AMBARtec AG (Dresden), together with the EPC company Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden (UIT), has commissioned the first plant for the storage and transport of H₂ based on iron oxide using the H₂ Compact Storage (HyCS) process in the Saxon city of Freiberg.

The companies have implemented the demonstration for a H₂ storage that is in addition to its compactness extremely efficient and sustainable. The strongly reduced water requirement for H₂ production, the rapid storage and retrieval as well as the simple permitting procedures make the process very attractive.

Compact storage increases transportability

Compared to today’s storage technologies, AMBARtec’s HyCS process enables a much more compact storage and transport of energy and H₂. Up to 3 kWh of energy can be stored in one liter of storage material, whereas lithium-ion batteries currently only achieve 0.3 kWh/liter and liquid H₂ 2 kWh/liter.

The solution jointly implemented by UIT and AMBARtec makes the regional and international transport of H₂ significantly easier and more cost-effective. Beyond transport, the HyCS process can contribute to becoming less dependent on supra-regional electricity and gas supplies in times of rising energy prices in combination with photovoltaic systems and/or heat pumps.

Technology with a lot of potential

HyCS technology offers enormous potential for increasing the efficiency of electricity storage compared to known H₂-based solutions. Through clever integration with high-temperature electrolizers (SOEC) and fuel cells (SOFC), efficiencies of over 65% can be achieved, about twice as high as with established processes.

Constructive and trusting cooperation between the project partners

The innovative process was first developed into a very detailed technical concept by AMBARtec AG and then implemented by Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden. Thanks to the cooperation of the individual specialist departments, the planning details were clarified in a targeted manner and the project was completed on time.

AMBARtec company founders Uwe Pahl and Matthias Rudloff, supported by Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden, have reached a major milestone: with the commissioning, they have provided technical proof that their process, developed over many years, can also be operated in a real plant. "We have already implemented all the components, control loops and safety systems in this plant that are required in real customer facilities," said AMBARtec CTO Uwe Pahl. "After completing the test operation, we will systematically scale up the storage facility step by step over the next few months."

UIT Managing Director Lars Braun was also satisfied with the cooperation: "Together we have mastered this challenging project as project partners on an equal footing. Thanks to the constructive and trusting cooperation, we were able to react quickly to changing framework conditions. We are very satisfied with the completed plant in Freiberg. I would like to thank all UIT and AMBARtec employees for their excellent work."

Storage with a capacity of 250 kWh can be supplied by AMBARtec AG as early as mid-2023, while storage with 3,000 kWh will be available from the end of 2023. Planning for projects with the HyCS standard module in a 20-feet container with a storage capacity of 20,000 kWh can already be kicked off now.