Clean energy technology manufacturer Elcogen has partnered up with technology company AVL to develop solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) stack modules for megawatt (MW)-scale hydrogen production plants.
The collaboration combines Elcogen’s technology in SOEC/solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cells and stacks with AVL’s expertise in SOFC/SOEC systems and stack module development.
The partners will focus on scaling small cell footprints to multi-megawatt modules, Elcogen said, adding that the solution will incorporate multiple Elcogen single SOEC stacks in a stack module which will enable industrial scaling of the technology.
To note, SOEC is an electrolyzer technology said to enable “intrinsic higher” efficiencies compared to alkaline, PEM or AEM electrolyzers. Moreover, when SOEC is coupled to external heat sources from industrial processes, efficiencies in the range of 90% and beyond can be achieved, making SOEC the technology of choice in industrial hydrogen production and also in e-fuel production.
This project brings together the research and development (R&D) efforts of both partners in their respective Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) Hy2Tech programs in Estonia/Finland and Austria.
Martin Skov Skjøth-Rasmussen, CTO of Elcogen, commented: “Through this collaboration and combination of complementary specialised expertise under the IPCEI Hy2Tech program, we hope to accelerate the development of modular solutions for the industrial scale deployment of solid oxide technology.”
Jürgen Rechberger, Vice President of AVL, stated: “We are happy to join forces under the umbrella of IPCEI Hy2Tech with Elcogen. Together we will address the key challenge of industrialising SOEC –the scale-up to industrial relevant module sizes. We look forward to developing this stack module solution with Elcogen and demonstrating it in our IPCEI Hy2Tech program.”
To remind, in 2024, U.S. energy technology company Baker Hughes made a strategic investment in Elcogen. The parties intend to collaborate on green hydrogen production solutions based on Elcogen’s SOEC technology.