Green hydrogen for energy storage, sustainable chemicals, and mobility

In today’s changing electricity landscape, moving away from coal, oil, gas and nuclear power production towards solar and wind energy, there is a strong need for cross-sector integration of these huge amounts of electricity, not just for electrical applications but also for transportation, heating, and the chemical industry.

The water electrolysis process is in use around the world for several decades, mainly in installations serving small-volume industries such as glass making, organic hydrogenation, generator cooling applications etc. In the fertilizer industry it was always an option when cheap electricity was available and there were no other sources of hydrogen. As in the future the focus will be more on integrating renewable energy sources in a cross-sector approach, hydrogen will have a very important role to play.

Most of the so-called Power to X technologies (where X can be gas e.g. hydrogen or methane, chemicals such as ammonia or methanol, gasoline and so forth) include a water electrolysis plant as the very first step to obtain the hydrogen needed for the subsequent conversion of carbon dioxide or nitrogen. At thyssenkrupp we are constantly working on this technology, which will be at the heart of the energy system of the future.

Cadeias de valor de hidrogênio na concepção da thyssenkrupp

Advanced alkaline water electrolysis

Based on thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers’ robust and efficient chlor-alkali technologies we are developing our own advanced alkaline water electrolysis technology. Identifying the need for a low-CAPEX, low-OPEX technology to keep the electricity grid in balance in the future and to provide a continuous source of hydrogen and oxygen upstream from a chemical plant, we are on the verge of adding a single modular concept for these applications to our portfolio.

With over 200,000 electrolysis cells produced so far, giving us unrivalled experience in electrochemical hydrogen production, and with over 600 plants erected worldwide on the basis of our own technology portfolio, thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers provides in-depth knowledge from understanding the customer’s needs to the engineering, procurement and construction of electrochemical plants.

Key advantages/features

Minimized investment
Robust continuous and/or flexible operation
Multigigawatt plants can be realized
One-stop shop solutions for power to X solutions

Transition to renewable hydrogen

Water electrolysis is the one discussed negative balancing energy for the electricity grid and for direct connection to renewable electricity production units as it serves not only power to power but offers a far wider product portfolio. Options for power to gas, power to fuel, power to heat and power to chemicals are available using this technology route. Direct use of hydrogen is expected to revolutionize our transport sector, with cars, buses and trucks powered by hydrogen.

Today four percent of the world’s hydrogen consumption already originates from electrolysis plants , mainly chlor-alkali installations. Dramatic changes are expected in the future as the need to avoid carbon dioxide emissions increases. Alongside renewable hydrogen production via water electrolysis, the move towards carbon dioxide as a feedstock will change the way chemicals are produced today.

In the chemical industry hydrogen plays a major role in the production of fertilizers such as ammonia and urea and is used as a desulfurization agent in oil refineries. It is also needed for all syngas routes to e.g. methanol and thus to gasoline.