Imagine a machine that splits water into hydrogen gas, but usually needs extreme heat to work efficiently. This project is building a new type of 'battery-in-reverse' that works at lower temperatures and can be switched on and off quickly. It's like upgrading a slow-starting old oven to a modern microwave that handles the unpredictable power coming from wind and solar farms.
Current hydrogen electrolyzers often require extremely high temperatures and struggle to handle the intermittent power supply from wind and solar, leading to high costs and equipment wear.
The project is developing oxygen ion- and proton-conducting cells on ceramic and metallic supports. They have specifically optimized a metal-supported architecture using AISI 441 stainless steel with laser-drilled pores.
If you are a farm operator dealing with fluctuating power generation — this project developed flexible electrolysis cells that can ramp up and down quickly to match RES profiles. This allows you to store excess energy as hydrogen without damaging the equipment.
If you are a plant manager dealing with high hydrogen procurement costs — this project developed cells aiming for a production cost of 3 €/kg by 2030. This helps lower the cost of green feedstock for industrial processes.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with high equipment degradation — this project developed new materials and designs that keep degradation at or below 0.75% per 1,000 h. This increases the lifespan and reliability of the hardware you sell.
The project aims to define research directions to reduce the hydrogen production cost to 3 €/kg by 2030.
Yes, the cells and stacks are specifically designed for large-scale production and tailored for coupling with renewable energy and other industry sectors.
Based on available project data, the consortium includes a recognized European stack manufacturer, SolydEra, and several research institutes, but specific licensing terms are not provided.
The project targets a reduction of CAPEX to 520 €/(kg/kW) and OPEX to 45 €/(kg/kW).
The technology is designed for flexible operation and fast ramping to fit with the generation profiles of renewable energy sources.
The consortium is a lean group of 7 partners across 6 countries, characterized by a strong research-to-industry pipeline. While the industry ratio is relatively low at 14%, the inclusion of SolydEra, a recognized European stack manufacturer, ensures that the research on proton-conducting ceramics is grounded in manufacturing reality. The mix of 3 research institutes and 2 universities provides the deep material science expertise needed to hit the aggressive degradation and temperature KPIs.
Contact the Instytut Energetyki - Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy in Poland
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the Hy-SPIRE consortium for licensing and technology transfer.
