This week, Power to Hydrogen and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges announce the largest installation of an AEM electrolyzer stack in the world in a relevant commercial environment. Power to Hydrogen will be one of the first concessionaires signed for NextGen Demo, the innovation hub that is part of NextGen District in the heart of the Antwerp port. Power to Hydrogen and TripleW have chosen to use the port environment to test their innovative projects in energy transition and circularity. The demo projects of both pioneers align perfectly with the ambitions of Port of Antwerp-Bruges and will make a significant contribution to the transition to a climate-neutral society.  

Innovation Hub within NextGen District

Port of Antwerp-Bruges has cleared an area with a total surface of 88 hectares for NextGen District with the ambition to establish a hotspot for the circular economy. NextGen Demo is a zone of about 2 hectares within this cluster in the heart of the Antwerp industry, where demonstrators (start-ups and scale-ups, spin-off companies, and pilot projects) can test new technologies and circular demo projects that have outgrown the lab, on a larger scale and in an industrial environment before moving to commercialization.

Gamechangers Power to Hydrogen and TripleW

NextGen Demo, as an innovation hub, aims to be the ideal catalyst for sustainable innovations in the field of feedstock raw material and energy transition. The two companies that have signed first perfectly match this ambition.

Power to Hydrogen wants to accelerate the transition to a green hydrogen economy through AEM (anion exchange membrane) electrolysis. This advanced technology is a potential solution to drastically reduce the cost of green hydrogen production using renewable energy. The technology has never been applied on an industrial scale before, and the electrolysis system for the NextGen demo project, which will be installed in the fourth quarter of 2024, is the largest in the world. This demonstration is also being financially supported by global utility leaders, including American Electric Power, EDP, E.ON, and ESB as part of the Free Electrons utility innovation program.

TripleW, a foreign investor that has been active in Belgium for some time and has chosen Belgium again with the scaling of this project, has developed an industrial process to produce lactic acid made entirely from food waste. The high-quality lactic acid serves as a raw material for biodegradable plastics and biochemicals. TripleW wants to expand the application of this innovative technology to a broader range of food waste streams and end products by demonstrating its scalability and adaptability with the project in NextGen Demo. The project is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Synergies
The appeal of NextGen District has meanwhile attracted global pioneers. For example, Plug invests in a green hydrogen factory, Bolder Industries, PureCycle, and Triple Helix will respectively recycle car tires, polypropylene and polyurethane foam, and PET trays, and Ekopak is committed to circular water use. The industrial port network with global top players and the ecosystem will contribute to synergies between the players at NextGen Demo, NextGen District, and the other port companies.

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 Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “NextGen Demo is the quintessential place where new technology finds its access in the exciting fabric of the port and industry. Demonstrators here have the space to grow and join a valuable network of fellow pioneers, partners, and customers. These first two projects fit perfectly within our strategic vision and our ambition to be, in addition to a green energy and raw materials hub, also a circular hub. I am convinced that the innovative technologies that both companies will test in our port environment can be trailblazers.”

Annick De Ridder, Chair of the Board of Directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “This testing ground for technological and sustainable innovation will contribute to the strengthening, synergy, and diversification of the port platform. With this cluster of circular companies at a prime logistics location, we can accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral society. These two new pioneers bring investments and innovation, which is very good news for our port and our prosperity. I want to thank both companies for their trust in NextGen Demo and look forward to the announcement of changemakers who will follow them.”

Paul Matter, CEO of Power to Hydrogen: “Hydrogen is an important product for the industrial cluster in the port and for the transition to climate neutrality. With our installation in NextGen Demo, we want to demonstrate that AEM electrolysis, which significantly reduces the cost of green hydrogen production, is capable of operating sustainably in a port environment. This project will continue to position Port of Antwerp-Bruges as a leader in the development of a green hydrogen ecosystem for Europe and the world.”

Tal Shapira, CEO of TripleW: “Our demo project introduces a scalable, sustainable solution for two pressing issues: food waste and plastic pollution. We have chosen NextGen Demo because it is a leading platform for innovative technologies with a focus on sustainability and circular economy. It offers an ideal location for industry leaders, potential partners, and investors interested in groundbreaking environmental solutions.”

March 20, 2024 – Power to Hydrogen is honored to announce it was selected for $6.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.  The cooperative agreement will be focused on building out the supply chain for domestic manufacturing of advanced alkaline electrolyzers and demonstrating P2H2’s patented cell design in commercial scale stacks with GW-scale manufacturing ready components. The Department of Energy has set an aggressive goal for 10-GW of domestic electrolyzer manufacturing by 2030 to eliminate up to 100 MMT of CO₂ annually within a decade. In order to achieve this goal, the cost of electrolyzers needs to fall drastically and their ability to integrate with renewable energy needs to improve. The Department of Energy selected Power to Hydrogen’s technology for its ability to deliver on both of these requirements. In recent work, Power to Hydrogen has demonstrated electrolyzer technology with state-of-the-art capabilities for intermittent operation, durability with low-cost materials, and high pressure hydrogen production.

Power to Hydrogen is working with several academic partners on the project including, Carnegie Mellon, Florida A&M, and Lorain County Community College. Industrial partners include De Nora, Bettergy, and Re:Build Manufacturing. The team will also be supported with outreach to key stakeholders by the Ohio Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Coalition.

For media inquires, please reach out to Alex Zorniger at alexz@power-h2.com

ABOUT THE COMPANY:

Power to Hydrogen is a US-Based clean hydrogen startup located in Columbus, Ohio. The company is setting out to make clean hydrogen competitive against fossil fuels. The company has also been funded by other strategic partners, and major U.S. institutions, including NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and ARPA-E, the advanced research projects agency of the DOE. https://power-h2.com/

Power to Hydrogen (P2H2) has partnered with global utility leaders American Electric Power (AEP), EDP, E.ON, and Electricity Supply Board (ESB) to demonstrate the first ever industrial scale Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM)-based electrolysis stack for low-cost green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is a potential emissions-free alternative to fossil fuels for energy storage, heating, and industrial applications.  The pilot project between the global utilities and P2H2 focused on demonstrating a fully integrated system based on P2H2’s patented hybrid liquid alkaline / AEM stack design. During the successful Phase I of the project, the demonstrated pilot system used an AEM-based stack that was 4x larger than has ever been installed with a customer to date. Phase II will demonstrate full-scale modules in a commercial setting.

AEM-based electrolysis technology is viewed as a high potential breakthrough in the hydrogen industry due to its ability to integrate easily with renewables, while removing the need for expensive and supply chain constrained raw materials. By eliminating the need for materials, like gold, platinum, iridium, and perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS), an AEM electrolysis stack can reduce cost by 70% compared to existing electrolyzer stacks. While AEM technology provides significant promise for the hydrogen industry, the technology is still in the scale up phase. The demonstrated stack and system incorporated P2H2’s hybrid liquid alkaline / membrane design that drastically improves performance and durability compared to conventional AEM electrolyzer designs.

The pilot project focused on demonstration of key performance criteria necessary for integrating the electrolysis system directly with renewable energy. The system demonstrated the ability to react quickly to load changes and produce hydrogen more efficiently than any renewable load-following product on the market.

“Our hybrid liquid alkaline/AEM technology is critical to allowing hydrogen to reach its decarbonization potential. Existing electrolysis technologies are dependent on using steady, grid electricity that is often carbon intense, or they rely on expensive raw materials that cause additional ecological issues.  Our technology charts a course to avoid both of those issues. With the Free Electrons collaboration, we want to eventually help decarbonize electrical grids and heavy industry all over the world” said Power to Hydrogen CEO, Paul Matter.

AEP, EDP, E.ON, and ESB are partnering together as a part of their Free Electrons program, the leading innovation program for global utilities working to decarbonize the grid. Head of Innovation Pipeline at ESB, John McKiernan, had this to say about the project, “Climate change is relentless. We urgently need to pivot to 100% clean energy. A step change breakthrough in storage cost is imperative to hit NetZero. We are at 40% clean electricity in Ireland already, but a paradigm shift in storage tech is now needed to hit 100%. The Power to Hydrogen pilot demo at AEP’s facility in Ohio offers genuine potential to crack the hydrogen price point challenge. We are excited about the prospects for low-cost megawatt scale facilities. Low-cost green hydrogen is the missing piece of the puzzle that we urgently need to solve before climate change goes beyond the tipping point. ESB is delighted to be collaborating with our Free Electrons partners AEP, EDP and EON to help P2H2 prove the viability and reliability of this unique H2 solution. It’s not rocket science, but they are working with NASA! In future, history may very well show this technology was the linchpin for global NetZero.”

 Luis Manuel, Executive Board Member at EDP Innovation, said the following about the successful pilot, “EDP is supportive of technology development in the hydrogen space, and we acknowledge the achievement of an important milestone in advancing low-cost green hydrogen production through the adoption of AEM-based electrolysis. This project can contribute significantly to the hydrogen industry, representing a promising step towards a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels”.

The utility pilot took place at American Electric Power’s facility in Columbus, Ohio. With the successful completion of this pilot, the groups intend to test an even larger industrial scale version of the technology by the end of 2024. Details of the next phase will be publicly announced in the near future. These pilots are focused on enabling a 10MW+ commercial scale system that can make a significant impact on industrial and energy storage decarbonization. To date, Power to Hydrogen’s technology development has been supported by global energy leaders like NASA, Shell, and ARPA-E.

For media inquiries:

Alex Zorniger

VP of Business Development, Power to Hydrogen

alexz@power-h2.com

+1-937-657-9308

About the Companies:

Power to Hydrogen is a US-Based clean hydrogen startup located in Columbus, Ohio, USA, and a leader in commercializing AEM-based electrolysis technology for clean hydrogen production and energy storage. The company has developed a patented cell design that solves the durability challenges related to conventional AEM electrolyzers.  The company is setting out to make clean hydrogen competitive against fossil fuels. The company has also been funded by global strategic partners, and major U.S. institutions, including NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NYSERDA, and ARPA-E, for more information see: https://power-h2.com/

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and communities. AEP’s approximately 16,700 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to safely deliver reliable and affordable power to 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 6,900 megawatts of renewable energy. The company’s plans include growing its renewable generation portfolio to approximately 50% of total capacity by 2032. AEP is on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and has committed to achieving net zero by 2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit https://www.aep.com/

EDP is a global electric utility with headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal.  Present in 29 markets, EDP is a global energy company engaged in electricity and gas production, transport, distribution and trading. With around 13,000 employees and over 12 million customers, EDP is at the forefront of innovation and renewable energies, and it has recently committed to even more ambitious clean energy targets, including becoming all green by 2030. https://www.edp.com/en

E.ON is one of Europe’s largest operators of energy infrastructure and a provider of innovative solutions for more than 50 million customers. Thus, E.ON is decisively driving forward the energy transition in Europe and are committed to sustainability, climate protection, and the future of our planet. As an important part of E.ON’s business, Energy Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) is best positioned to become the change agent for the sustainable energy transition. As a long-term energy partner for cities, municipalities, real estate and industrial customers, EIS offers technical infrastructure solutions that improve the carbon footprint of the customers. https://www.eon.com/en\

ESB is Ireland’s leading energy utility with operations spanning electricity generation, transmission and distribution and energy supply.  Since 1927, it has worked to enhance the lives of customers, support economic growth and ensure a brighter future for all.  Today that means taking leadership in the transition to a low carbon future, with a target to reach net zero by 2040.  Through our portfolio of brands, ESB Networks, Electric Ireland, ESB International and NIE Networks, we are removing carbon from our generation fleet, creating a smart network to support a low carbon energy system and developing new products and services to help our customers manage their energy use more efficiently. www.esb.ie