Hydrogen Digest for 2/14

Key Themes & Ideas:

1. International Collaboration and Partnerships: A strong emphasis on collaboration between companies across different countries and sectors is evident. This suggests a global approach to accelerating the hydrogen economy.

• Siemens, Guofu Hydrogen, and RCT GH Hydrogen (Germany/China): These companies are partnering to advance the hydrogen value chain, focusing on electrolyzer development, manufacturing, and hydrogen production plants. Quote: “This strategic partnership exemplifies Siemens’ commitment to driving the industrialization of green hydrogen production.”
• Fabrum and Christchurch Airport (New Zealand): Collaborating with other partners (Airbus, FFI, Air New Zealand, Hiringa Energy) to develop hydrogen testing facility, particularly for aviation.
• Kirin Brewery, Mitsubishi Corporation, et al (Japan): Joint project to convert fossil fuel use in brewery to green hydrogen.
• Hylium Industries and Element 1 Corp. (Oregon/Korea): Partnership for the assembly and commercialization of hydrogen generation technology in Asia.
• ACWA Power and Hysata (Australia/Saudi Arabia): Joint project to deploy commercial scale Hysata electrolysers in Saudi Arabia.

Electrolyzer Technology and Scaling: There’s a clear focus on developing and scaling up electrolyzer technology, a critical component in green hydrogen production.

• • Siemens/Guofu/RCT: Focus on developing and manufacturing efficient and scalable electrolyzer systems.
  • Accelera by Cummins and bp (Germany): Accelera will supply a 100 MW PEM electrolyzer system, capable of producing 11,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.
  • Hysata and ACWA Power: Partnership to deploy Hysata’s high-efficiency capillary-fed electrolysis technology in Saudi Arabia, aiming to make the Middle East a green hydrogen leader. Quote: “The Middle East offers all the ingredients to be a green hydrogen leader with low cost and abundant renewable capacity, ambitious hydrogen investments and attractive incentives for manufacturing.”
  • Element 1 Corp/Hylium: Collaboration on methanol-based hydrogen generators with a focus on diverse applications including liquid hydrogen for unmanned aircraft.

Hydrogen Infrastructure Development: Significant projects are underway to establish the infrastructure necessary to transport and utilize hydrogen.

• • H2Med Corridor (Europe): The “Call for Interest” demonstrated significant demand, with nearly 170 companies proposing over 500 projects. This confirms H2Med’s critical role in European decarbonization.
  • Orlen Project (Poland): A new facility for hydrogen production from renewable sources and the construction of refueling stations, with EU support, highlight the drive to establish localized supply chains.
  • Fabrum and Christchurch Airport: Developing infrastructure for liquid hydrogen availability for the aviation sector.

Diverse Applications of Hydrogen: The sources highlight the application of green hydrogen across various sectors, extending beyond traditional energy use.

• • Aviation: Fabrum’s facility, the hydrogen consortium in New Zealand highlights the movement towards zero-emission aviation powered by hydrogen.
  • Industrial Processes: The Kirin Brewery project showcases the use of green hydrogen-derived steam in manufacturing processes.
  • Transportation: Orlen’s project emphasizes the development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure for multiple transport modes. Quote: “Orlen plans to build an international network of over 100 hydrogen refueling stations spanning Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia…”
  • Smaller scale and diverse applications: Element 1 Corp and Hylium are focused on micro-scale and niche applications for hydrogen including for unmanned aircraft and micro-scale electricity grids.

Focus on Decarbonization: The underlying driver for all these developments is the commitment to decarbonize various sectors.

• Energy Transition: Siemens’ partnership aims to build a “sustainable hydrogen ecosystem” critical for the global energy transition.
• Zero-Emission Aviation: Fabrum’s project is explicitly focused on a zero-emission future for aviation.
• GHG Emission Reductions: The Kirin Brewery project is specifically intended to verify the effectiveness of GHG emission reductions.Financial Support: Governments and other entities are investing significantly into hydrogen projects.

• Orlen project: The project received $64M in EU funding.
• ACWA Power: Strong financial backing and capacity to rapidly deploy hydrogen infrastructure.

Key Facts and Figures:

• 100 MW: The size of the electrolyzer system Accelera is providing to bp in Germany.
• 11,000 tons: The annual green hydrogen production capacity of the bp/Accelera project.
• 170 Companies: Responded to the H2Med call for interest, submitting over 500 projects.
• 100+: The number of planned hydrogen refueling stations by Orlen by 2030.
• April 2025 – Scheduled start of construction for the Kirin Brewery project.
• June 2026 – Scheduled operation start date for the Kirin Brewery project.