Press Release: Awarded grant to develop a novel electrolyser stack to enable lower cost hydrogen generation
(Oslo, 31 March, 2020) Proton Energy Systems, Inc. (dba “Nel Hydrogen US”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nel ASA (Nel, OSE:NEL), has been awarded a $1.85 million grant by the Department of Energy (DOE) for development of a novel electrolyser cell stack approach to enable higher efficiency, low cost hydrogen generation.
“We are very excited to receive this award from the DOE. Success of this project will not only demonstrate a cost-effective pathway for hydrogen energy storage, but it will also help further improve our electrolysers in general, enabling lower cost hydrogen generation for all other customer segments,” says Kathy Ayers, Vice President R&D of Nel Hydrogen US.
The purpose of the project is to develop a highly efficient unitized reversible fuel cell (URFC) system based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology. A URFC is in principle an electrolyser stack which can be operated in reverse, to also produce electricity as a fuel cell. State of the art fuel cells exhibit higher efficiency and lower cost compared to electrolyser cell stacks. Developing the electrolyser operating conditions to enable configurations that have more commonalities with state-of-the-art fuel cells will enable lower cost and higher efficiencies.
The project is funded by the Fuel Cell Technologies Office within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and part of DOE’s H2@Scale initiative, developed in response to the opportunity for hydrogen to provide improved efficiency and resiliency in multiple sectors including transportation and industry, and to realize gains in various industries using or producing hydrogen.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Jon André Løkke, CEO, Nel ASA, +47 907 44 949
Bjørn Simonsen, VP Investor Relations & Corporate Communication, +47 971 79 821
About Nel ASA | www.nelhydrogen.com
Nel is a global, dedicated hydrogen company, delivering optimal solutions to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen from renewable energy. We serve industries, energy, and gas companies with leading hydrogen technology. Our roots date back to 1927, and since then, we have had a proud history of development and continuous improvement of hydrogen technologies. Today, our solutions cover the entire value chain: from hydrogen production technologies to hydrogen fueling stations, enabling industries to transition to green hydrogen, and providing fuel cell electric vehicles with the same fast fueling and long range as fossil-fueled vehicles - without the emissions.