Green hydrogen will be produced at PowerCell Sweden’s existing Gothenburg facility thanks to an entirely integrated solar-cell solution.
By the second half of 2022, PowerCell expects to have completed the installation, which will serve as an industrial testbed for business development as well as a source of hydrogen and auxiliary power for the company.
“This installation will allow us to increase our sales and accelerate our sustainability,” says Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Sweden AB.
For this installation, PowerCell’s facility in Gothenburg will be fitted with solar panels, as well as an electrolyser that will turn solar energy into green hydrogen. The hydrogen produced will be used in PowerCell’s laboratory, for example, where fuel cells are continually developed and tested and where completed fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems are tested before being delivered to customers. Located in northern Europe, the laboratory is the largest and most advanced hydrogen laboratory. Currently, external suppliers deliver hydrogen to PowerCell via truck.
“This installation will allow us to replace the purchased hydrogen with hydrogen we produce ourselves, which will reduce the number of climate-impacting truck journeys to our facility. Supported by our own stationary fuel-cell-based power system, we will also be using the hydrogen to produce electricity that can be used as auxiliary power and to run various applications, such as charging of electric cars,” says Richard Berkling.
In addition to supplying hydrogen and electricity to PowerCell, the installation will serve as a demonstration and testbed for distributed, sustainable energy systems for the benefit of customers and other interested parties. A growing number of people are interested in complete installations that use locally produced hydrogen in conjunction with fuel cells to address the problem of limited access to electricity while also increasing their sense of self-sufficiency.
“We require a more concrete way of demonstrating to the market that the technology, products and integrated solutions are already available today and that we don’t need to wait until 2025 or 2030, like we sometimes hear, before taking measures to increase sustainability. We are now taking the lead and reducing the threshold for interested customers by demonstrating that the risk and complexity decrease when purchasing these kinds of complete installations. By also being able to show our customers how these work in practice, we have a unique opportunity to offer them complete installations for the production of green hydrogen,” says Richard Berkling.
“When we are asked by politicians, analysts and other stakeholders what can be done to accelerate the transition to completely emissions-free energy solutions, we highlight the need for industrial testbeds that can help generate know-how and experience of the applications, since this is of central importance to the end customer. We are now showing leadership by – in collaboration with selected partners – creating a solution that is commercially available and that can be scaled depending on the application area and the individual needs of the customer.”
It is anticipated that the now-approved installation will be highly adaptable and used in response to changes in demand for and availability of energy. Hydrogen can be produced and stored locally for later use when solar energy is readily available or when grid electricity prices are very low. Also, the hydrogen can be sold externally.
“One of the greatest advantages of hydrogen is that it makes it possible to store and transfer energy from one place to another. When there is surplus electricity, energy can be converted to hydrogen that can be stored and subsequently used locally or in another location,” says Richard Berkling.
PowerCell’s implementation of the project is contingent on receiving all necessary government approvals, such as building permits.
