nir-vana innovation network

Hydrogen (H2) is a key strategy for zero-carbon industrial applications. It is at the core of the EU Green Deal strategy because it can be used to produce energy for many industrial applications without CO2 emissions and the only emissions are water. However the existing methods of production and storage of H2 are beset with high costs and difficulties in implementation.

The UK company has developed a new method of zero-carbon hydrogen production method called Resonant Control Electrolysis (RCE). It is currently developing the market ready version of the technology with an expected 18-24 months project before large scale production can commence.

As this is a brand new technology, the manufacture at scale will require a significant amount of planning, therefore the UK company wishes to begin the planning of the production with potential manufacturing partners while concurrently developing the market-ready version of the RCE technology.

To achieve this the UK company seeks to set up a joint venture and /or manufacturing partnership with companies that are able to fund and build the RCE factories in order to exploit the technology.

The 'ready for market product' is estimated to take 18-24 months before large scale production can begin, however pre planning for a factory also requires time so the UK company wishes that their factory partners begin production as soon as possible after the RCE production version is completed and tested.

The UK company is seeking a joint venture and/or long term manufacturing agreement.

Advantages & innovations

As of now, there are no factories that produce RCE technology. - RCE is many times more energy and cost efficient than alkaline or PEM electrolysis, enabling, H2 retailing for €2.50 per kg, whereas H2 produced by electrolysis using existing methods is retailing at €10-15 per kg. This has the potential to create a very large demand, especially for industries who have high energy usage (steel, cement production). - The method enables localised zero-carbon electricity generation on demand, i.e. when the customer or electricity grid needs it. - Partners who operate the RCE technology will benefit from low capital expenditures and low operating operating expenses (e.g. a partner factory producing 1 GigaWatt output per annum of RCE technology can make €50m profit per annum. - Application in transport also offer great opportunities: to replace all diesel and petrol in Europe would require about 370 GW of RCE technology to produce sufficient H2 every day. That means 28,000 HRS's (Hydrogen Refueling Stations) of 800kg/day capacity to supply Europe's vehicles. Currently there are 77,000 petrol/diesel fuel stations in Europe. RCE modular technology in container size skids can be installed at most of them. - RCE technology will also be used to produce H2 for electricity generation. The production cost of zero carbon H2 electricity will be approximately €22 MWh, whereas the ‘Big Six' electricity generators in UK have an average production cost of € 64 /MWh. (for mostly heavy CO2 emitting electricity). - The RCE factory will be highly profitable and the output will be sold to customers in the partners' region, such as hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) or for zero-carbon electricity generation. This will have a positive impact on the environment and the regional wealth. - Partners will be eligible to get assistance with capital equipment funding through the EU "Just Transition" mechanism, making this partnership even more profitable for both parties.

Stage of development

Under development/lab tested

Partner sought

A cooperation as a joint venture or under a manufacturing agreement is sought. Partners may be existing manufacturers of electrolyser cell stacks who have access to skilled personnel to assemble the various components of the finished RCE products. Partners will help the UK company with the pre-planning of the factory, including the planning of staff training, expertise crossover, semi automation, and suppliers sourcing. The manufacture of electrolyser cell stacks uses skilled personnel to assemble the components. Some components such as electronic control units may be sourced from large scale manufacturers due to economies of scale, but the UK company aims to enable as much local production as possible. the partners will be expected to help the UK company build this network of suppliers in their respective region.