WE DESIGN AND BUILD INDUSTRIAL ELECTROLYSIS SYSTEMS FOR HYDROGEN
WE PROVIDE TURNKEY SYSTEMS
for hydrogen production in various applications
OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
in the industry
In-house, state-of-the-art
research and development laboratory
How it works
The current energy supply issue
In the last few years, international demand for energy has increased disproportionately, helped by some short-sighted investments.
Is there now a way to produce energy with less environmental impact? How to counteract the massive emission of harmful gases?
Is there now a way to produce energy with less environmental impact?
Come contrastare l’enorme emissione di gas nocivi?
There is one answer: hydrogen. An energy vector that allows storage of energy produced from renewable sources. Currently, however, hydrogen is produced from petroleum derivatives, with methods that are increasingly damaging our planet.
But now, we are at the dawn of a new industrial revolution: that of green hydrogen, produced from renewable sources!
Green hydrogen is mainly produced by electrolysers, although this is still a niche industry.
Moreover, until now, Italian companies were forced to turn to foreign companies for the manufacture of large systems.
Electrolysers: a market on the rise
The global market for electrolysers is expected to grow about 600-fold in the next 10 years.
According to Global Market Insight’s estimate, the market value will rise from $165 million in 2019 to over $3.5 billion in 2026.
EU countries currently hold more than 60% of the global electrolysis production capacity.
Hydrogen is also part of the European Commission’s supranational agenda: the goal is to install at least 40 gigawatts of electrolysers and produce 10 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
[The different electrolysis solutions in use today]
AWE-PEM-AEM TECHNOLOGIES COMPARED
AWE
The technology longest in use in the industrial sector. The presence of an aggressive substance such as caustic soda or caustic potash makes it dangerous to use, maintain and dispose of.
It requires significant and costly maintenance and post-purification processes, amounting to 5-10% per year of the initial cost of the hydrogen generator. In the event of a failure involving stack replacement, an intervention will be required, resulting in days of inactivity.
PEM
PEM technology has, in the past, been used in chemical laboratories for analytical and research purposes. Today, it has started to catch the attention of other sectors because of the high purity of the hydrogen produced.
The advantage of PEM lies in the use of a membrane that functions not only as a separator of the two gases produced, hydrogen and oxygen, but also as an electrolyte, without using caustic substances. This ensures less hazardous use as well as protection for the environment. Routine maintenance is minimal.
AEM
AEM technology has the advantages of the two previous technologies (PEM and AWE). In fact, it uses traditional alkaline components that are cheaper, but its internal configuration is similar to that of PEM. The use of liquid electrolyte is not required. This technology is better, since the hydrogen produced does not require a gas drying-phase, nor intensive pre-treatment of the feed water.
Furthermore, it requires no routine maintenance. Stack replacement only takes a few hours.
H2 Energy srl is developing and building the world’s first stack with a capacity of 1 MW
TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE WATER ELECTROLYSIS
Technology type
AEM
AWE
PEM
Charge carrier
OH-
OH-
H+
Reagent
Water
Water
Water
Electrolyte
Anion exchange membrane
KOH 20-40 weight.%/water
Anion exchange membrane
Electrode
Ni, NiO, Co-based catalyst
Raney Ni; Fe, Co, Mn
Pt/C, IrO2
Current density
1.2-1.5 A/cm2
0.2-0.5 A/cm2
2.4-3.0 A/cm2
Temperature
40-50 °C
40-90 °C
20-80 °
H2 outlet pressure
10-30 bar
10-30 bar
10-30 bar
Cathodic reaction (hydrogen evolution reaction) (**)
2H2O (I) + 2e- ➝ H2(g) + 2HO-(aq)
2H2O (I) + 2e-➝ H2(g) + 2HO-(I)
2H+ (aq) + 2e- ➝ H2(g)
Anodic reaction (oxygen evolution reaction) (**)
2HO- (aq) ➝ H2O (I) + 1/2 O2 (g) + 2e-
2HO- (aq) ➝ H2O (I) + 1/2 O2 (g) + 2e-
H2O (I) ➝ 1/2 O2 (g) + 2H+ (aq) + 2e-
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LOW-TEMPERATURE WATER ELECTROLYSIS TECHNOLOGIES
AEM
AWE
PEM
High hydrogen pressure
X
X
High hydrogen purity
X
X
High hydrogen flow
X
X
Low purity of water used for the process
X
X
Possibility of using demineralised water such as iron or battery water
X
No caustic substances in the electrolyte
X
X
Low component costs
X
X
Low water content in the hydrogen produced
X
Low maintenance
X
X
H2 Energy relies on PEM and AEM electrolysis systems that are manufactured in Italy and based on Italian technology with 99.999% V purity of H2 and efficiency close to 80%, guaranteeing hydrogen production of 200 Nm3/h*MWe
Prestazioni impianto AEM
Potenza nominale [kW]
25
50
250
1000
3000
Produzione di idrogeno
[Nm3/h]
5
10
50
200
600
Produzione di idrogeno
[Kg/h]
0.45
0.90
4.50
17.97
53.93
Produzione ossigeno
[Nm3/h]
2.50
5
25
100
300
Consumo dello Stack [kWh/Nm3]
4,4
4,4
4,4
4,4
4,4
Consumo del sistema [kWh/Nm3]
6,5
6,1
6,0
5,0
4,8
Footprint
1x20ft
1x20ft
1x20ft
1x40ft
20x30m
Who are we?
Thanks to managers, engineers and researchers with over 20 years of experience in the industry, H2 Energy is able to produce multi-megawatt sized systems
- Alkali
- PEM
- AEM
CE certified, with increasingly innovative solutions that characterise our history and track record.
We are convinced that electrolysis technology, developed on a large scale, can be competitive from today, thanks to the continuous development and optimisation of chimneys and the rationalisation of implemented solutions.
At H2E, together with our partners, we are active in research and development and conceive high-temperature and high-pressure electrolysis systems:
SOEC proton-conducting ceramic systems at 500°C
High temperature and high pressure alkaline systems at 200/350°C
H2E provides turnkey solutions of hydrogen production systems for various applications: for blending in the natural gas grid, railway and automotive transport systems, steel production, port systems and various industrial and domestic uses to be studied together with customers.
We are proud to have been able to bring the best Italian realities and competences in the sector together. We use the excellence of our industry to grow as a leader, supporting the ecological transition at a European level and beyond.
We are convinced and proud of our work and look forward to a world that will abandon the use of fossil fuels. We have what it takes to be protagonists of this revolution!
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