'World's largest electrolyzer' has the shape of a multi-bit screwdriver

A Norwegian company has claimed the arrival of the world's largest electrolyzer at its testing facility in Herøya, Norway.

HydrogenPro's electrolyzer will be assembled and installed in the coming weeks, according to a press release published by Chemical Engineering on Wednesday.

"This project is a critical milestone for large, green hydrogen projects. It requires substantial planning, rigging, and the right equipment. This project is important to facilitate larger, green hydrogen projects, reducing carbon footprints and costs," said Karoline Aafos, the company's chief product officer (CPO).

Green hydrogen is produced using clean energy sources or low-carbon power. Compared to grey hydrogen, which is made by steam reforming natural gas and accounts for the majority of the hydrogen market, green hydrogen has much lower carbon emissions.

‘100 kgs of pure hydrogen per hour'

The electrolyzer shipment, which left Tianjin, China, in July, will have a hydrogen output of 1,100 Nm3/hour at normal current density.

"This equals 100 kgs of pure hydrogen per hour, which will set a new standard for the industry," said HydrogenPro. "The electrolyzer has a diameter of 2 meters."

HydrogenPro, which specializes in hydrogen and renewable energy, is a technology company and an equipment manufacturer for high-pressure alkaline electrolysers and supplies large-scale green hydrogen plants to industries, as per the company portfolio.

"This marks a significant milestone for HydrogenPro and the further verification of our technology for large-scale green hydrogen production," said Erik Christian Bolstad, CEO HydrogenPro.

"The plant results will help optimize our delivery to one of the world's largest factories for green hydrogen."

Ukraine war and European energy crisis

Long hailed as a crucial fuel of the future, hydrogen energy is becoming popular in Europe due to the ongoing Ukraine war.

"The war in Ukraine and spike in the price of natural gas have underlined the benefits of switching to 'green hydrogen' production as the only 'net zero energy gas,' British firm ITM Power told The Guardian on Wednesday.

The business, which is based in Sheffield and makes the electrolyzer machinery used to produce hydrogen from water, claimed that the energy crisis has demonstrated that hydrogen is a practical substitute for methane gas.

Meanwhile, Siemens is preparing to commission Germany's second biggest electrolyzer, producing hydrogen primarily from solar and wind power.

An 8.75 MW PEM electrolyzer will be put into operation in Wunsiedel, Bavaria, according to proposals disclosed by Siemens and German utility SWW Wunsiedel. The businesses and Umweltbank, its credit finance partner, are cooperating on the initiative.

"The hydrogen produced primarily from solar and wind power using PEM electrolysis," wrote Siemens. "It will be Germany's second biggest electrolyzer."

Supporters of the concept contend that hydrogen may offer a way to decarbonize large, polluting corporations. However, there are concerns regarding the method's price.

Global green hydrogen market to reach U.S. $60.56 billion

According to a report published by Research and Markets in August, the global green hydrogen market size is expected to reach U.S. $60.56 billion by 2030.

The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 39.5 percent from 2022 to 2030.

The report notes that the growing government investments and subsidies benefiting clean fuel usage along with the hydrogen economy being touted as an environment-friendly alternative to the fossil fuel economy are likely to strengthen the demand over the forecast period.