Sunfire constructs green hydrogen test facility

Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) technology operates at high temperatures of around 850 degrees Celsius and achieves electrical efficiencies of up to 89 % LHV, AC [1]. As a result, Sunfire’s SOEC electrolyzers enable the lowest levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH). As a pioneer in SOEC development, Sunfire has implemented more industrial SOEC demonstration projects than any other company worldwide. By establishing the SOEC testing facility in Schwarzheide, the project further strengthens the Lausitz region as a location for future technologies.

Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire, said: “Sunfire stands for green hydrogen technologies ‘Made in Germany’. While our pressurized alkaline electrolyzers are already being successfully deployed in large-scale industrial projects across Europe, we also see high-temperature electrolysis as a critical enabler of the energy transition. SOEC technology has the potential to become another key technology for industrial decarbonization. As the global market leader in SOEC, we are playing a key role in shaping this development. With the test facility at BASF’s Schwarzheide site, we are consistently executing our SOEC strategy and advancing the commercialization of this technology. The site offers ideal conditions to further accelerate the market ramp-up of high-temperature electrolysis.”

Christian von Olshausen, CTO of Sunfire, commented: “Our SOEC technology demonstrates the full potential of German engineering expertise. By utilizing available waste heat, high-temperature electrolysis achieves record efficiency levels and can significantly reduce the production costs of green hydrogen and synthesis gas. Breaking ground on the testing facility at Industrial Park Lausitz marks an important milestone. Through validation under real industrial conditions, we are completing the final steps before implementing the first commercial projects. As a leader in high-temperature electrolysis, we are building on our extensive experience from industrial demonstration projects while gaining additional insights through long-term operational testing to successfully scale the technology.”

Jürgen Fuchs, Chairman of the Management Board of BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH, added: “With Sunfire, we have secured a true industry pioneer and international technology leader for the Industrial Park Lausitz in the future market of hydrogen. This sends a strong signal about the attractiveness of our location. In addition to our high-performance infrastructure and industrial environment, our speed of implementation was a key factor. Thanks to close cooperation between all parties involved, we were able to create the conditions for the test plant’s grid connection in a very short time and implement an ambitious project timetable. Our aim is not only to enable investments, but to turn them into reality faster.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/20082026/sunfire-constructs-green-hydrogen-test-facility/