By 2025, thyssenkrupp plans to further expand its technology leadership along the entire green chemicals value chain. This involves the series manufacturing of large-scale water electrolyzers (H2Giga), the production of synthetic fuels, green ammonia, green methanol and synthetic methane at sea (H2Mare), as well as hydrogen transport and conversion technologies such as ammonia cracking (TransHyDE). These flagship projects will bundle the expertise for hydrogen technologies in science, industry and civil society throughout Germany, thereby providing the initial spark for the development, conception and implementation of hydrogen solutions on an industrial scale.

Upscaling of water electrolysis to automated gigawatt series production

thyssenkrupp will be receiving almost € 8.5 MM in subsidies for the research and development of the large-scale production of alkaline water electrolysis (AWE). The aim, on one hand, is to take advantage of scaling effects in order to reduce the manufacturing costs. On the other hand, an expansion of the existing supply chain of 1 GW of electrolysis cells enables larger project volumes to be implemented, so that several gigawatt projects can be implemented at the same time each year.

"We have seen a significant shift in the project sizes towards several hundred megawatts to gigawatts in recent months, so that large-volume and automated series production is already in line with market demand today," said Martina Merz, Chairwoman of the Executive Board ofthyssenkrupp AG. "For these orders of magnitude, simple upscaling is not feasible, but disruptive approaches have to be applied, which are being developed, tested and optimized in individual steps within the framework of this project."

Offshore ammonia for direct shipment

The H2Mare flagship project is aimed at developing the production of hydrogen and downstream products such as synthetic fuels, methanol, ammonia and synthetic methane on the high seas. The power-to-X processes being worked on by thyssenkrupp comprise all three of the last-named products. The company will receive funding of € 780,000 in the H2Mare “PtX-Wind” project for the development of the fundamentals up to the engineering stage.

As offshore wind turbines supply significantly greater quantities and more regular power than their onshore counterparts, the direct generation of hydrogen and other power-to-X products holds great potential, since the CO₂ and nitrogen required in addition to water can be extracted directly from the air on site.

The production of green ammonia in particular can be decisive here, as its high energy density and simpler storage technology make ammonia the cheaper option in some applications compared to hydrogen, for example as a fuel for ships. In countries with a high potential for the production of hydrogen due to good supply of solar and wind power, for example Australia or Chile, green ammonia is superior to green hydrogen as an energy carrier that is destined for export. Since ammonia is transported by ship, transportation routes – and therefore costs – would be saved through direct offshore generation by coupling wind turbines with electrolyzers. Moreover, the offshore wind farm sizes make larger production volumes possible, which in turn reduces the selling prices and makes green ammonia more competitive as an energy carrier.

Research on hydrogen transport solutions

thyssenkrupp is also involved in the third flagship project, TransHyDE, and is considering the potential of the ammonia cracking process as an associated partner. Over long distances in particular, the transportation of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier is more profitable. After the transportation of green ammonia and its conversion back from liquid ammonia into its constituents hydrogen and nitrogen at locations where hydrogen is required, the hydrogen produced in this way can be put to direct use. Potential applications include, for example, its use in steelworks, as a green feed for chemical plants, or in fuel cells in order to be converted into electrical energy. With Uhde’s extensive experience in the field of ammonia synthesis, the research into the binding of green hydrogen in ammonia for transportation and its subsequent release demonstrates the innovative spirit and future viability of the established technology portfolio elements.