[ industry update ]
Breakthrough development heralds new generation of PEM electrolysers In what is seen as a major technological breakthrough , researchers of the Dutch applied technology institute TNO have developed an advanced electrocatalyst that reduces the required amount of iridium by a factor of 200 , while achieving an average of one third of the performance of current PEM electrolysers .
To make PEM technology a viable option for the electrolyser capacity upscaling towards 40 GW in Europe by 2030 , a drastic decrease in iridium dependency is needed . In the last two years , the TNO scientists successfully executed a number of experiments , resulting in a breakthrough patented technology developed within the Voltachem program . To realise an ultra-thin , porous iridium catalyst layer in PEM stacks , experts from the TNO Holst Centre employed the spatial Atomic Layer Deposition ( ALD ) technology . In the TNO Faraday Lab , the stability of the resulting new electrolyser cell was demonstrated with a so called ‘ accelerated stress test protocol ’ to test the cell under extremely harsh conditions . After this validation test , there was hardly any degradation .
The TNO will now work together with industrial partners to accelerate this development and bring the technology to the market before 2030 . The next steps are to prove that the technology will work on a larger electrolyser cell area , that the degradation is limited over a longer lifespan , and that the efficiency of the cell can be increase towards the state-ofthe-art level of PEM electrolysis .
McPhy Energy takes FID for electrolyzer Gigafactory in Belfort McPhy Energy has announced the final investment decision ( FID ) for its Gigafactory of alkaline electrolyzers on the Belfort site in France . Commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2024 , with a gradual ramp-up to reach an annual production capacity of 1 GW .
The future plant in Belfort will host new developments and production of the large electrolyzers in the ‘ Augmented McLyzer ’ range , a real technological breakthrough , enabling architectures of 20 MW , 100 MW and beyond ( GW ) to be equipped with an output pressure of 30 bar .
Belfort ’ s location at the crossroads of many European countries , with a genuine research and development ecosystem dedicated to innovation and hydrogen , will foster the multiplication of potential industrial and commercial partnerships .
New joint venture formed to propel India ’ s hydrogen economy H2B2 Electrolysis Technologies and GR Promoter Group have formed a new joint venture to develop hydrogen solutions . Named GreenH Electrolysis , the joint venture will engage in the manufacture of electrolyzers and development of green hydrogen production plants based on off-take agreements .
The first project of the newly established company will be the deployment of an electrolyzer production plant with an initial production capacity of 100 MW , later to be ramped up to the GW scale . Construction is expected to start in early 2023 .
Operating in the Indian market , with the possibility to extend its activities to other countries in Asia , GreenH Electrolysis will cover the entire hydrogen value chain , including innovation , design , engineering , manufacturing , integration , financing and O & M for modular hydrogen production systems and ad hoc / industrial solutions .
6 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 7 | December 2022