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

  • June 1, 2012
    GE opens innovation centre for alternative fuel vehicles and solutions
    GE Capital Fleet Services has announced the opening of its Vehicle Innovation Centre, to provide businesses, industry groups and researchers with first-hand experience of alternative fuel vehicles and enabling GE technologies. Showcasing the latest in a growing array of alternative fuel vehicles in electric, natural gas, propane, hydrogen and other formats, the centre gives GE’s commercial customers the opportunity to learn about and test drive numerous alternative fuel cars and trucks in a single location
    Read More
  • September 20, 2021
    ITSWC 2021: New solutions for the new normal
    October’s ITS World Congress in Hamburg will profile the changing face of mobility, with real-world examples of electric vehicle implementation, shared transport and autonomy taking centre stage
    Read More
  • November 19, 2014
    EU funds cross-border driving of electric vehicles
    The EU's TEN-T Programme is to invest over US$4.4 million in studies and pilot deployment of 115 high power re-charging points on Central European roads, to enable long-distance driving of electric vehicles and promote sustainable transport modes. The EU says Europe needs to adapt the road infrastructure to meet consumers' e-mobility requirements as the number of cleaner and more efficient vehicles, including electric ones, is increasing. One priority is to enable efficient long distance driving on an i
    Read More
  • November 11, 2015
    TRL develops eCall test proposals ahead of mandatory roll-out in 2018
    TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, has developed proposals for technical requirements and test procedures for the European type-approval of eCall in-vehicle systems. The draft proposals, which were developed for the European Commission, provide recommendations on the safety requirements for eCall systems in preparation of the mandatory European roll-out in 2018. Following the publication of eCall Regulation (EU) 2015/758 in May 2015, TRL was commissioned by the European Commission to develop dr
    Read More

Highlighted Content