Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies subsidiary HET Hydrogen has introduced a 5 megawatt (MW) electrolyzer that can produce up to 2.15 tons of green hydrogen per day, which has the potential to significantly accelerate the adoption of low-carbon maritime fuels.
Hydrogen is a key component in hydrogen fuel cells, and in production of ammonia and methanol which are also low-carbon fuels being adopted by shipping companies to replace fossil fuels. Hydrogen is made by separating the hydrogen from the oxygen in water using an electrolyzer. Historically the production of hydrogen has been very costly and required a considerable amount of fossil fuels, negating its impact as a low-carbon fuel source. Green hydrogen, however, is made using renewable energy and HET said its new electrolyzer allows it to make much larger quantities with a much lower cost.
The company said its Anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis system reduces power consumption by 10–20% compared to traditional alkaline technology. The electrolyzer technology accommodates intermittent power input and improves the utilization of renewable energy to produce green hydrogen at a cost as low as US$2/kg.
The first of the 5MW systems are currently being prepared for deployment with a subsidiary of Rockcheck Steel Group in Tianjin, China and will be used to reduce coal consumption and carbon emissions for steel production. Horizon said the successful completion of this project will pave the way for the deployment of Horizon AEM systems with renewable power projects around the world, providing hydrogen production from photovoltaic, wind and other renewable power sources.
Green ammonia is the next target for meaningful validation of AEM electrolysis at scale. To that end, Horizon is currently collaborating with third parties to design a flexible green ammonia production scheme.
