The Belgian company John Cockerill Hydrogen has unveiled its first hydrogen electrolyzer designed and manufactured entirely in France.
The unveiling took place in Belfort at McPhy’s industrial site, which John Cockerill Hydrogen acquired last year, along with some of its staff and patents. The 30-metric-ton unit enables the production of decarbonized hydrogen from water.
Push for hydrogen in France and Europe?
The hydrogen production sector, which relies on electrolysis, is currently in a consolidation phase. Protracted regulatory negotiations and difficulties in transposing certain European directives into national law make the outlook in Europe less favorable, but, according to experts, the sector in China is experiencing “real momentum.”
The country consumes 30% of global hydrogen production, compared to 7% in Europe. Hydrogen was included in the 15th Five-Year Plan as one of the six “key technologies.”
Nevertheless, the launch in Belfort shows that, despite the McPhy debacle – the hydrogen start-up went bankrupt in July of last year – hydrogen technology is still alive and well in France and Europe.
Capacity of 5 MW
The main difference from previous generations is that this stack – the heart of an electrolyzer – uses polymer plates instead of the traditional bipolar plates. This makes the unit lighter, less susceptible to corrosion (and thus longer lasting), and 10 to 15% cheaper to manufacture.
It is a 7-meter-long, 2-meter-diameter cylinder weighing nearly 30 metric tons. The stack consists of more than 200 cells, each separated by a thin layer of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. The stack has a capacity of 5 MW – to power it, you need the equivalent of a 10-hectare solar farm.
200 units per year
However, the stack still needs to undergo a test campaign in Germany before it can be commercialized, and the campaign is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
John Cockerill is aiming for an annual production of 200 units for major industrial markets such as refineries and petrochemicals, and claims an order backlog of 800 MW, thanks in part to a major contract in India.
Reduction of emissions
Hydrogen, which is still largely produced from natural gas today, is primarily used in industrial processes, such as refining and the production of ammonia for fertilizer. Replacing fossil hydrogen with green hydrogen can reduce emissions in these sectors.
In addition, hydrogen is being explored as an alternative to fossil fuels in sectors such as steel, heavy-duty transportation, aviation, and shipping.
That is a major challenge, given that 100 million metric tons of hydrogen are consumed worldwide each year. Of that amount, 99% still generates greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 2% of global emissions.
