Cavendish Hydrogen ASA has received around EUR 1.3mn of public funding via the European Clean Energy Transition Partnership – CETPartnership program for the HyMEGA project in order to develop a new gen hydrogen compression technology.
The award will allow Cavendish Hydrogen to scale the proprietary technology of the company in this case the new gen hydrogen compression technology into one of the most cost-critical components of the hydrogen value chain, reinforcing the position of Cavendish Hydrogen as a fully integrated hydrogen fueling solutions provider.
HyMEGA aims to directly decrease the cost of hydrogen dispensed by the Cavendish Hydrogen fueling infrastructure, enhancing the competitive position of the company in its primary markets of heavy-duty transport and buses.
Cavendish Hydrogen will manage the project and is going to lead the development as well as testing activities, working with consortium partners, which include recognized and established industrial technology companies and university research along with industrial research groups, bringing together expertise as well as capabilities from countries such as Austria, Denmark, and Italy as well as the Netherlands.
After H2 production, hydrogen compression is one of the most energy-intensive steps as far as the hydrogen value chain is concerned. It is a major contributor to the overall cost of supplied hydrogen. Cavendish Hydrogen is unique among hydrogen fueling companies in that it creates its own proprietary compression technology, which has indeed been a key market differentiator for a long time. HyMEGA will build on this edge in competition by aiming at an innovative compression solution in the pressure range of 30 to 500 bar, which will bridge the gap between the output pressure of the electrolyzer and the input pressure of the fueling station more effectively. The project is aimed at hydrogen flow rates that correspond to around 5 MW electrolyzer installations, which is indeed a fast-growing segment as renewable hydrogen grows across Europe. Its aim is to bring about a step-change in efficiency, along with a significant reduction in operating and capital expenses and an improvement in equipment lifetime.
The three-year programme incorporates materials research, advanced engineering, fluid technology development, and modeling as well as full-scale prototype testing.
According to the Chief Technology Officer at Cavendish Hydrogen, Michael Stefan, “Compression technology is a core part of the hydrogen infrastructure, and the ability to accelerate this work is significant for Cavendish. HyMEGA gives us the opportunity to research and develop proprietary technology with the potential to reduce the total costs of our hydrogen fueling and trailer filling products. This technology also has the potential to impact the broader hydrogen ecosystem, wherever gaseous hydrogen of 100 bar and more is required. We are grateful for the CET Partnership’s support in making this possible.”