Quest One and MAN Energy Solutions open new gigahub

The series production of stacks will increase the availability of green hydrogen, as they are the technological centrepiece of an electrolyser that can be used to produce green hydrogen. Among the more than 800 guests at the opening ceremony were Till Mansmann, Commissioner for Green Hydrogen of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Michael Kellner, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, Hamburg's Senator for Economics Melanie Leonhard and other high-ranking representatives from politics and business, such as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Hans Dieter Pötsch, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MAN Energy Solutions, Gunnar Kilian. With the opening of the new production site, the company, formerly known as H-TEC SYSTEMS, changes its name and officially becomes ‘Quest One’.

German Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said: “Today, Hamburg-Rahlstedt is sending out a signal. Until now, electrolysers have been made by hand. If the step towards automated production on an industrial scale is successful, the costs and time required for production will fall. Serial production should reduce the production time here in Rahlstedt by 75%. This is a real milestone for the rapid hydrogen ramp-up and shows what is possible in our country.”

The hydrogen technology specialist is starting the serial and automated production of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis stacks for the production of green hydrogen at the new site. PEM electrolysis, which is based on PEM technology, is one of the most important processes for industrially scaled hydrogen production from renewable energies. The series production is an important step towards making green hydrogen available in large quantities and thus becoming a reliable alternative to fossil fuels. The climate-neutral conversion of the industry with its high energy requirements is an important area of application. The new production and development site plays a central role in realising the Quest One mission of avoiding 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through the use of its own electrolysers.

At full capacity, the new gigahub will enable the automated series production of PEM stacks with a potential total electrolysis capacity of over 5 GW per year. Stacks are the technological centrepiece of electrolysers and split water into oxygen and hydrogen with the help of renewable electricity. They therefore play a key role in the ramp-up of the future hydrogen economy. This is why the MAN Energy Solutions subsidiary in Hamburg is also researching new generations of stacks.

The highly automated stack production takes place on two production lines: 'Titan' with a linear transport system and 'Gerd' with swivelling arm robots. They are named after two moons of the planet Saturn, which itself consists of around 95% hydrogen. Many work steps that were previously carried out by hand are now automated which reduces the production time of a stack by around 75% − they can now be produced in Hamburg in less than an hour. The automated production also increases the company's efficiency and precision in manufacturing and optimising logistics processes, resulting in consistently high product quality and fast delivery times.

The gigahub was built in just one and a half years on a site measuring over 26 000 m² in Victoria Park, an industrial park in Hamburg, Germany, and sustainability played a central role in the development of the gigahub. For example, the green roofs are equipped with a photovoltaic system. Platinum certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is being targeted for 2025. The floor area of the new gigahub is over 12 000 m². Initially, around 200 employees will work here in a modern environment in the areas of production, development, testing and service. The site will also serve as a customer and training centre.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/01102024/quest-one-and-man-energy-solutions-open-new-gigahub/