The developments in the electrolyzer sector are continuing in great strides. Particularly in costs, where most manufacturers have been able to achieve substantial price reductions in the recent months, even if this has not been reflected in a reduction of the final price in all cases. In addition, both stacks and whole systems are becoming increasingly more compact and efficient.
About halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, the small town of Bécancour on the Saint Lawrence River has 13,000 inhabitants. The current world record holder in membrane electrolysis is located in the industrial park, between medium-sized chemical and refinery operations. With a capacity of 20 MW, fed by abundantly available hydropower, the PEM electrolyser supplies 8.2 t of hydrogen per day to part of the local industry.
The development of a real prototype is time-consuming and expensive. Mathematical models make it possible to better understand the physical and chemical processes in a fuel cell or an electrolyser. A simulation helps to create new approaches and designs in Lobar.
Test centres for industrial hydrogen technology start operation
The industry needs reliable technologies for the broad application of green hydrogen. In the Hydrogen Labs, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is pooling its expertise in the generation and use of green H2 and creating a unique research infrastructure for practical performance and load tests on an industrial scale in order to decisively advance the development of H2 technologies suitable for mass production and thus the market ramp-up.
Sebastian-Justus Schmidt is not only an unusual name. The man with that name is also an extraordinary person – and he does things that are anything but ordinary. In October 2019 sent out invitations to Thailand so that he could present his idea of a microgrid, a small, self-sufficient energy supply system.
In October 2019, gas manufacturer Linde acquired a stake in British electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power. Linde AG acquired a total of 95 million new ITM shares for EUR 45 million. The former German industrial group, which relocated its headquarters to Guildford in the UK after the merger with Praxair, now owns 20 percent of the Sheffield-based plant engineering company. In addition to this participation, there will soon also be a 50-50 joint venture that will provide green hydrogen for industrial projects.
Although hydrogen produced from renewable energies has been under discussion for decades as a possible alternative to fossil fuels, it has so far only played a minor role. Recently, however, there have been signs of change, so that “green” hydrogen could gain momentum in the energy sector: More and more powerful electrolysis systems are available, and the prices for these systems are falling. If, however, PEM electrolysers were to be added on a large scale, iridium could become scarce and thus more expensive and thus stand in the way of a reduction in the already considerable investment costs.