A New Era of Modern Power Engineering
SG Hydrogen is the first Czech commercial electrolyser project for producing green hydrogen using electricity from a rooftop solar power plant at the headquarters of the company Solar Global. The headquarters are located in close proximity to a motorway network near Napajedla (Zlín region), and therefore offer ideal facilities and conditions for distributing products, components and complete systems for the power engineering industry. Our Group is a pioneer of solar energy development in the Czech Republic, so it makes sense that we are among the first to enter the hydrogen economy. We believe that it is precisely green hydrogen produced using energy from renewable sources that will make it possible to decarbonise power engineering, industry and mobility.
Hydrogen production will be ensured by a PEM electrolyser from the German company H-TEC SYSTEMS with a nominal power of 225 kW and a production capacity of 100 kg of hydrogen per day. That is a quantity roughly corresponding to 10,000 km of travel in a passenger car (on the Czech market, for example, a Toyota Mirai or Hyudai Nexo), or about 1,000 km of travel by a hydrogen bus. We will obtain the required energy from our rooftop photovoltaic power plant with an output of 600 kWp. The wide power range of the electrolyser and its rapid power response will allow us to adapt as much as possible to the variable production of electricity from renewable sources.
THE PRODUCT
Our product will be highly pure hydrogen that meets the requirements of automotive fuel cells. This high-purity hydrogen can be used in automotive transport, for example, whether for passenger cars, buses or lorries, while it can also be found as an integral part of certain industrial processes.
An inseparable part of the electrolyser is a hydrogen storage system with its own compressor unit. The storage system will be able to hold around 500 kg of compressed hydrogen gas. For comparison with our high-capacity megawatt-hour battery storage, this means an energy capacity of about 16 MWh (LHV).
Despite the generally poor reputation of hydrogen storage, the hydrogen storage system is much more efficient than the current high-capacity battery energy storage system (BESS) in terms of price per unit of stored energy.
The premises will also include a filling or fuelling station for the general public and various transport companies. Existing fuelling stations in the Czech Republic allow the pressure vessels of passenger cars to be filled to only about half pressure (approx. 300-400 bar), therefore also limiting the mileage of such filled vehicles to around half compared to the mileage they would have if the prescribed filling pressure was reached (700 bar or more). Filling vessels to a pressure of 700 bar or more is another advantage of our project.
VÝKON ELEKTROLYZÉRU
POTENCIÁLNÍ VÝROBA H2 ZA DEN
ROČNÍ AKUMULACE SLUNEČNÍ ENERGIE
VÝKON FOTOVOL. PANELŮ V AREÁLU
Technical parameters of our electrolyser
| Nominal production | 100 kg/d | 46.3 Nm3/h |
| Production range | 32% - 100% |
| Hydrogen quality | 5.0 (ISO 14687:2019 - 2) |
| Power | 225kW |
| Power response | 30s |
| Dimensions | 6.10m x 2.44m x 2.59m |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Why hydrogen?
A basic precondition for the use of hydrogen in all concerned sectors is the transition to a low-emission or zero-emission economy. Countries across all continents are making continuous effort to find new alternatives for the development of climate-neutral technologies. The European Union alone has set itself the goal of achieving total carbon neutrality by 2050, that is, collecting and storing the same amounts of greenhouse gases as are released into the atmosphere. The very fact that renewable energy sources are being developed across the member states will then create room for stabilising their unpredictable electricity production. In this case, hydrogen will play the role of an energy carrier, particularly suitable for seasonal accumulation and some uses in mobility.
What are the uses of hydrogen?
Hydrogen is an energy carrier, which means that it can be used to store energy for further use. It has a wide range of uses in transport, power engineering and industry. In the future, hydrogen will be one of the energy carriers used for so-called sector coupling, or the idea of integrating individual sectors that manage energy in general.
What is electrolysis of water?
Electrolysis of water is a process that uses direct electric current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a water solution.
2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
How can hydrogen be stored?
At present, the compression of hydrogen in its gaseous state is cited as the most promising and also the most commercially advanced technology for hydrogen storage. Due to the very small size of the molecule, hydrogen stored in this way tends to escape from storage pressure vessels. Modern storage tanks are made of extremely strong and airtight materials, which allow for safe storage with minimal loss of stored hydrogen. Compared to competing hydrogen storage methods, hydrogen gas compression clearly has the fewest disadvantages.
Is hydrogen safe?
All fuels that we know and use to date contain a high concentration of energy, and can therefore be dangerous under certain conditions. However, hydrogen can be considered comparatively safe or even safer than all other fuels. In addition to standard crash tests, hydrogen tanks are also tested to withstand sniper rifle fire. Tanks can withstand twice the pressure that will be reached under standard conditions. Filling stations, which have a number of safety systems for working with high pressure, are similarly safe.
Another safety advantage of hydrogen is its extremely low density; if a tank is pierced, the hydrogen will rise rapidly in the ambient air, and therefore hydrogen never accumulates by itself in the vicinity of a potential leak or accident. In the event of a fire, it creates a flame that will rise vertically and will not cause a vehicle fire, as is the case with liquid fossil fuels.
Although it is not widely known, gas balloon pilots still use hydrogen due to its properties and safety, for example, in the world’s oldest gas balloon race, the Gordon Bennett Cup. Unlike hot air balloons, hydrogen balloon pilots can fly in the air for several days.
Another safety advantage of hydrogen is its extremely low density; if a tank is pierced, the hydrogen will rise rapidly in the ambient air, and therefore hydrogen never accumulates by itself in the vicinity of a potential leak or accident. In the event of a fire, it creates a flame that will rise vertically and will not cause a vehicle fire, as is the case with liquid fossil fuels.
Although it is not widely known, gas balloon pilots still use hydrogen due to its properties and safety, for example, in the world’s oldest gas balloon race, the Gordon Bennett Cup. Unlike hot air balloons, hydrogen balloon pilots can fly in the air for several days.
How will price reduction be achieved in the next 10 years?
The hydrogen economy will not develop sufficiently without the help of state subsidies. In order to achieve a price reduction, we have to invest in production. In the coming years, support for low-emission and zero-emission (green) hydrogen will prevail in Europe. The aim is to build 40 GW of electrolysers within the EU by 2030, and to support the construction of another 40 GW of cross-border electrolysers in order to increase imports. In addition to increases in production capacity, the price of green hydrogen will also be reduced by technological progress and increasing the efficiency of the electrolysers themselves. Any kind of technology produced in large volumes will be cheaper in the end. As a general rule, increasing the production volume of a certain product by 100% reduces the costs of inputs and the final market price by about 20%. A similar trend will therefore gradually be seen in infrastructure based on hydrogen as an energy carrier.
“The carbon age is slowly coming to an end. This challenge presents interesting opportunities for Czech technology companies that could prove successful on European markets with modern energy solutions. Our technological centre gives the Zlín region the interesting outlook of a new field that combines the development of renewable sources and energy storage. We will create jobs with added value where people will be able to contribute to the modernisation of the energy sector in the Czech Republic and beyond.”
Ing. Vítězslav SkopalCEOHydrogen is the future
A full tank in 5 minutes
How do you take your coffee? Our filling station can fill your car’s tank within 5 minutes. It takes about triple that time to fill the tank of a bus.
15 passenger cars a day
At a maximum production rate of 100 kg of hydrogen per day, we can fill 15 cars with enough fuel to cover 650 km. Together, we can travel a massive 10,000 km with the fuel we produce in one day.
One of the first public stations in the Czech Republic
Our premises will include a public filling station for road traffic. It will provide fuel for cars, lorries and buses.
The right choice for freight vehicles
Thanks to a higher energy density and a shorter refuelling time, hydrogen in combination with fuel cells is a favourable choice for long-distance transport and heavy loads.
Hydrogen technology is not a replacement
By 2050, hydrogen is expected to account for up to 24% of the global energy demand. The technology will not replace other ecological alternatives, but will suitably supplement them when traditional batteries will not do.
Low green hydrogen emissions
Since green hydrogen has the smallest carbon dioxide footprint, it is a step in the right direction for a better emission-free future. Green hydrogen production is a great solution for exploiting the ever-increasing surplus of renewable energy.
Contact
Solar Global Storage a.s.
Kvítkovická 1683
763 61 Napajedla
Czech Republic
Email: info@sghydrogen.cz
Kvítkovická 1683
763 61 Napajedla
Czech Republic
Email: info@sghydrogen.cz