GKN Hydrogen has successfully commissioned an innovative energy storage solution to provide emergency power for the communication facility on Ratsberg in the municipality of Toblach (South Tyrol, Italy). At the beginning of August 2023, the Provincial Office for Civil Protection within the Civil Protection Agency placed the order, as the communication facility from the 1980s was too small and previously had no emergency power.

The innovative and decentralized solution from GKN Hydrogen will ensure a sustainable and reliable emergency power supply. The primary challenge for the client is to maintain communication for public institutions during weather-related power outages, thereby ensuring the uninterrupted safety of the population.

In such situations, the H₂-powered energy storage system from GKN Hydrogen will be used. The system is designed for a continuous electrical output of 10 kW and provides emergency power for up to four days or 96 hours. This is sufficient to operate
the communication tower without interruption until normal power supply is restored. The H₂, produced using grid electricity and electrolysis, is stored almost loss-free as a solid in metal powder for years. When needed, an integrated fuel cell converts the stored H₂ back into electricity, which then operates the communication facility.