Buan-gun Accelerates Commercialization of Hydrogen Hybrid Drones

Completion of High-Power Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype for Drones
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drone Prototype Production and Test Flight Initiated

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] Buan County announced on the 14th that it has completed the prototype production of the ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Pack for Drones’ through the ‘Carbon Composite Hydrogen Convergence Drone Commercialization Support Project.’

Buan County expects that based on the production achievement of the ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Pack for Drones,’ it will be possible to produce the power packs at a factory located in Buan County in 2021.

The ‘Carbon Composite Hydrogen Convergence Drone Commercialization Support Project’ began in 2018 when Buan County proposed it to Jeollabuk-do as a future new industry.

This project utilizes Jeonbuk Province’s carbon industry and Buan County’s fuel cell research infrastructure. It is led by Jeonbuk Technopark and involves FuelCell Labs Co., Ltd., located in the Buan New Renewable Energy Complex.

The project, which developed a ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Pack for Drones’ capable of carrying a payload of 5 kg and flying for 1 hour (2 hours under no load) and a prototype drone, invested a total of 1.7 billion KRW from October 2019 to September 2021.

Hydrogen fuel cell drones are known to have longer flight times compared to secondary battery drones, making them advantageous for survey, monitoring, and small logistics service markets that require long-duration flight missions.

In particular, they can perform missions under harsh conditions such as maritime and mountainous areas, and are expected to have sufficient competitiveness not only in industry but also in public sectors such as forest management and agricultural and fishery surveys.

A Buan County official stated, “We will promote the revitalization of the Buan region’s industry by collaborating with software development, green new deal projects related to renewable energy, and the agricultural sector within the province. We will also work with the Korea Institute of Energy Technology, Jeonbuk Technopark, and local companies to develop a pesticide-spraying drone capable of autonomous flight and more than one hour of flight time.”

Jeonbuk Province expects to complete drone certification and registration with the Public Procurement Service by the first half of next year, and to see hydrogen fuel cell drones in Jeonbuk Province by the second half of next year.