Hynamics has signed an agreement to collaborate with ABB to test the ABB Ability OPTIMAX for green H₂ energy management system (EMS), which was launched to market in November 2022, across Hynamics’ plants to help optimize electrical costs of H₂ production by up to 16%, according to ABB modeling.

To optimize production costs for low carbon and renewable H₂, the performance of the electrolyzer process—which uses electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules into H₂ and oxygen—can be improved. ABB Ability OPTIMAX supports this by serving every aspect of a H₂ plant lifecycle, from simulation at design and engineering phases to real-time monitoring of energy consumption when in operation. ABB Ability OPTIMAX is already available for five other industrial applications.

The system provides data which can help determine optimal energy consumption levels required to produce H₂ and minimize waste. The tool considers, among other things, the variability of electricity prices, asset availability and other associated factors.

The companies have agreed to share respective resources to determine the compatibility of their solutions. ABB Ability OPTIMAX for green H₂ EMS will be deployed at Auxerre, Hynamics’ first production and distribution site in Northern Burgundy, approximately 170 km southeast of Paris. The 1-MW H₂ station for the urban community will supply five buses of the Leo network (Transdev), as well as light commercial vehicles and trucks, removing 2,200 tpy of CO₂ emissions from the road.

“With complementary areas of expertise, the cooperation between ABB and Hynamics will enable us to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen projects on an industrial scale,” said Christelle Rouillé, General Manager of Hynamics. “The integration of ABB's world-class power management system is a necessary step to improve the performance of the water electrolysis process and thus optimize the cost of hydrogen production.”

“We have recently pioneered our ABB Ability OPTIMAX system specifically for green H₂ to help production companies overcome the challenges of electrolysis in the way of high costs and energy intensive processes,” said Bruno Roche, Global Head of Energy Transition at ABB. “This first deployment of our EMS for green H₂ is significant and hopefully the first of many if we are to achieve our collective goal of building a resilient global H₂ ecosystem for a clean energy future.”

The scope of the agreement also includes the deployment of the cloud for the EMS at the Hynamics operation control center, potential performance and reliability tests carried out by EDF and deployment on further Hynamics production sites in 2023.