The first commercial-scale use of high-temperature solid-oxide electrolysers (SOE) is set for a biofuel refinery in the Netherlands.
SOE technology offers highly efficient green-hydrogen production, when using waste heat from nearby sources, it can produce four to six times as much hydrogen output per kWh as other types of unheated electrolysers, according to consultancy Element Energy.
To date, SOE electrolysers have only been deployed in pilot projects.
The project, to be built at Neste’s biorefinery in Rotterdam, will use a 2.6MW SOE electrolyser, built by German manufacturer Sunfire, which will be able to produce 60kg of hydrogen an hour, a similar rate to the most efficient alkaline electrolysers.
The project partners, Engie, Sunfire, Neste, the world’s leading provider of biodiesel and green aviation fuel, French research organisation CEA and Luxembourg-based plant builder Paul Wurth, say they hope to produce about 960 tonnes of green hydrogen by the end of 2024.
However, they have not revealed when the plant will be built or completed.
Other details, such as where the renewable energy will come from or whether waste heat will be part of the process, have also not been disclosed.
The project will, however, receive €6.9 million of funding from the EU, via the Horizon 2020 program.
“This project shows the great progress being made in bringing our green hydrogen production technologies to the next level and paving the readiness for a further scale up to 100MW,” said Sunfire managing director Nils Aldag.
Lars Peter Lindfors, senior vice-president of innovation at Neste, added: “Demonstrating green hydrogen production at our Rotterdam refinery enables us to drive the development of new sustainable technologies aiming at decreasing the carbon footprint of our customers.”
Green hydrogen, produced by using renewable energy to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, is expected to play a vital role in the energy transition.
It is a zero-emissions fuel that can be used for energy storage, heat, transport, and to decarbonise polluting industrial processes such as steel and cement production.
Hydrogen can either be burned to generate energy or turned into electricity directly using a fuel cell.
EcoNews is an independent publication that relies on contributions from its readers.
WE’RE BUILDING A PLATFORM WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL GOOD. CONTRIBUTE AND TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT.
If you value EcoNews, but are unable to contribute via sponsorship or advertising we ask that you promote our online store The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au via your social media to assist us to fund this valuable service.
