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

  • November 22, 2021
    LA microgrid to charge 100 e-buses
    Project is expected to reduce emissions and lower LADoT’s electricity costs 
    Read More
  • June 18, 2014
    Q-free unveils new products
    Q-Free has added two new high performance products to its product portfolio, both with low power consumption and long life use. The OBU615 is a Dedicated Short-Range Communication-based (DSRC) on-board unit (OBU) for applications such as electronic toll collection (ETC) and congestion charging, automatic vehicle identification (AVI), electronic registration identification (ERI), access control and parking. The device uses the same in-vehicle mounting as he OBU610, reducing logistic and operational costs
    Read More
  • March 14, 2018
    Techrules establishes key partnerships for TREV system
    Chinese automotive research and design company Techrules has established key strategic partnerships to develop its Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle (TREV) technology. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with supplier of rail transit equipment subsidiary CRRC Times Electric (TEC) at the Geneva Motor Show. Through the agreement, TREV will be developed for use in TEC’s Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit transportation system. The innovation’s weight-saving and range-extending capabilities are said to
    Read More
  • May 20, 2016
    Leaders call for US to accelerate autonomous cars
    A group seeking to improve American oil security through domestic production, fuel competition, driverless technology and anti-cartel measures has called on policymakers to remove regulatory hurdles in order to accelerate the deployment of self-driving cars, as well as revise tax incentives to boost sales of less expensive electric vehicles. Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), chaired by FedEx Corporation chairman, president and CEO Frederick W. Smith and retired US Marine Corps Commandant James Con
    Read More

Highlighted Content