German energy company Uniper and thyssenkrupp Uhde, a compatriot engineering company in the construction of chemical plants, have teamed up to convert imported ammonia into hydrogen on an industrial scale.
The companies on Tuesday unveiled a strategic partnership to bring the large-scale ammonia cracker, a key technology for global hydrogen trading, to industrial maturity. The two will develop a demonstration plant with a capacity of 28 tonnes of ammonia per day, which will be one of the first of its kind globally. The plant will be built at Uniper’s Gelsenkirchen-Scholven site in Germany and will act as a stepping stone toward the planned hydrogen import terminal in Wilhelmshaven, northwestern Germany.
Holger Kreetz, COO of Uniper, said that Uniper is committed to establishing hydrogen as an important component of the future energy mix and noted that to meet its future hydrogen needs, Germany is dependent on imports.
“With the ammonia cracker in Scholven, we’re laying the groundwork to trade hydrogen internationally and making it available across industries,” Kreetz added.
“Uniper’s position as a leader in the energy markets and experienced asset operator, combined with our proven track record as a global leader in ammonia technology and large-scale plant delivery, forms a strong foundation for success,” commented Nadja Hakansson, CEO of thyssenkrupp Uhde.
The project is supported by funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with both companies also investing significant funds.
Construction of the demo cracker has started, and commissioning is slated for the end of 2026.
Opening the door to mass production of green hydrogen using natural sunlight
The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), under the National Research Council of Science & Technology, has developed a technology that stably generates high photocurrent under natural sunlight to efficiently produce hydrogen.
By simplifying previously complex multi-step processes, this advancement drastically reduces fabrication time and is expected to accelerate the commercialization of solar-powered hydrogen production technologies.
The research team led by Dr. Jihye Lee, a principal researcher and head of the Nano-lithography & Manufacturing Research Center at KIMM’s Nano-convergence Manufacturing Research Division, has developed a technique to enhance the productivity of BiVO4(bismuth vanadate) photoelectrodes, thereby maximizing hydrogen production.
BiVO4is a metal oxide recognized as a key material for solar water-splitting systems due to its high light absorption and solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency.
Previously, BiVO4precursor solutions could only be prepared at concentrations up to 100 mM. This limitation necessitated over eight repetitions of spin-coating and heat-treatment steps to form high-performance thin films, which significantly slowed the process and increased material consumption, resulting in low productivity.
To overcome these limitations, the research team developed a high-concentration BiVO4precursor solution by optimally mixing acetylacetone,acetic acid, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). With this new solution, a one-step spin coating is sufficient to produce uniform and high-performance BiVO4thin films, improving overall productivity by approximately 5.9 times compared to conventional methods.
Furthermore, the team fabricated a large-area 144 cm2photoelectrode and connected four of them to create a 576 cm2ultra-large electrode system.
Notably, by linking this system in parallel with Sisolar cells, they succeeded in producing hydrogen using only natural sunlight, without any external power source. This system generated stable and high photocurrents even under natural sunlight, thus significantly improving theeconomic viabilityand efficiency of eco-friendly hydrogen production and enhancing the prospects for commercialization.
Dr. JihyeLee stated,
This research represents a breakthrough in the fabrication efficiency and productivity of large-area photoelectrodes through the development of a high-concentration BiVO4precursor solution.
“We expect it will contribute to accelerating the transition tosustainable energyand the commercialization of greenhydrogenproduction.”
The research team has filed for domestic and PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patents based on this technology.
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Opening the door to mass production of green hydrogen using natural sunlight
thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS open First SOEC Pilot Production Plant for Stacks for the Production of Green Hydrogen
Important milestone on the road to commercial and large-scale industrial use of highly innovative SOEC electrolysis for decarbonizing industry
Significant cost advantage in certain areas of application thanks to high efficiency of high-temperature electrolysis technology (SOEC)
Strengthening of thyssenkrupp nucera’s hydrogen technology portfolio for industrial applications with SOEC as the perfect complement to existing AWE technology
Arnstadt/Dortmund -- thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS opened the first SOEC pilot production plant for electrolysis stacks on May 27 in Arnstadt, Thuringia, in the presence of high-ranking representatives from science, politics, and industry. The event was also attended by the Minister President of the State of Thuringia, Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt. With the commissioning of the pilot production plant, the strategic partnership between Fraunhofer IKTS and thyssenkrupp nucera for the development of high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) is entering the next phase as planned.
In March 2024, the renowned research institute and the world’s leading supplier of highly efficient electrolysis technology for the production of green hydrogen in Arnstadt signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the development of the next-generation SOEC electrolyzer. Building on the development work carried out by Fraunhofer IKTS, thyssenkrupp nucera will now work with Fraunhofer IKTS to advance SOEC technology for the manufacture of stacks for the production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale. With high-temperature electrolysis, thyssenkrupp nucera is strengthening its hydrogen technology portfolio for industrial applications.
The electrolysis stacks are manufactured in the pilot production plant designed and built by Fraunhofer IKTS. The SOEC pilot plant initially produces stacks in small quantities and has a target production capacity of 8 megawatts per year. These stacks are the heart of the future SOEC electrolyzers from thyssenkrupp nucera.
SOEC stack technology is based on an oxygen-conducting ceramic electrolyte substrate with two electrodes, which are assembled together with coupling elements, the chromium-iron (CF) interconnectors, on several layers to form the stack. CF-based SOEC technology guarantees high corrosion resistance, optimized thermal cycle performance, and high long-term stability with regard to temperature cycling. In addition, stack technology requires only a small number of components and occupies a leading position compared to designs currently available on the global market. The SOEC cell design is also well suited for the desired highly automated series production. Thanks to the large-scale industrial and highly automated series production planned for the future, the high-temperature electrolyzer can also be manufactured at competitive costs.
With innovative high-temperature electrolysis, companies will be able to produce green hydrogen highly efficiently in the future. SOEC electrolysis ensures high efficiency because less electrical energy is required to split water vapor at high temperatures. When commercial high-temperature electrolysis is used in processes that generate large amounts of waste heat, such as in the steel industry, electricity consumption can be reduced by 20% to 30% compared to other technologies.
In addition, SOEC technology offers the major advantage of utilizing industrial CO2 as a raw material and converting it into green synthesis gas together with green hydrogen. This in turn can be used to produce sustainable chemical feedstocks and e-fuels—a unique selling point with enormous potential for the energy transition.
“The outstanding properties of SOEC technology have prompted us to work with our strategic partner Fraunhofer IKTS to develop high-temperature electrolysis to market maturity. We are convinced of the advantages of this electrolysis technology for the production of green hydrogen. It will play a central role in a new, climate-friendly energy mix,” says Dr. Werner Ponikwar, CEO of thyssenkrupp nucera.
“By integrating SOEC technology into industrial waste heat sources or directly generating synthesis gas from water and CO2, companies can maximize the efficiency of green hydrogen production and effectively implement their decarbonization strategy. These unique advantages make SOEC technology a real game changer,” says Professor Alexander Michaelis, Director of Fraunhofer IKTS.
The operation of the pilot production plant will generate the necessary experience that will be incorporated into the construction of a fully automated, large-scale industrial SOEC production plant for high-performance stacks.
