A new electrolyser developed by the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences will help store surplus renewable energy in the form of hydrogen. In a press release announcing the breakthrough, the institute said the new machine is faster than similar electrolysers that are commercially produced.
The institute is currently seeking a commercial partner to start producing it.
“The advantages of the new electrolyser include unrivalled fast start-up, low installation costs, scalable modular design, and energy-efficient use of the power source,” said Vladislav Drinek, one of the creators of the electrolyser from the institute. “High flexibility and fast response to power surpluses in the power grid are a must.”
An electrolyser is a device which receives electricity, and breaks down water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen gas is then collected as a clean source of energy. If the electricity comes from renewable energy sources, the resulting product is called green hydrogen. This form of energy is expected to play an increasing role in the decarbonisation of industry and transport.
The new electrolyser can deliver hydrogen at full power in less than three minutes from start-up. It uses an ion-selective membrane, which experts say plays a role in maintaining grid stability. “This membrane, developed and produced in the Czech Republic, allows for the fast start-up of electrolysis,” Drinek said. “This is crucial for maintaining grid stability and the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power plants at times when they supply excess energy to the grid.” The technology should also reduce the carbon footprint.
The new electrolyser is designed primarily for energy companies and industrial enterprises looking to reduce their carbon footprint and their energy costs. “It is also designed for all organisations and businesses that want to contribute to environmental protection and use advanced technologies for sustainability,” said Drinek.
The Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals has already filed international patent applications to protect the results of their research.
The scientists are now looking for a partner to either buy the licence or co-found a company with them to develop the technology further. The inventors are considering companies specialising in energy technology and industrial applications as possible partners.
In the Czech Republic, hydrogen electrolysers are produced by Solar Global, for example. Last autumn, this company put into operation the first industrial electrolyser in the Czech Republic for the production of green hydrogen, in Napajedla, South Moravia. The electrolyser produces 8,000 kilograms of emission-free hydrogen per year, which allows a passenger car to travel 800,000 kilometres or a hydrogen bus to go for 80,000 kilometres.
