Iwatani Corporation completed IWATANI Hydrogen (H2) Station Miyagi Sendai for the first time in the Tohoku District, and held an opening ceremony on March 22 with attendants concerned.

The station also supplies hydrogen by pipeline to the fuel cell (FC) of the convenience store “Seven-eleven Sendai Saiwai-Cho 4-Chome Store” (opened on March 23) which uses a pure hydrogen fuel cell (made by Toshiba) also as the first unit in the Tohoku District.

The hydrogen station has an area of 1,900 m2. Liquid hydrogen is supplied by tank truck from Iwatani Industrial Gas’ Goi Plant in Chiba Prefecture. The facilities consist of liquid hydrogen storage tank (capacity: 1.5 tons to fill more than 300 fuel cell vehicles), Linde’s hydrogen compressor, accumulator (50ℓ×20) and dispenser. The filling pressure of dispenser is 82MPa. The supply capacity is 300 Nm3/h to enable filling up six vehicles per hour.

Neighboring Seven-eleven Sendai Saiwai-Cho 4-Chome Store is the third store across the country and the first one in the Tohoku District that installs a pre hydrogen type FC system. The 0.7kW×2 FCs can supply about 10% of the power consumption of the store. The roof is furnished with a solar power generation panel of 10kW. They are going to appeal as “Environment Friendly Store.”

Furthermore, Seven–Eleven simultaneously introduced an external power supply system “V2H System” (made by Nichicon) to this store for the first time in Japan.

It is connected to the electric system inside the store, and in case of disaster, it can receive electricity from an FCV (possible from either Toyota’s MIRAI or Honda’s CLARITY) and send power to the store or electric appliances inside. For information, an FCV can supply electricity of alternate current of about 60kWh at maximum of 9kW.

In March of this year Seven–Eleven Japan concluded an Agreement on hydrogen Energy Promotion Activities with Miyagi Prefecture which aims at “A Pioneer of Hydrogen Society in the Tohoku District.” Based on the agreement, Seven-Eleven is planning to carry out its promotion activities as to the hydrogen energy in a convenience store to realize a hydrogen society taking this store as a model. The store will arrange inside and outside the store with panels describing things related to hydrogen energy, so that they can appeal and enlighten customers about utilization of hydrogen energy. Seven-Eleven is also going to utilize the external electricity supply system and pure hydrogen FC for demonstration equipment in evacuation drills in emergency when disasters occur.