We are developing an important project in Sardinia with Sotacarbo S.p.A. – Sustainable Energy Research Centre. It is a Power-to-gas System for the production and storage of high purity hydrogen, which will be realised in Sotacarbo’s laboratory.
Let’s delve into the topic!
Who Sotacarbo is and what it represents in the energy sector
Founded in 1987 in Carbonia, Sardinia, Sotacarbo is a publicly owned research organisation. Its mission is to help develop clean energy conversion technologies to accelerate the energy transition. Its members are the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (96%) and ENEA (4%).
Sotacarbo represents a centre of excellence on clean energy. Specifically, it is an experimental technology hub engaged in high-tech innovation initiatives for the energy industry, whose areas of work are:
- Biomass and waste materials
- Hydrogen and e-fuels
- CO2 separation, utilisation and confinement
- Energy efficiency technologies.
Sotacarbo has advanced laboratory instrumentation and experimental prototypes. Thanks to this cutting-edge infrastructure and its high level of expertise, this centre of excellence represents the Italian government in the International Centre for Sustainable Carbon of the International Energy Agency (IEA-ICSC) and in the working group on CCUS technologies of the European SET Plan.
For Sotacarbo, the realisation of the Power-to-gas System for the production and storage of hydrogen is part of the Research Project 1.3 ‘Integrated Hydrogen Technology Project’ funded by the System Research, Three-Year Implementation Plan 2022-2024. This system, developed in cooperation with Simplify, complements the already existing infrastructure consisting of a reactor for the catalytic conversion of CO2 and hydrogen into renewable fuels such as methanol, methane, dimethylether, etc.
On-site hydrogen production via electrolysis
The solution that Simplify has proposed for Sotacarbo’s laboratory involves the on-site production of hydrogen through an electrolysis system using PEM and AEM technologies.
The BOP, i.e. everything that makes up the system and accompanies the main equipment, will be mostly inside the cabinet. This will maximise the space required for the system, making it more compact and allowing all parts to be reached easily.
In order to minimise the number of hazardous components and simplify the authorisation phase, the system is designed without a compressor. This solution involves the use of electrolysers capable of generating hydrogen at high pressure.
Specifically, for this power-to-gas system, we have proposed two technologies that will be installed in parallel:
This will allow the system to benefit from the different advantages offered by each of these technologies. Let’s look at them in more detail.
Want to know more?
Read our in-depth article ‘Electrolysis: the technology that turns electricity into hydrogen’.
Power-to-gas system with the PEM electrolyser
Electrolysis with proton exchange membrane electrolysers (PEM) uses a polymer membrane instead of an electrolyte. Electrolysis of water with PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis) technology offers a number of important advantages:
- compact design
- high current density
- high efficiency
- fast response
- small footprint
- operation at lower temperatures
- production of ultrapure oxygen as a by-product.
However, it is a more expensive technology as it requires electrocatalysts such as noble metals.
Power-to-gas system with the AEM 2.1 electrolyser
Electrolysis with anion exchange membrane electrolysers (AEM) uses an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide plus a polymer membrane as the electrolyte.
This technology is extremely versatile and represents a promising solution for reducing the cost of industrial electrolysis systems. Indeed, AEM technology does not implement noble metals and is therefore less expensive than PEM systems.
Furthermore, compared to electrolysers with PEM technology, AEM systems operate with a diluted liquid electrolyte instead of pure deionised water. This offers a number of benefits, such as resistance against impurities and flexible electrode design, which make this solution more advantageous, especially in large systems.
Simplifhy’s contribution to the energy transition using hydrogen
As a solution provider active in the hydrogen sector in Italy, our mission is to make a major contribution to the energy transition. In fact, we propose solutions for the decarbonisation of industry and transport through the use of hydrogen-based technologies.
This is why we are honoured to be able to support a prestigious research centre such as Sotacarbo, which deals with technological innovation, the design of low-carbon industrial plants, but also science and awareness-raising on the links between energy choices and the impact on climate and the environment.
Find out more about Simplifhy’s products for hydrogen production.
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