Metacon AB (publ), in partnership with PERIC Hydrogen Technologies, has launched next-generation pressurised alkaline electrolysis stacks, designed to improve efficiency, durability and system performance for industrial hydrogen production. The new stack generation strengthens the commercial case for customers by addressing key cost drivers in large scale hydrogen production and leading the way towards highly competitive levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in the European market and beyond.
Metacon AB will under the partnership with PERIC Hydrogen Technologies in Handan, China, release a new generation of alkaline electrolyser stacks on the European market.
The next-generation stack design offers up to 17% higher operating current density and up to 13% lower cell-plate weight compared with the previous reference design. It is designed to support flexible operation across a broad load range, including temporary operation above nominal capacity, subject to the final system configuration and operating conditions. The design and manufacturing improvements are also expected to support lower stack-level cost and improved competitiveness at system level.
The new technology will be deployed immediately in ongoing as well as planned and future commercial projects.
Alkaline pressurised electrolysis is the most robust and researched hydrogen production method that exists and has been continually refined for at least a century. As the original, state-owned research institute for hydrogen technologies in China, PERIC has been continuously developing and optimising very large, pressurised electrolyser stacks for many decades. The portfolio consists of a wide variety of stack sizes, with the 5 MW as the current heart of large industrial production designs. However, PERIC also manufactures 10 MW stacks and the world's largest electrolyser in operation, the 15 MW stack. As of today, PERIC has an annual production capacity of around 6.5 GW.
“For industrial hydrogen production, the decisive factor is not only the cost for installed capacity, but also the long-term aggregated cost of every kilogram of hydrogen produced. By improving stack efficiency, durability and operating flexibility, this next generation of pressurised alkaline electrolysers directly addresses key drivers of LCOH and strengthens the commercial case for large-scale green hydrogen projects,” said Christer Wikner, CEO and President of Metacon.