Orders from four Italian companies for a total of 5.5 MW
AEM technology prevails: Several MW of Enapter electrolyzers will now be used in 10 of the 52 “Hydrogen Valleys” in Italy
Hamburg,-- Enapter AG (ISIN: DE000A255G02) continues to expand its business activities in the fast-growing Italian hydrogen growth market as planned. Enapter has received an order for a total of 2.5 Megawatt (MW) from a chemical and medical company operating in Italy. The company is planning to build a hydrogen production plant for refueling and industrial applications. Enapter's AEM Multicore-Electrolyzers for the production of green hydrogen will play a key role in this. In addition, the three companies SOL S.p.A., Grastim JV S.r.l. and Magic Motor Sport S.r.l. have each placed orders for a 1 MW electrolyzer AEM Nexus 1000. These are to be used as part of the state sponsored“Hydrogen Valley” initiative in Italy. In the meantime, more than 17 Enapter Multicore-Electrolyzers have been ordered by 10 different companies from the 52 “Hydrogen Valleys” in Italy. Enapter continues to see very good growth opportunities in Italy as part of this hydrogen initiative and expects to realize further projects and acquire new customers in the coming months.
SOL, a leading supplier of technical and medical gases with an annual turnover in the billions of euros, will use the AEM Nexus in a refueling system for hydrogen vehicles powered by green electricity. The energy company Grastim is planning to build a green hydrogen production plant for various industrial purposes. Magic Motor Sport, a manufacturer of high-performance mechatronic solutions, will use it to feed test benches for technology development of automotive components.
The total volume of these orders amounts to a low eight-digit sum.
Dr. Jürgen Laakmann, CEO Enapter AG: “We are delighted with these new customers, which represent a broad range of applications for green hydrogen. The future-proof scalability of our systems and the high flexibility and efficiency of hydrogen production using renewable energy sources such as solar plants, that generate electricity unevenly were convincing. Our order backlog is very well filled and continues to grow dynamically. This makes us very confident about our development in 2025 and beyond.”
About Enapter
Enapter is the market leader in AEM electrolyzers - innovative devices that produce green hydrogen. The company's patented and proven anion exchange membrane (AEM) technology eliminates the need for expensive and rare raw materials such as iridium and enables maximum yield from fluctuating renewable energies such as solar and wind through a unique modular design, resulting in highly efficient production of green hydrogen. Thousands of Enapter AEM electrolyzers are already in use at around 360 customers in more than 55 countries in the fields of energy storage, industrial applications, refueling, power-to-X and research. The Enapter Group is headquartered in Germany and has a research and production site in Italy.
Enapter AG (H2O) is listed on the regulated market of the Frankfurt and Hamburg stock exchanges, ISIN: DE000A255G02.
NewHydrogen, the developer of ThermoLoop™, a new technology that uses water and heat rather than electricity to produce low-cost green hydrogen, has revealed the details behind its approach to water splitting. “We believe ThermoLoop will be a game changer compared to conventional low-performance electrolyzer technology,” said NewHydrogen CEO Steve Hill. “ThermoLoop can be configured as a drop-in replacement for electrolyzers, making them obsolete. Simply put, we believe that ThermoLoop will be an electrolyzer killer.”
Mr. Hill continued: “Using heat, rather than electricity, is simply a better way to split water to make green hydrogen. Heat is cheap. It can be found everywhere, including concentrated solar, nuclear reactors, and waste heat from industrial plants, such as oil refineries and cement and steel manufacturing plants. Heat-based systems are more scalable and have the potential to be cheaper than electrolyzer systems.”
The challenge Scientists have long been researching efficient methods to use heat for water splitting. One of the main challenges in developing a heat-based system is the temperature mismatch between the different chemical reactions involved. The reaction that extracts hydrogen from water typically occurs at a lower temperature, while the reaction that extracts oxygen requires a higher temperature. During the heating and cooling phases, hydrogen production pauses, leading to energy losses and reduced efficiency.
The approach NewHydrogen is developing a method to use heat for water splitting that enables all reactions to occur at nearly the same temperature. These reactions are known as near-isothermal reactions, and the process is referred to as thermochemical water splitting.
To achieve near-isothermal reactions, NewHydrogen is designing novel materials and chemical processes. By bringing the first reaction temperature closer to the second, system downtime is reduced. The ThermoLoop system requires only minor heating and cooling adjustments, allowing hydrogen production to continue with minimal interruptions. According to the company, this approach improves overall efficiency.
NewHydrogen is utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to explore the periodic table and systematically test combinations of different elements. The goal is to identify materials with the optimal properties needed to facilitate scalable isothermal reactions.
The technology The California-based company has developed a series of chemical reactions that leverage the phase change properties of its novel material, transitioning between solid, liquid, and gas states before returning to solid. This phase change helps reduce the temperature difference between reactions, which, according to NewHydrogen, is a key factor in enabling near-isothermal reactions for the continuous production of hydrogen from water.
The company integrates these advancements into ThermoLoop, a thermochemical water-splitting system designed for scalability. According to NewHydrogen, this approach has the potential to ‘produce the world’s cheapest green hydrogen.’
Mr. Hill concluded: “ThermoLoop is agnostic to the sources of heat and water. If we simply couple ThermoLoop with any available source of heat and water, we can create an incredibly efficient, low-cost, clean and green hydrogen production machine – anywhere, anytime. What if heat is hard to get? No problem. Because the thermodynamics of heat systems are more efficient and scalable than electrolyzer systems, we believe we can convert electricity to heat to run ThermoLoop and still outperform electrolyzers.”
Quest One (formerly H-TEC Systems) says 'entire industry' is suffering the economic effects — and that it is no exception
German PEM electrolyser maker Quest One — known as H-Tec Systems until last August — is set to reduce its workforce by around 120 jobs due to “an overall tense economic situation” resulting from a slower-than-expected ramp-up of the green hydrogen industry.
The Augsburg-based company — which operates a 5GW factory in Hamburg — is saying that its “program to strengthen the company’s competitiveness... “will focus on significant cost reductions... [that will] align internal capacities with the current market situation”.
“The market environment will remain challenging for the foreseeable future,” said CEO Michael Meister, who only began his role on 1 February.“So far, the growth of the global hydrogen economy has lagged well behind the industry’s expectations and the planned steps of the German and European hydrogen strategies. The entire industry cannot escape the resulting economic effects, and Quest One is no exception. We have to act and to take difficult decisions.”
Other European electrolyser makers are also struggling. Norway’s Nel has temporarily paused production at its 1GW electrolyser factor, while French OEM Elogen has halted construction on its own gigafactory in France.“With the program, we are actively strengthening Quest One's ability to react to fluctuations in the market. We are convinced of the success of the hydrogen economy and electrolysis industry. There is no getting around green hydrogen for the decarbonization of industry.” The reduction of about 120 jobs is part of an optimisation process to increase efficiency within the company, and will affect staff at its Augsburg headquarters and Hamburg factory, which was opened by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last September.
“This job reduction should be carried our without redundancies, if possible,” the company stated.
“The program will create the framework conditions for greater customer proximity, stronger competitiveness and more profitable growth. The company simplifies procedures, structures and processes. Quest One expects savings in the low to mid double-digit million range.”
Chief financial officer Markus Weber added: “Through the resulting focus, Quest One will emerge stronger and better equipped to face the challenges of the market.”
