Largest High-Temperature Electrolyser in GrInHy2 project achieves breakthrough
High-temperature electrolysis (HTE) is a promising technology to address the European Commission´s roadmap towards a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050.
GrInHy2.0 hydrogen project has achieved a technological breakthrough by demonstrating the high production efficiency of green hydrogen.
According to Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, for the first time, the electrolyser produced 200 Nm3 of green hydrogen per hour, where the project is able to prove an electrical efficiency of 84% el,LHV. This is a level of efficiency that no one else has achieved before. By comparison, electrolysis technologies such as Alkaline or PEM only reach efficiencies of around 60 % el, LHV.
The electrolyser runs at operating temperatures of 850 °C and uses waste heat from Salzgitter’s steel production processes. That is why the electrolyser requires much less electricity to produce hydrogen at a large scale than conventional technologies.
The high-temperature electrolyser was developed and manufactured by the German electrolysis company Sunfire. The electrolyser uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen-based on the innovative SOEC (solid oxide electrolysis cell) technology. As part of GrInHy2.0, the project finally demonstrated high efficiency on a megawatt scale.
Besides Salzgitter Flachstahl and Sunfire, the Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, SMS Group company Paul Wurth, Tenova and the French research center CEA are part of the GrInHy2.0 consortium.
As a proof-of-concept, the GrInHy project includes designing, manufacturing, and operating a reversible generator based on the Solid Oxide Cell technology in a relevant industrial environment. The project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (JU).
