The GET H2 TransHyDE joint project based in Lingen has reached an important milestone: H₂ was produced for the first time on the site of the RWE gas-fired power plant in Emsland (KEM) using a high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) from Sunfire. The electrolyzer, with an output of 250 kilowatts (kW), is part of a test facility at which nine project partners are investigating how H₂ can be safely and reliably transported and stored through pipelines.

The electrolyzer, which is installed in an overseas container, can produce around 170 kg/d of H₂ at full load. A day’s production would theoretically be enough to power a car with a fuel cell engine for 17,000 kilometers. However, the H₂ from the 250-kW plant in Lingen is needed for research purposes. It will be fed into a 130-meter-long test line (loop) as part of the GET H2 TransHyDE research project, where companies and research institutes are developing technologies for the optimal use of H₂.

Sopna Sury, COO H₂ at RWE Generation said, “With the commissioning of this first electrolyzer, RWE has officially started to produce H₂ in Lingen. These 250 kilowatts of electrolysis capacity for the GET H2 TransHyDE research project are an important first step for us, and it will quickly be followed by others. In a few months, our 14-megawatt pilot electrolyzer at the Lingen plant, our first one that will produce H₂ on an industrial scale, will also go into operation.”

Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire said, “Germany has set itself the goal of becoming the lead market for H₂ technologies. To achieve this, we also need a strong domestic market where technology providers and customers move forward together. With our partner RWE, we are validating the next generation of electrolysers with high-temperature SOEC electrolysis. In parallel, we are building a pressurized alkaline electrolyzer on an industrial scale in Lingen. This is how we are gathering experience and developing standards together.”

In the coming weeks, a piston compressor will be put into operation next to the 250-kW electrolyzer. This will allow H₂ to be compressed to the 58-bar of pressure required for pipeline transport. The first tests on the TransHyDE test pipeline will start at the beginning of 2024.

The companies Adlares, Evonik, Meter-Q Solutions, Nowega, OGE, Rosen and RWE, together with the DVGW Research Unit at the Engler-Bunte Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Potsdam, are researching the infrastructure required for green H₂ in the public space in the joint project GET H2 TransHyDE. The nine partners are gathering knowledge on how to transport H₂. To this end, they are setting up a test environment in which they are investigating how to measure the quality and quantity of H₂. They are also optimizing compressor concepts and looking at how H₂ affects materials. Other aspects are technologies for remote leakage detection and for pipeline inspection and maintenance.

TransHyDE is one of the German H₂ lead projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is to advance the implementation of the National H₂ Strategy. The Ministry is funding the project to the tune of €11.63 MM.