Research and Development Center, The Energa Group Faradaya together with scientists will implement a research project for an installation for hydrogen production.
The installation can be a key element of energy storage systems, affecting the efficiency of renewable energy sources, as well as increasing the flexibility of power plant operation.
On March 10, 2020, the Energa Group Research and Development Center (CBRF) signed a contract for EU funding for a project to build a modular installation of reversible hydrogen solid oxide cells for the improvement of plant flexibility.
This is the first such project in the Energa Group financed by the National Center for Research and Development.
“This is our first innovative hydrogen project of this type. We are pleased to appreciate the high commitment of the CBRF team and the scientists cooperating with us. The project has achieved a record result in the assessment of co-financing criteria – says Marcin Karlikowski, president of the Energa Research and Development Center.
The project has received very good opinions of experts, it will be implemented by CBRF Energa (Consortium leader) and the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery PAS. The subcontractor will be the Institute of Power Engineering.
The prototype installation is to be built within three years. It will generate hydrogen and electricity, increasing the flexibility of power plant operations and the use of renewable energy sources in the Energa Group. If the project meets all the assumptions made by scientists, installations of this type will appear in subsequent facilities.
The aim of the project is to develop and construct a hydrogen generating system using technical – power – to – gas (P2G) steam. Such an installation can be a key element of energy storage systems, using excess energy, in particular from renewable energy sources with unstable work (wind, solar).
Electrotechnical fuel cells, also operating in reversible mode (rSOC), allow to improve the flexibility of conventional power units.
As part of the project, research and development works will be carried out focused on a prototype installation with an rSOC stack, which in the electrolyser mode achieves efficiency above 70%, and in the fuel cell mode (SOFC) – 60%, which gives an overall efficiency of the process of about 42%.
It is worth emphasizing that the production of synthetic fuels using excess electricity from renewable sources allows the integration of the power system with the gas system, which significantly increases the security of the energy system.
The project’s budget is PLN 7.4 million, and the amount of EU funding is PLN 5.7 million.
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