projects from the last year.

As hydrogen power is gaining traction, FÉTIS Group is committed to providing the largest solutions to help businesses decarbonize their operations for off-road mobility, marine and energy.

The group operates in industries that are often challenging to decarbonise such as agriculture, construction, power generation and professional marine. In many applications in these industries, battery electric systems will not be viable, due to equipment operation in remote locations with poor electricity grid infrastructure. 

The first of our highlighted projects is from our off-road engineering integration company, Dintec Solutions, who worked with Exxact Robotics on a hybrid hydrogen powertrain for an autonomous vineyard robot. The system comprises a fuel cell and its supporting systems, controls, software, electric power distribution and drives. 

Secondly, our marine integration team at Seco Marine designed a hydrogen system for an innovative hydrogen yacht. For marine, hydrogen has the advantage of not only a low carbon solution, but also a reduced noise, vibration and odour compared to conventional diesel propulsion. Seco Marine can provide complete low carbon marine power systems up to 6 Megawatts and are seeking further projects with boat builders and re-fitters for low carbon systems for professional marine vessels for coastal, estuary and river operation. 

Thirdly, the power generation division of our group, Geniwatt, is operating a 150kVA hydrogen generator set, based on a 7 litre, 6 cyclind internal combustion engine. This is suitable for longer continuous operating hours than equivalent fuel cell generators, which makes it suitable for many places that require clean, quiet power for extended periods. As the engine is hybridised with a battery storage system the fuel efficiency is excellent in real world situations. The hybrid design also provides a boost power capability that makes the generator suitable for handling peak power demands such as experienced when starting large electric motors. The technology chosen can also handle lower quality hydrogen than is possible with a fuel cell system. Initially we see the demand for hydrogen gensets from large construction companies, events organisers and for applications within the hydrogen ecosystem such as site power and gas compression.