New Energies, new possibilities

Battolyser Systems, the Dutch manufacturer of an electrolyser with battery functionality, has raised €30 million in Series A funding from Global Cleantech Capital, Innovation Industries, and Invest-NL. The company will use the funding to scale its operations and bring its next-generation electrolyser to market in 2025.

The Battolyser® technology can switch on and off in response to intermittent renewable energy. With 100% flexibility, it unlocks new business models, reducing the cost of green hydrogen, and alleviates grid congestion. The next-generation Battolyser will be available as a 2.5-MW plug-and-play skid and 5-MW modules, integrated with a balance of plant on site.

Mattijs Slee, CEO of Battolyser Systems, said: “Over the last year we scaled our technology from a successful industrial pilot at RWE’s Magnum power plant in Eemshaven, The Netherlands, to a MW-scale demonstration unit. We are proud to receive the continuous support of our existing investors with deep cleantech expertise whilst adding Invest-NL, the Dutch National Promotional Institution, which plays a crucial role in the Dutch energy transition.”

Global Cleantech Capital and Innovation Industries completed the first close of the Series A round of €15 million in July 2023, further increasing their investment with a second close of an additional €15 million alongside Invest-NL in September 2024.

The Series A funding complements the €40 million financing agreement signed with the European Investment Bank (EIB) in October 2023. Battolyser Systems was the first Dutch climate tech scale-up to receive investment from the EIB. The Series A and EIB funding will significantly contribute to the financing of Battolyser Systems’ large-scale manufacturing facility, which will be located in the Rotterdam port area.

Reda Atibi, Investment Manager at Invest-NL, said: “We believe that Battolyser Systems’ unique alkaline electrolyser with battery functionality has incomparable characteristics that will contribute to the transition from grey to green hydrogen markets. Our investment in Battolyser Systems is a strategic step in our mission to accelerate the energy transition in the Netherlands and support clean technologies that contribute to a future-proof economy. We look forward to working with Battolyser Systems to accelerate their growth and mission.”

Paul Kloppenborg, CEO of Global Cleantech Capital, said: “The Battolyser unlocks the full potential of renewable energy and maximizing hydrogen production asset performance by rapidly adjusting to volatile and increasingly frequent negative power prices. This flexibility is a key solution to decarbonize industry, but also to produce off-grid fuels. We are excited to see their commercial deployment next year and the growth that will follow.”

Nard Sintenie, General Partner, Innovation Industries, said: “The patented nickel-iron Battolyser technology has fundamental advantages. It is inherently robust, 100% flexible, and has industry-leading efficiencies. We believe the company is well positioned to win in most sectors of the large hydrogen addressable market.”

Source: Hydrogentechworld

Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub orders electrolyser from Siemens Energy

Electrolysis plant on site of former Moorburg coal-fired power plant – construction from 2025

The Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub (HGHH), consisting of the Luxcara asset manager and Hamburger Energiewerke, has commissioned Siemens Energy to supply and install a 100-megawatt electrolyser on the site of the former Moorburg coal-fired power plant. This comes after Robert Habeck, Germany’s Minister for Economics, handed over funding decisions on Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) worth over EUR 250 million in August.

Christoph Cosler, Head of Corporate Development at Hamburger Energiewerke said

“The order for the electrolyser is a milestone in our project,”

“After all the preparatory work, we are now moving on to the actual implementation. Construction of the electrolyser, which will be the main part of the hydrogen site, will start next year.” This will be based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, which is particularly well suited to operating renewable energies. Water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity along a membrane. The electrolyser is scheduled to go into operation in 2027. Around 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen could then be produced in Moorburg every year.

Hydrogen will be supplied via the HH-WIN network and a lorry-loading station. The HGHH consortium aims to attract companies from a range of industries and is currently in negotiations. The large-scale hydrogen project is another important step in the ramp-up of the European hydrogen sector, according to Alexey Ustinov, Head of Sustainable Energy Systems at Siemens Energy. “The energy transition will not succeed without green molecules,” he added.

Source: Hydrogencentral

Germany should push domestic green hydrogen production as import quantities ‘uncertain’ – researchers

Germany should push domestic green hydrogen production as import quantities ‘uncertain’ – researchers

Clean Energy Wire

Germany is betting big on green hydrogen imports but the country should strengthen its own production as well because it is “uncertain” where those imports will come from in relevant quantities by 2030, researchers have warned. Environmental think tank Wuppertal Institute said in a report that production targets in European countries lag behind Germany’s, adding that many states are also focusing on ramping up hydrogen production for domestic demand. Spain is among the most advanced when it comes to hydrogen projects but will also initially focus on local needs, the researchers noted. Europe’s existing hydrogen production sites and those with a definite investment decision currently amount to 2.5 gigawatts, just 6 percent of the EU’s 2030 target. Imports from global “sweet spots” with high renewables potential, such as Namibia and Saudi Arabia, will only make a small initial contribution to Germany’s hydrogen supply, stated the report.

According to the government’s 2030 hydrogen import strategy, it expects imports will cover 50 to 70 percent of demand for the fuel, seen as a key technology to decarbonise sectors where electrification is not an option, such as in parts of industrial manufacturing or in chemical production. Wuppertal Institute president Manfred Fischedick said Germany needed “more in-house production” of hydrogen, while at the same time bolstering global alliances. He called for an increase of cooperation in Europe to expand the H2 economy.

In 2023, Namibia commissioned a 10-billion-dollar green hydrogen project – Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest – in conjunction with German investors. The country is hosting a major hydrogen summit this week.

Source: Hydrogencentral

bp and Iberdrola announce final investment decision for largest green hydrogen plant in Spain

bp and Iberdrola announce final investment decision for largest green hydrogen plant in Spain

bp and Iberdrola have given the green light for construction of a 25 MW green hydrogen project at bp’s Castellón refinery which is expected to be operational in second half of 2026. This is the first hydrogen project jointly undertaken by bp and Iberdrola through Castellón Green Hydrogen S.L., a joint venture equally owned by both companies. The project was presented at an official event to publicly celebrate the signing in July 2024 of the final investment decision between bp and Iberdrola.

This initiative, which includes the participation of the Technology Institute of Energy (ITE), has been awarded funding of 15 million euros from the Innovative Value Chain and Renewable Hydrogen Knowledge call of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, with funding allocated by NextGenerationEU of the European Union.

Felipe Arbelaez, bp’s senior vice president, hydrogen & CCS

“bp’s first investment decision for an industrial scale project is an important step forward for our hydrogen business.

We are focused on value, progressing only the best projects in our portfolio that can create additional value through integration and fully meet our investment hurdles. This also demonstrates the strength of partners combining their strengths to advance a nascent energy source that has the potential to play meaningful role in decarbonising industry. Castellón refinery can lead the way with its transformation.”

Millán Garcia-Tola, Global Director of Hydrogen in Iberdrola said “this partnership with bp and our project is another step in Iberdrola’s firm and real commitment to promote green hydrogen as a key vector for industrial decarbonization. The plant will convert 200 GWh/yr of Iberdrola’s renewable energy into green hydrogen that will contribute to bp’s decarbonization strategy, in another example of close collaboration between both companies, reliable partners that share values as long term decarbonization commitment. Iberdrola will apply all the experience of its existing green hydrogen plants to optimize and accelerate the development of this project”.

Olvido Moraleda, President of bp Energía España said .

“This project marks a milestone in our strategy and reflects the importance of collaboration, both with other companies that share our vision, such as Iberdrola, and in the public-private sphere.

In this way, we not only advance the transformation of our infrastructure in Castellón, but also aim to strengthen the economic fabric and industrial capacity of the entire Valencia region,”

Mario Ruiz-Tagle, CEO of Iberdrola Spain, highlighted that this project is

“another example of our strategic alliance with bp, uniting us to lead the future of renewable hydrogen in the Valencian region.

Projects like Castellón show that, with the collaboration of all agents in the sector and the appropriate incentives, it is possible to develop a new industrial model based on the green hydrogen value chain. The green hydrogen economy is emissions free, electrified, attracts investment and creates quality jobs in the region. This is the true energy transition. We continue to work with committed partners to position Spain as a technological benchmark, boosting the creation of a green hydrogen industry in Europe.”

The 25 MW electrolyzer will be powered by renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Iberdrola that will supply 200GWh/year coming from Iberdrola’s photovoltaic and wind projects. The electrolyzer will include 5 modules of 5 MW containerized proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, which will be supplied by Plug Power, a leading manufacturer of green hydrogen solutions. The green hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water powered by renewable electricity will comply with European requirements to produce green hydrogen (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin, RFNBO) and will support the transition of bp’s Castellón refinery into an integrated energy hub. It’s expected around 2,800 annual tons of green hydrogen could substitute part of the grey hydrogen currently used by the refinery – currently produced from natural gas – and as such is expected to result in avoiding the emission of 23,000 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions of 5,000 cars over the same period. This plant could create up to 500 new direct jobs during its construction.

In parallel to this initial 25 MW project, bp continues to assess opportunities to increase capacity in the coming years. In subsequent phases of the project, the green hydrogen produced could also be used in key hard-to-abate industries in the Valencia region, such as the ceramics sector replacing natural gas used in its processes, in chemical industries and in heavy transport.

The launch of this project has been announced just weeks after bp signed a letter of intent with the Valencian Government to reinforce the region’s position as a leader in the energy transition. The letter has materialized in the creation of a joint working committee that will serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration between both parties and will oversee the transformation of bp’s refinery in Castellón into an integrated energy hub.

In recent months, Iberdrola has closed several long-term alliances to promote the decarbonisation of the economy. Further to the joint venture with bp to accelerate the electric mobility in Spain and Portugal, Iberdrola has entered into a number of long-term partnerships with Norges Bank Investment Management, Masdar, Mapfre and Energy Infrastructure Partners to further advance the development of renewable energy, and with GIC to expand transmission networks in Brazil.

Source: Hydrogencentral

Sunfire awarded contract for 100-MW electrolyzer at RWE’s hydrogen site in Lingen

Sunfire has been awarded a contract for a 100-MW alkaline electrolyzer at RWE’s hydrogen site in Lingen, Germany. The order comes a few days after RWE’s final investment decision for its largest hydrogen project to date, which is scheduled to begin operation by the end of 2027.

Sunfire will supply RWE with 10 modules of its pressurized alkaline technology, each with a 10-MW capacity. The electrolyzer will provide one-third of the total production capacity as part of the third construction phase, which will bring RWE’s plant to 300 MW. Additionally, Sunfire will oversee the installation and commissioning of the 100-MW electrolyzer. The plant will produce up to two tons of green hydrogen per hour, primarily serving industrial customers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dr. Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen of RWE Generation, commented: “After Sunfire has already provided an electrolyzer for our pilot plant in Lingen, we are looking forward to continuing this collaboration as part of the GET H2 nucleus project. With Sunfire’s electrolyzer, the GET H2 Nukleus will reach its full production capacity in 2027. At the same time, we are expanding our technology portfolio with an alkaline electrolyzer in the three-digit megawatt range.”

Source:  Hydrogentechworld