Horizon is changing the way we think about making green hydrogen, making it cheaper for industries like steelmaking, ammonia, methanol, and transportation with no emissions via its electrolyser subsidiary HET Hydrogen. The Horizon green hydrogen electrolyser project is at the forefront of this change. The first of the revolutionary 5MW systems are now being prepared for deployment with a subsidiary of Rockcheck Steel Group Co Ltd, a prominent industrial firm in Tianjin, China.
The partnership with Rockcheck Steel is part of a larger system that includes photovoltaics, hydrogen, and hydrogen-enriched smelting. It uses a 17MW building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system and two 5MW (1000Nm³/h) AEM hydrogen production systems. The green hydrogen that is produced will be put into the gas pipeline for Rockcheck Steel Group’s blast furnace operations. The goal is to use less coal and emit less carbon. The world’s first electrolyser under the Horizon green hydrogen electrolyser project should be up and running by the end of 2025. This will speed up and promote the use of sustainable hydrogen in steel manufacturing, which is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise.
Interest in hydrogen as a way to cut down on carbon emissions is significant, but the high cost of hydrogen has made it hard for people to use it widely. Horizon’s modular AEM system makes it easy and cheap to make a lot of green hydrogen, which helps the switch to green fertilisers and chemicals and the shift to more environmentally friendly heavy industries. Compared to standard alkaline technology, Horizon’s AEM system uses 10–20% less electricity. It will also have a lower levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) than alkaline electrolyser systems. The capital cost of AEM is also predicted to be higher than that of alkaline equipment, which is the main selling advantage of that older technology.
The Horizon green hydrogen electrolyser project will make it possible to use Horizon AEM systems with renewable energy projects all over the globe. This will make it easier to make hydrogen from solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. It can take in electricity in short bursts and makes better use of renewable energy to make green hydrogen for as little as US$2 per kilogramme. This offers very competitive green hydrogen solutions for downstream applications such as green ammonia, green alcohols, hydrogen metallurgy, and transportation.
Green ammonia is the next big test for AEM electrolysis at scale. There is growing interest in ammonia not only as a hydrogen carrier, but also as a direct fuel for gradually reducing carbon emissions from power production and shipping throughout the world. In order to do this, Horizon is working with other groups to come up with a flexible plan for making green ammonia.
Horizon Fuel Cell and electrolyser subsidiary HET Hydrogen will continue to foster technical innovation in both green hydrogen generation and its uses, with a purpose of boosting the viability of the hydrogen economy through the Horizon green hydrogen electrolyser project.
