H2 Energy Group

Roeland Baan, who was due to step down at the end of May, will make way for Elena Scaltritti as the new President and CEO from Thursday (5 March), after the “satisfactory” results. Topsoe said the fast-tracked transition came at Baan’s own request. “This alignment on the strategic direction and planning between the Board of Directors, our owners, senior management, and the wider organisation is clear and decisive, making it possible to execute a transition faster than planned,” he said. Baan has held the role since 2020 and oversaw the company’s transition from Haldor Topsoe as it increased its focus [...]

Billed as the EU’s response to growing competition from cheaper overseas imports, the IAA will introduce Made in Europe and low-carbon requirements for public procurement and funding schemes. Electrolysers have been included alongside other net-zero technologies such as batteries, solar panels and wind turbines, which could be covered by Made in Europe criteria. The proposal suggests future European Hydrogen Bank auctions will need to use electrolysers originating in the EU, including stacks. The move comes amid growing concerns that Europe could lose further clean-tech manufacturing capacity to China, which already dominates sectors like solar panels and is quickly scaling electrolyser [...]

Named Desiree, the project will design and build a 40kW multi-stack prototype system to address durability, efficiency, and circularity issues related to SOECs. The €4m ($4.6m) Horizon Europe co-funded initiative is set to run through June 2029 and will involve 12 organisations from across Europe, including the Spanish National Research Council, the University of Zaragoza, and the Polytechnic University of Turin. Its prototype system will aim to develop advanced nanoscale materials to reduce the operating temperature of SOEC systems, typically upward of 700 °C, which could reduce susceptibility to component degradation, improving reliability and longevity. Additionally, the initiative will establish [...]

The German firm will work with Drift Energy to marinise its systems so they could be used in the UK-based company’s plans to produce hydrogen at sea on boats. The concept would see Enapter’s electrolysers installed on 58-metre yachts, with underwater turbines attached to the vessels powering hydrogen production. Drift says the boats will use an AI vessel routing algorithm to allow the yachts to find and stay in “optimum weather conditions” at sea, maximising energy generated by the turbines. Work will focus on adapting materials and components in the electrolyser to withstand saline marine environments and vessel motions. The [...]

The multi-year project will see ZeroAvia advise KAERI on the design of the system, which could lead to a “full ground test campaign.” Details remain unclear. However, the hydrogen aviation player said it will use its liquid hydrogen test facility in the UK, set up for the firm’s own component testing. Most existing liquid hydrogen tanks are metallic. By shifting to composite, the tank weight could be significantly reduced. With liquid hydrogen requiring roughly four times the volume of jet fuel, savings in weight could help increase payload and range. While ZeroAvia has focused on commercialising gaseous hydrogen fuel cell [...]

The capital, raised in a round led by venture capital firms NordicNinja and Voima Ventures, could support the company’s industrialisation plan and a manufacturing facility for its battery technology, which could scale seasonal energy storage. Photoncycle’s system uses solar energy generation to provide electricity to households. Excess energy can be used to electrolyse water and produce hydrogen, which is stored underground in a solid state. During periods of low solar generation, the hydrogen can be converted back to electricity through a fuel cell. The company has revealed few technical details about the system, but argues it could replace water-based heating [...]

The duo said they recovered platinum group metals (PGMs) and ionomers from industrial PEM catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs) and reintegrated them into new membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). Currently, PGMs within CCMs are recycled through methods requiring incineration to remove organic materials before further processing to separate and purify the metals. Platinum, iridium, and ruthenium are all high-cost metals common in PEM CCMs, which form the core of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) where electrochemical reactions occur. However, this approach means membranes – made from perfluorosulfonic acid-based polymers, known as ionomers – typically degrade or fluorinate during high-temperature recycling processes, making direct recovery [...]

The European Commission is due to publish its long-awaited Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) today (4 March), a proposal that could determine whether Europe’s strained clean hydrogen sector secures meaningful demand support. The publication had been delayed by a week, reportedly due to internal disagreements over proposed local-content requirements – a sign of the political sensitivity surrounding trade protection. However, the Act is expected to have a wide-reaching impact for both incumbent industrials and clean technology players alike. This is a paid article, to read the article in full you can sign in if you are subscribed or subscribe today.

Wopke Hoekstra, the Commission’s climate chief, confirmed the move, stressing the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) would provide a level playing field for European fertiliser producers. CBAM, which covers hydrogen, electricity, fertilisers, aluminium, iron and steel, and cement, places a carbon price on goods imported into the EU – in line with the internal emissions trading scheme on domestic producers. However, since it came into force, several EU member states have been lobbying Brussels to remove fertilisers from the scheme, warning it could drive up prices for farmers. Various hydrogen lobby groups and ammonia companies had warned that a suspension could undermine [...]

The investment from global asset manager Nuveen will fund the construction of over 650MW of onshore wind generation across Nova Scotia for EverWind’s Point Tupper Green Fuels Project. Scheduled to break ground this year and reach commercial operation by 2028, EverWind says its first phase would produce 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year, increasing to up to one million tonnes in its second phase. Most of this looks set for export to markets like Europe. In August 2022, German firms Eon and Uniper both signed non-binding memoranda of understanding with EverWind, each for an annual 500,000 tonnes. The new [...]