Hydrogen electrolyzer sales pick up in Europe

Green hydrogen, made by splitting water with renewable electricity, is trending as a way to decarbonize industries including chemicals, steel, fertilizers, and heavy transportation. It’s particularly hot in Europe, where a handful of electrolyzer makers recently announced sales to green hydrogen developers.

Plug Power says an undisclosed customer has selected its proton-exchange membrane (PEM) technology for a 100 MW system that will provide 43 metric tons (t) per day of H₂ for an oil refinery in Europe. Plug says the green hydrogen will replace H₂ made from natural gas, eliminating about 516 t of CO₂ emissions per day when the system comes on line in 2024.

On a smaller scale, Plug will provide a pair of 5 MW PEM systems to ReNu Energy for projects in Tasmania, Australia. The combined 4.2 t of daily H₂ output will be used for road transportation and added into the local natural gas grid, the firms say.

In Portugal, the chemical maker Bondalti will pay $12 million for a 40 MW alkaline electrolysis system from Nel Hydrogen. Bondalti says it will use the H₂ in chemical synthesis, combine it with natural gas for power production, and use it to fuel long-haul transportation vehicles.

And in the Netherlands, the H₂ chemistry specialist HyCC has selected McPhy’s next-generation alkaline electrolyzer for the 20 MW green hydrogen project it is calling Djewels. HyCC plans to sell the H₂ to OCI Methanol Europe as a renewable feedstock for methanol production.

The European Union has set a target of 10 million t per year of domestic green hydrogen production by 2030, along with 10 million t of imports. The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, an industry-government consortium, says that goal will require more than 50 times as much electrolyzer capacity as the region has today.

“This is both an unprecedented challenge and a significant industrial opportunity,” the group wrote in a joint declaration last summer.