Power supply for LED signage for more safety in Japanese road traffic
To the reference report
Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) is SFC’s exclusive partner in Japan for the distribution of direct methanol and hydrogen EFOY Fuel Cells. SFC and TTC are pursuing their joint strategy for the expansion of the international sales strategy in Japan and South East Asia for environmentally friendly and powerful hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cell systems around the EFOY series. The market segments that are actively pursued include wind, security, environmental monitoring, traffic technology and telecommunications.
In this case the end customer’s requirements were to maintain road safety along the highway through electronic signage and signalling. The two main regions that they operate in were Kanto and Tohoku. An energy solution that can provide a reliable and off-grid power supply for locations with hard to reach grid power was needed and the EFOY Fuel Cell demonstrated these benefits. An energy solution contributing to minimising the risk of accidents was found in the EFOY Fuel Cells.
The challenges faced were that in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, it’s difficult to obtain grid power along the roadside. Solar and batteries are not sufficient during winter and seasonal rainy months. An all-weather energy solution was needed to ensure that energy was permanently available on site with an autonomy of 42 days. The typical load at each site was approximately 30 W. A solution with reduced maintenance costs was also needed to be considered as the application covered long stretches of roadway.
The EFOY Pro 900, the latest fuel cell generation, is the ideal power supply solution for this application.
“EFOY Pro Fuel Cells increasing road safety and decreasing traffic congestion.”
EFOY Pro Fuel Cells deliver reliable and environmentally friendly energy increasing road safety and decreasing traffic congestion. The improved asset and energy management reduces operation and maintenance costs where road infrastructure assets are widely spread out.
Tomoya Hioki, Toyota Tsusho Corporation
The end customer placed an order for 135 EFOY Pro 800 JP Duo for implementing into their products and service offerings for LED road traffic signage on highways. The EFOY Pro 800 Duo is a predecessor model to the new EFOY Pro 900 JP (Japan version). The fuel cells are installed in a hybrid installation with batteries and solar (175 W) in the customer’s equipment. In the winter, rainy season of inclement weather, the fuel cell provides back-up power to the systems.
By using the off-grid power supply with an EFOY Pro Fuel Cell in hybrid operation with solar power, it was possible to increase road safety and to improve the traffic flow at multiple sites in Japan. The customer integrated the EFOY Pro Fuel Cells into their own systems with 3x M10 fuel cartridges to meet the 42 day autonomy which leads to fewer site visits. The improved asset and energy management reduces operation and maintenance costs where road infrastructure assets are widely spread out.
