Shell consortium plans bulk hydrogen production project

A consortium of Shell Deutschland Oil and Shell Energy Europe with partners ITM Power, SINTEF, thinkstep and Element Energy plans a project to install a large scale electrolyser to produce hydrogen at the Wesseling refinery site within the Rheinland Refinery Complex. With a capacity of ten megawatts, this would be the largest unit of its kind in Germany and the world’s largest PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) electrolyser.
September 4, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

A consortium of Shell Deutschland Oil and Shell Energy Europe with partners ITM Power, SINTEF, thinkstep and Element Energy plans a project to install a large scale electrolyser to produce hydrogen at the Wesseling refinery site within the Rheinland Refinery Complex.

With a capacity of ten megawatts, this would be the largest unit of its kind in Germany and the world’s largest PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) electrolyser. This electrolyser technology is also suitable to improve the stability of the electricity grid with a growing share of intermittent renewable energy sources, such as from solar and wind.

The consortium has been invited to the preparation of a grant agreement by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU), following a competitive call for proposals.

Today, the refinery uses approximately 180,000 tons of hydrogen per year in its various plants. The hydrogen is currently produced as a by-product of the refining process or through natural gas reforming, while electrolysis uses electricity to split water into the base components of hydrogen and oxygen.

The project aims to enable the construction and operation of a large scale10 MW electrolyser that can produce high quality hydrogen and CO2 free hydrogen while demonstrating technology and cost improvements through up-scaling and new business applications. Electrolysis using low-cost renewable electricity could be a key technology for a potential CO2 free hydrogen production in the Shell Rheinland Refinery.

Related Content

  • Kyocera and BYD to develop integrated energy system for EVs
    June 21, 2019
    Japanese manufacturer Kyocera has joined forces with BYD (Build Your Dreams) to develop an integrated renewable supply-demand energy system for electric vehicles (EVs). Kyocera will combine its solar power generating systems with BYD’s electric buses in a bid to reduce power losses and maintain a stable supply-demand energy balance. For the project, Kyocera is to develop the energy and charge management system to control the supply-demand balance between energy production and consumption by using ag
    Read More
  • UK government announces US$60.6 billion infrastructure spending
    April 23, 2014
    UK prime minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne have launched a year of major infrastructure investment, with US$60.6 billion of spending planned across 200 projects. Many of the projects due to start construction in 2014 and 2015 are key transport schemes, ranging across road, rail, local transport and airport infrastructure as well as flood defence schemes. These include the Mersey Gateway Bridge, Sheffield Lower Don Valley and Exeter flood defence schemes, major roads such as the M6 J
    Read More
  • Here’s why WiM is value for money
    January 23, 2025
    Weigh in Motion systems are not new. What is new is their ability to collect more data and – importantly – more accurate data about axle loading and vehicle weight. Despite the obvious benefits, including safer highways and possibility of automated legal weight enforcement, obstacles remain for faster uptake. David Arminas reports on the manufacturers’ perspective…
    Read More
  • Confusion over electric motors for heavy trucks
    December 19, 2016
    According to Dr Peter Harrop of research company IDTechEx, there is still no agreement on the best type of electric motor to use in heavy trucks. The company’s analysis indicates that the booming, confusing traction motor business will rise to around US$400 billion in 2027. Its new report, Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles 2017-2027 navigates the jargon, the design options and the disagreements. The changing needs and evolving technology are matched to create forecasts and technology timelines based
    Read More

Highlighted Content