PROJECT

The strategic goal of ELYntegration is the design and engineering of a robust, flexible and cost competitive Multi Megawatt alkaline water electrolyser, based on IHT technology, capable of producing with a single stack up to 4.5 ton H2/day for energy applications.

 

A set of specific objectives has been defined for the project, both at  functional capabilities level and value proposition, covering points as:

 Functional capabilities and advanced system design for CAPEX competitiveness

  • High system efficiency and high current density
  • Robustness and safety
  • Flexibility
  • Durability in steady state and dynamic conditions
  • Enhanced communication and control capabilities

 Value proposition

  • Regulatory frameworks, standards, tariffs, scenarios and end-users
  • CAPEX/OPEX analysis
  • Business scenarios and business models
  • Dissemination and impact

Market and business preparation:

  • A feasibility study and market potential assessment will be conducted to determine the best possible markets, sectors and countries for the final product obtained after the ELYntegration project. The market study will focus on the national policies towards renewable energy and energy storage, with special attention to electricity prices in the power market and the provision of grid services to minimize the price of the hydrogen production. The business climate and risk perception of investors will be analyzed as well.
  • With the results of the demonstration activities, the conclusions of the market study and after the analysis of different business cases the project consortium will develop an exploitation strategy including a detailed business plan for Alkaline Water Electrolyzers (AWE) producing hydrogen and providing grid services. The exploitation strategy and business model for the ELYntegration final product will be presented to the hydrogen community of the EU and different stakeholders like TSOs, DSOs, utilities, grid operators, etc. in workshops and events during the project progress.

  • ELYntegration will deal with cell design and improvements at stack level, including new materials for electrodes and innovative membranes, with the capability of working at high performance in a broad range of the electrolyser load. VITO and IFAM are in charge of the materials development, while IHT will lead the design of the cell topology and assembly of the final stack solutions, giving also support to the technical decisions.
  • The definition and design of an optimized Balance of plant for the dynamic operation of the electrolyser will be led by FHA, including the analysis of the BoP components and streams which could derive in lower costs of the system, with the participation of industrial and technological partners (INYCOM and IHT )
  • An advanced communication and control system will be developed, according to the requirements of end-users in order to enhance the flexibility of the electrolyser providing grid services. INYCOM will be the technology provider in charge of the developments, working together with IAEW for the definition of the services and requirements.

  • Once of the main points of the technical improvements to be developed during ELYntegration is related to the testing capabilities. The developments will be tested step by step and continuously during the project: from ex-situ characterization at laboratory level to in-situ testing at different scales (micro pilot to industrial size). This methodology will aim to include the most promising results obtained in the project at a final demonstration electrolyser in an operational environment. Once validated and demonstrated at prototype level, the advanced constructive features will be integrated in the design of a multimegawatt single stack alkaline electrolyser

  • To maximise the impact of the Project, several communication and dissemination activities will take place, to reach complementary audiences to the exploitation strategy and business plan. The communication activities shall reach not only policy makers, local authorities and technology providers but also the general public. The final goal is to develop awareness of the services and technology to be demonstrated in the project at each level, including energy transition problematic, grid flexibility and environmental aspects. In order to reach the most of the target public, different channels will be used, from website and leaflets to the participation in specialized conferences and fairs. Many Project’s deliverables and publications will be also public and available in this webpage.
    Information on these activities will be updated in “Events” and “Downloads”.

  • Stack efficiency: 77-88% HHV (at medium current density) and 69-72% at high current density. If the novel electrodes could be implemented at industrial size, efficiency at high current density could increase up to 73-76% HHV.
  • Current density: 0.5 A/cm2 with novel membranes and up to 0.7 A/cm2 for novel electrodes tested at pilot scale.
  • Gas purities: 65% and 20% HTO improvement at 30 barg with new cell assembly and novel membranes respectively (in comparison with commercial membranes).
  • Reaction time: few seconds at warm conditions with SoA power electronics.
  • CAPEX: below 600€/kW for installations of more than 6 MW.

The final design of the MW HP AWE has been achieved on the basis of the development, validation and demonstration of a HP AWE industrial prototype.

Thanks to the improvements in terms of dynamic electrolyser performance, new and potentially profitable business models are available to investors and operators of alkaline electrolyser in future. Potential exemptions from end-user prices for electricity such as RES surcharges or network charges can be significant for profitable electrolyser integration into power systems.

The works done in cell improvement, regarding novel cell assemblies, membranes and electrodes have contributed to increase the knowledge on capabilities for development of AWE. Some of the materials developed in the project could be upscaled and manufactured to match the market requirements.

The results on dynamic testing and protocols have contributed to the development of test designs, in order to establish the requirements for dynamic operation and AST for AWE providing grid balancing services.

The C&CS developed in ELYntegration to allow connectivity with grid operators is the basis to add features based on data analytics such as optimized operation (with energy efficiency and robustness criteria) or predictive maintenance which are demanded by electrolysis industry today.