First successful tests for Power-to-hydrogen-to-Power
ENGIE Solutions, Siemens Energy, Centrax, Arttic, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and four European universities, united in the consortiumHyflexpower, announce today the success of the first stage of their demonstrator, an innovative research project on renewable energies. Located on the stationery siteSmurfit KappaSaillat in Saillat-sur-Vienne (France), this program becomes the first industrial site in the world to introduce an integrated hydrogen demonstrator.
The objective of the HYFLEXPOWER project is to clearly demonstrate that green hydrogen can serve as a flexible means of energy storage which can then be used to power a high power industrial turbine. The hydrogen is produced on site with an electrolyzer and used in a gas turbine with a mixture of 30% hydrogen and 70% natural gas by volume for the production of electricity.
The project marks the implementation of the world’s first industrial-scale Power-to-H2-to-Power demonstration with a state-of-the-art high-hydrogen turbine. In 2023, tests will continue to increase the hydrogen rate to 100%. While the availability of green hydrogen is still a long way off, consortium members are focused on visioning beyond 2030 and experimenting with new technologies, such as hydrogen, today. This project will allow partners to understand the technical feasibility of using hydrogen while preserving much of the existing energy infrastructure. The success of this demonstrator would open important prospects for the industry.
This highly innovative project involves significant collaboration between several industries, academic bodies and research institutes . The project is inspired by the European Commission (EC) report “A Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate Neutral Europe”, which outlines the key role that hydrogen will play in the carbon neutral initiative and energy transition of the European Green Deal . The stakeholders involved in the project are ENGIE Solutions, Siemens Energy,
The project, first announced in 2020, involves significant funding from the European Commission , with two-thirds of the €15.2 million investment coming from the EU ‘s Horizon 2020 research and innovation framework program. EU* . The next tests of the HYFLEXPOWER project are scheduled for the summer of 2023.
Gael Carayon Project Director at ENGIE Solutions, said, “Ambitious projects like this require taking partnerships to the next level and being united in a common mission to make decarbonization a reality. Hydrogen will play a crucial role in the interaction between renewable energy and electricity storage and generation. ENGIE Solutions is proud to participate in this unique project.”
Dr. Ertan Yilmaz Global Director HYFLEXPOWER at Siemens Energy, said, “With the HYFLEXPOWER project, we show that a carbon-neutral and reliable power supply is possible, even for energy-intensive industries. Hydrogen-ready turbines will play a decisive role in climate-neutral energy. It is therefore very exciting to look forward to the next phase of testing.”
