Doral Group, an Israeli renewable energy firm, has made an investment in an electrolyser developer in order to gain access to its technology in support of its global green hydrogen project pipeline initiative.

Specifically, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Doral, has made an undisclosed investment in H2Pro Ltd. Moreover, the latter has agreed to deliver 200 MW of its E-TAC systems until 2030 for use in Doral’s green hydrogen projects in Europe, the United States, and Israel. Doral would acquire minimal numbers based on the performance of the systems, according to the release.

H2Pro, situated in Caesarea, is pioneering an innovative method for producing green hydrogen that differs from conventional electrolysis. This technology, known as E-TAC, which stands for Electrochemical – Thermally Activated Chemical, uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, but unlike electrolysis, this occurs in distinct steps, obviating the need for an expensive membrane. Consequently, the power consumption needs for this technology are substantially reduced. According to H2Pro, it is 95 percent efficient and cost-competitive with hydrogen derived from fossil fuels.

Doral and H2Pro plan to commence their partnership in 2019 with a government-backed trial project in Kibbutz Yosef, Israel, generating 0.4 MW. In this instance, the E-TAC system will utilize energy generated by a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant created by Doral, while the hydrogen it generates will be combined with natural gas for use in the neighboring Yotvata dairy production facility.

The building of a 30-MW hydrogen hub utilizing H2Pro’s technology is envisioned by Doral and its partners in a separate project.