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

The electrolyser can produce around 170 kg of hydrogen per day at full load. A day’s production would theoretically be enough to power a car with a fuel cell engine for 17 000 km. However, the hydrogen from the Lingen plant is needed for research purposes. It will be fed into a 130 m long test loop as part of the GET H2 TransHyDEresearch project, where companies and research institutes are developing technologies for the optimal use of hydrogen.

Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen at RWE Generation commented: “With the commissioning of this first electrolyser, RWE has officially started to produce hydrogen in Lingen. This 250 kw of electrolysis capacity … project is an important first step for us, and it will quickly be followed by others. In a few months, our 14MW pilot electrolyser at the Lingen plant, our first that will produce hydrogen on an industrial scale, will also go into operation.”

Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire: “Germany has set itself the goal of becoming the lead market for hydrogen 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 pressurised alkaline electrolyser 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 electrolyser. This will allow hydrogen to be compressed to the 58 bar pressure required for pipeline transport. The first tests on the TransHyDE test pipeline will start at the beginning of 2024.

The participating companies Adlares, Evonik, Meter-Q Solutions, Nowega, OGE, Rosen and RWE, together with the DVGW Research Unit at the Engler-BunteInstitute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Potsdam, are researching the infrastructure required for green hydrogen in the public space in the joint project GET H2 TransHyDE. 

TransHyDE is one of the German hydrogen lead projects funded by the Federal ministry of Education and Research to advance the implementation of the National Hydrogen Strategy. The ministry is funding the project to the tune of €11.63 million.

Image credit: RWE