Tech
Production
To solve this challenge, the Fusion Fuel went back to first principles, breaking with convention and taking a fundamentally different approach than the rest of the industry. Rather than focusing on ever larger electrolyzers, they instead developed the concept of a miniaturized and decentralized design, which required completely rethinking the production methodology, materials, and form factor of the PEM electrolyzer.
Between 2018 to 2020 the team developed, tested, and submitted patents for, its photoelectric hydrogen generator – the HEVO – a radically different solution that opens the door to cost-competitive, grid-independent green hydrogen production.
It is our proprietary miniaturized PEM electrolyzer, designed to be small, lightweight, and mass-producible.
of system and ease of manufacturing
By integrating the HEVO directly to the CPV module, not only are we able to utilize the electrical energy to power the electrochemical reaction without transport or conversion losses, but we can also recover that “wasted” thermal energy and use it to pre-heat the feed water, reducing the electrical load required to split water by roughly 10%.
In a location with 2,100 kWh/m2/year of direct normal irradiance—like Southern Portugal—each HEVO-Solar can produce one metric ton of green hydrogen per year using only solar power. The HEVO-Solar is able to utilize energy from the grid or secondary sources of power to operate overnight or when the sun isn’t shining, offering the potential to double the annual output of each unit.
As our integrated solution is completely modular and cost-competitive even at small-scale, we are able to right-size a project to the specific customer need and deploy on-site anywhere in the world where the sun shines. Co-locating our green hydrogen production means that our customers can avoid expensive transportation and logistics costs, which alone can add € 1-2 / kg to the levelized cost of hydrogen.
Black & Veatch during 2022 completed an independent assessment of Fusion Fuel and our HEVO-Solar technology. That report is being proactively shared with prospective strategic partners, customers, and off-takers.
TUV SUD has been engaged to perform an ongoing performance field test of HEVO-Solar technology. They have reported a sustained ~10% increase in hydrogen output vs. nameplate capacity over three months of testing.
Its independent report noted above-expectation performance of our HEVO-Solar generators, which helped to further affirm the robustness of our technology with partners and potential clients. Further, several improvements made to the system during the first half of the year resulted in ISQ’s measurements showing a roughly 10% increase in performance relative to what was previously expected.
Each HEVO-Chain hydrogen unit consists of 16 interconnected HEVO micro-electrolyzers which represents a total of 11.2 kW of electrolysis capacity.
Each unit can produce 2 tonnes per year (5.6 kg of hydrogen per day) at a pressure of 4 bar.
Building on the radically different concept of allowing each membrane electrode assembly to operate independently and having multiple electrochemical cells in simultaneous operation, the system is engineered to operate with lower power requirements and cheaper power electronics systems than existing solutions.
By adopting a completely modular approach – combining many HEVO micro-electrolyzers, manufactured in highly-efficient, automated production processes – we are able to achieve a market-leading cost for a centralized PEM system, even at sub-megawatt scale.
The HEVO-Chain was built with flexibility in mind – it is designed for a standard 19” rack cabinet, allowing for up to eight units to be integrated seamlessly alongside the power electronics and water purification system.
The solution is infinitely scalable, able to operate as a single HEVO-Chain unit or multi-megawatt containerized solution. Able to be connected to any source of electricity, it can be used in any location and is suitable for virtually every use-case for hydrogen.
With the addition of the HEVO-Chain, Fusion Fuel will offer a full-suite of best-in-class electrolyzer solutions designed to meet any size demand, capable of using any source of renewable electricity, and in any geography around the globe.
