Demo4Grid Project Partners Successfully Install a 3.2 MW Pressurized Alkaline Electrolyzer
Völs, December 21, 2021
Europe’s largest single-stack pressurized alkaline electrolyzer will produce green hydrogen for MPREIS’ food production center in Völs, Austria.
The Demo4Grid project partners have reached one of the project’s most important milestones: This month, a 3.2 MW pressurized alkaline electrolyzer has been successfully installed at MPREIS’ food production center in Völs, Austria. Demo4Grid, a hydrogen project funded by the EU funding body FCH JU and the Swiss government, started in 2017 and will soon enter its exciting execution phase.
After the successful commissioning of the pressurized alkaline electrolyzer, which is expected to happen early next year, the system will produce green hydrogen for the food retail company MPREIS, providing grid balancing services under real operational and market conditions. In a first step, the green hydrogen will be used to replace fossil-based natural gas for heating the MPREIS bakery’s oven on-site. Additionally, the heat which arises as supplementary product from the electrolyzer will be used at the bakery to improve the overall energy efficiency. At a later project stage, First Fuel Cell Electric (FCE) Trucks will be refueled via a hydrogen fueling station directly at the food production center. The first FCE trucks for MPREIS’ logistic fleet are scheduled to arrive in early 2022.
The pressurized alkaline electrolyzer is being provided by Sunfire, one of the world’s leading electrolysis players. The German-based company is known for its innovative high-temperature SOEC electrolyzers and acquired the Swiss alkaline electrolysis supplier IHT earlier this year, complementing its electrolysis product portfolio. Sunfire’s pressurized alkaline technology has been proven and demonstrated in several industrial projects around the globe. With a remarkable system runtime of over 90,000 operating hours and a lifespan of more than 20 years of the previous product generation, the Sunfire alkaline electrolyzers are one of the most reliable solutions on the market.
Producing green hydrogen from renewable energy and water, Sunfire’s alkaline technology functions at up to 30 bar working pressure without the need for downstream compression. The technology is particularly suitable for applications in industrial environments, which is why it fits perfectly in the concept of Demo4Grid. “We are proud to demonstrate our reliable pressurized alkaline electrolysis technology in the Demo4Grid project. We believe that green hydrogen, produced with electrolysis technologies, will help lots of industries and businesses to become more sustainable,” states Sunfire-CEO Nils Aldag.
Besides MPREIS and Sunfire, also Inycom, FEN Systems - Green Energy Center Europe, Diadikasia Business Consulting and the FHA Foundation (Fundación Hidrógeno Aragón) contribute to the Demo4Grid consortium.
Information about the Demo4Grid project are available at www.demo4grid.eu.
The Demo4Grid project has received funding from the Fuel Cells & Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU) of the European Commission under grand agreement No 736351 and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 17.00002. FCH2 JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Hydrogen Europe and N.ERGHY.
