Elogen to supply electrolyser for Germany’s SmartQuart project

Elogen has signed a contract with German energy company E.ON as a part of its SmartQuart project to supply a 1 MW electrolyser, a transformer, a compression unit and a hydrogen purification unit, H2 Bulletin reports.

Elogen, which designs and assembles electrolysers to produce green hydrogen, is a subsidiary of GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz). GTT is a technology and engineering company specialising in the design of membrane containment systems for the transport and storage of liquefied gas.

The electrolyser will be delivered to the Kaisersesch site in Germany and commissioned in the second half of 2022 to produce green hydrogen. The containerised electrolyser will have a production capacity of 200 m3 of hydrogen per hour and will be integrated into a transformer, a compression unit and a hydrogen purification unit. The purification unit will be developed by the Elogen in Les Ulis, France, and will achieve a purity level of 99.999%.

SmartQuart is a part of the ‘Reallabore der Energiewende’ program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany. The ministry is investing over € 60 million (US$ 72 million) in the SmartQuart project, and it involves ten partners lead by E.ON. The project aims to transform energy consumption in three districts of the German cities of Essen, Bedburg and Kaisersesch by 2024.

Jean-Baptiste Choimet, MD of Elogen, said, “SmartQuart is a formidable laboratory for the energy of the future and sets an example on a European scale.”

Dr Stefan Stollenwerk, E.ON, lead project manager of the project, said, “To achieve a fully operational hydrogen market, we need local microgrids to grow together. The project SmartQuart Kaisersesch takes the first step.”

In Kaisersesch, electricity from renewable sources is first converted into hydrogen in power-to-gas systems. This can then to supplied to local buses or be used to generate heat via a microgrid. The project involves a new type of coupling of electrolysis, municipal sewage treatment plant, heat and electricity consumers and mobility applications. First, renewable energy is to be integrated into the energy system and then supply to a hydrogen-powered bus fleet for regional public transport.