The H2Évora demonstration project, which the company has said is the ‘first’ fully integrated solar-to-green hydrogen plant in Portugal, comprises 15 of Fusion Fuel’s HEVO-solar units and associated balance of plant equipment to see the production of up to 15 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Featuring a 200kW Ballard Power Systems FCWave™ module which converts the green hydrogen into electricity, Fusion Fuel is able to sell power into the electric grid during periods of peak demand.
It is hoped the integration of Fusion Fuel’s hydrogen production solution and Ballard’s fuel cell technology will act as a proof of concept for the use of hydrogen as a flexible energy storage vector and off-grid power supply.
Frederico Figueira de Chaves, Co-Head and Chief Financial Officer at Fusion Fuel, said, “We are thrilled to finally be able to commission our H2Évora project, Portugal’s first fully integrated solar-to-green hydrogen plant.
“While this modest facility has effectively been superseded by some of the larger-scale projects we have under development, its value cannot be understated. We can now look forward to H2Évora providing emissions-free power to the grid for many years to come, a demonstration of the flexibility of green hydrogen and our HEVO-Solar solution, particularly considering the protracted energy crisis roiling European markets.
“The facility will also serve as an important proving ground for our R&D team as we continue to roll out future iterations of our technology. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had a hand in helping us achieve this critical milestone.”
In September, Fusion Fuel announced it had entered into a technology sale agreement worth $5m to supply its solar-to-hydrogen systems for a 3.2MW green hydrogen project in Spain.
Read more: Fusion Fuel receives $5m order for its solar-to-hydrogen systems for Spanish green hydrogen project
Søren Østergaard Hansen, General Manager, Marine and Stationary, Ballard Power Systems Europe, added, “The commissioning of the H2Évora facility also marks our first FCwaveTM fuel cell module in-service for a stationary application, which leverages our core technology in a larger energy output format to deliver reliable, zero-emission power for multiple applications.
“This is an exciting milestone for not only Fusion Fuel and Ballard, but for the industry. We are encouraged by this progress and are excited to work alongside an innovative company like Fusion Fuel to provide zero-emission solutions for their customers.”
Having already been earmarked for €10m grant from the Portuguese Government to develop a 6.6MW green hydrogen project in Sines, Portugal, Fusion Fuel received further praise from the country’s administration, with João Galamba, Deputy Minister and Secretary of State for Energy, commenting, “Portugal aspires to be at the forefront of all green hydrogen projects and is relying on Fusion Fuel to help achieve this goal. The H2Évora project, due to its pioneering spirit, is a perfect example of how Fusion Fuel can contribute to our collective success.”
Read more: €10m grant for Fusion Fuel’s 6.6MW green hydrogen project in Portugal
Exclusive: Fusion Fuel’s decentralised, scalable solar-to-hydrogen solution
Across the hydrogen production industry, there are an increasing number of projects where clean electricity production is being integrated with electrolysis technology. However, there are few solutions on currently on the market that offer quite such a comprehensive solution as Fusion Fuel’s.
Fusion Fuel’s origin story begins with a Portuguese concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology firm and an idea to utilise the thermal energy created as a by-product of the solar concentration process to improve electrolyser efficiency. By developing an integrated technology that uses both the electrical energy to power the electrolysis process, and the waste heat to optimise the feed water temperature, Fusion Fuel was able to reduce the energy required to produce green hydrogen.
That technology comes in the form of the HEVO-Solar, which has been described as a miniature proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser with an integrated CPV system, allowing an entire package for off-grid, decentralised green hydrogen production. And the company now leverages the technology advancements with a full solutions-based approach to partnership engagements and green hydrogen deployments…
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