Toray Industries, Inc., announced that subsidiary Greenerity GmbH has started expanding catalyst coated membrane (CCM) production capacity. These CCMs are key components of solid polymer electrolyte (PEM) water electrolyzers for green H₂ production. Greenerity develops, manufactures and sells components for H₂ fuel cells.

Greenerity will build a new third plant in Alzenau, Bavaria, where its headquarters are located. It will install facilities adding more than one gigawatt of water electrolyzer capacity. This move will triple CCM production capacity for these electrolyzers. The new facility is scheduled to go online in fall 2023. Greenerity is considering even further expansion.

Its second plant has been expanding facilities to make CCMs and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells in buses, trucks and other commercial vehicles and for H₂ fuel cell vehicles, including passenger cars. An MEA comprises a proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane, catalyst layer, and gas diffusion layers. This plant has started shipping these products to customers. At full capacity, that plant’s CCM and MEA output for fuel cells for passenger cars would also exceed one gigawatt. This would cover the needs of more than 10,000 of those vehicles.

Greenerity will leverage its industry leadership to keep reinforcing its stable supply system to cater to expanding market demand.

Green H₂ is made by electrolyzing water with electricity derived from such renewable energy sources as solar and wind power and has gathered attention as a path to carbon neutrality. Demand should surge in the coming years. Fuel cells are steadily gaining popularity in using H₂ and should enjoy significant growth down the track.

As a leading H₂ and fuel cell component manufacturer, Greenerity has contributed much to the global uptake of green H₂ and fuel cells. It draws on more than 20 years of experience, R&D, and production in this field.

The new expansion of CCMs for green H₂ production facilities and fuel cell CCMs and MEAs will meet customer demand worldwide and cement Greenerity’s top market position. The Toray Group has positioned H₂ and fuel cell materials as an important area for future growth. It is expanding this business by extensively allocating resources to that field.

As well as drawing on Greenerity’s CCM and MEA capabilities, Toray develops and manufactures an array of key materials for all aspects of H₂ production, transportation, storage and usage. Its offerings include hydrocarbon electrolyte membranes combining high proton conductivity and low gas permeability, high-strength carbon fiber and liner resins for high-pressure H₂ tanks, and carbon for electrode base materials and gas diffusion layers.

Toray will keep expanding its H₂ business by harnessing Group strengths in H₂-related technologies and materials. It will collaborate with leading partners domestically and abroad to build a global H₂ supply chain.

Under the Toray Group Sustainability Vision formulated in 2018, Toray committed to helping the world balance global greenhouse gas emissions and absorption by 2050. It also seeks to achieve carbon neutrality internally and for the economy overall by that year.

Toray will keep helping to materialize a carbon neutral economy by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in expanding its Green Innovation Business, which helps resolve environmental problems and resource and energy issues, while developing innovative technologies and advanced materials that help absorb greenhouse gases.