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First sale of ‘power–to-gas’ plant in Germany

This is ITM Power’s first major commercial sale in Germany of a large hydrogen production unit based on its unique design of a self-pressurising rapid response PEM Electrolyser. The unit produces 125kg/day of hydrogen gas and incorporates AEG power electronics. It will be situated at a Mainova AG site in the Schielestraße, Frankfurt in the state of Hessen.

The operational data will be shared by the whole Thüga group - the largest network of energy companies in Germany with around 100 municipal utility members.

The project partners include: badenova AG & Co. KG, Erdgas Mittelsachsen GmbH, Energieversorgung Mittelrhein GmbH, erdgas schwaben GmbH, Gasversorgung Westerwald GmbH, Mainova Aktiengesellschaft, Stadtwerke Ansbach GmbH, Stadtwerke Bad Hersfeld GmbH, Thüga Energienetze GmbH, WEMAG AG, e-rp GmbH, ESWE Versorgungs AG with Thüga Aktiengesellschaft as project coordinator. Scientific partners will participate in the operational phase.

Power to Gas energy storage is rapidly growing in significance in Germany and this deployment with Thüga-Group is the largest ever PEM Electrolyser deployment in a Power-to-gas application to date. PEM electrolysers are able to respond rapidly to fluctuating renewable inputs and so are able to store renewable energy as hydrogen for injection into the gas grid. The ITM Power technology is unique since it can respond in one second and is self-pressurising up to 80bar, permitting direct injection into the German gas grid.

“In the decade between 2020 and 2030 we will need to store excess renewable energy in significant volumes," said Michael Riechel, CTO, Thüga Aktiengesellschaft. "We have calculated that the municipal natural gas network is capable of storing all future generated excess renewable energy.

"In order to transform green electricity into hydrogen or methane we need an economic best practice. It is important for the advancement of Power-to-Gas technology to make the transition from lab to practical demonstration. We believe that the natural gas distribution system could be the battery of the future, and we are now building the charger,” Riechel said.

Dr. Peter Birkner, Director, Mainova AG, added: “The energy sector in Germany is undergoing a fundamental change, which is being accelerated as Germany moves away from nuclear power generation. We are now exploring all aspects of harnessing intermittent renewable energy and it is essential that we can harness all of the renewable energy that we generate. ITM Power’s technology will be a key part of the systems that we need to achieve our goals.”

“Harvesting the maximum energy generated by intermittent and varying renewable energy sources is still seen as the holy grail in the power generation and distribution industry," said Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power plc. " We have the technology to achieve this today. The Company is looking forward to deploying its technology further in the forward thinking German market.”

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ITM Power