5M investment in state-of-the-art electrochemical research facilities
04-09-2018 | New Project | Call4participation | P2Hydrogen
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) has recently granted 5 M€ to VoltaChem initiator TNO to invest in state-of-the-art research facilities in the field of electrochemistry and green hydrogen production technology. This new “Faraday Lab”, named after the 19th-century inventor renowned for his contributions to the electrochemistry, will be realized in Petten (The Netherlands). It will serve as one of the key infrastructural cornerstones of VoltaChem’s program line Power-2-Hydrogen.
Focus on green hydrogen production and energy storage
The Faraday lab will facilitate research and development activities in the field of low and high-temperature electrolysis for green hydrogen production, which is part of VoltaChem’s Power-2-Hydrogen program line. Also, activities in the field of flow battery technology for energy storage and electrochemical separation technology will be supported. These technologies are expected to play an important role in the transition towards a sustainable energy system and in the electrification of the chemical industry.
Electrolyser technology
Two electrolyzer technologies will form the core of the Power-2-Hydrogen infrastructure in the Faraday lab: low-temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and high-temperature Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE). VoltaChem’s existing activities in PEM water electrolysis towards green hydrogen focus on the development of novel electrolyzer components together with industrial partners. This work will be greatly accelerated by the Faraday lab. Furthermore, the new SOE infrastructure will enable the VoltaChem program to initiate a second research line on high-temperature electrolysis, building on the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology and know-how that was developed at ECN from 1990 to 2010. This research has recently been initiated funded by an additional grant for TNO from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Fabrication and scale-up
The Faraday lab will include equipment for fabrication and scale-up of electrochemical cells and will have extensive facilities for durability testing and characterization of cell performance in both PEM and SOE, thereby filling in a gap between research and development towards industrial practice. Further development of its infrastructure will be coordinated through the VoltaChem program and other initiatives to ensure an optimal fit to the needs of its research and industrial partners.
Get involved?
The Faraday lab is expected to be commissioned in May 2019. Are you interested to know more on the opportunities the Faraday lab will create for joint innovation and on the program line power-to-hydrogen? Please contact Arend de Groot or Yvonne van Delft.
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