Imagine a water-splitting machine that doesn't wear out as fast and doesn't need expensive rare metals to work. It's like upgrading a car engine to use cheaper fuel while making it last twice as long. By redesigning the internal parts to let bubbles escape better, the machine uses less electricity to produce the same amount of hydrogen.
Current alkaline electrolysers are too expensive to run (>54 kWh/kg) and degrade quickly, forcing companies to overspend on oversized cooling and support systems.
A 10-kW short stack with Ni foam electrodes and a set of harmonised test protocols for accelerated ageing.
If you are a plant operator dealing with high electricity bills and frequent equipment replacement — this project developed a PGM-free stack that cuts electricity consumption to <48 kWh/kg. This reduces operating costs and lowers the levelized cost of hydrogen.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with oversized cooling systems and expensive raw materials — this project developed a design with a degradation rate <0.1%/1,000 h. This allows you to reduce the size of balance-of-plant components and achieve a CAPEX of 150 €/kW.
If you are a gas supplier dealing with the high cost of platinum-group metals in your hardware — this project developed PGM-free electrocatalysts using scalable methods. This removes dependency on critical raw materials (0 mg/W) while maintaining high current density >1.25 A/cm².
The project targets a CAPEX of 150 €/kW and O&M costs of 35 €/(kg/d)/year. It also aims to lower electricity consumption to <48 kWh/kg.
Yes, the project focuses on PGM-free electrocatalysts fabricated using inherently scalable methods and has already delivered a 10-kW short stack.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not provided, but the project involves a consortium of 6 partners including industry and research entities.
The technology targets a very low degradation rate of <0.1% per 1,000 hours of operation, which reduces the need for oversized balance-of-plant components.
The project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31, with validation occurring on 100cm2 and 1000cm2 stack platforms.
The consortium consists of 6 partners from 5 countries, showing a strong European research-to-industry pipeline. With a 33% industry ratio (2 industrial partners) and 3 research organizations, the project balances academic innovation in CFD and X-ray tomography with practical manufacturing expertise from the coordinator, Stargate Hydrogen Solutions.
Contact OU Stargate Hydrogen Solutions in Estonia
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