"The station will be the most efficient in the world and the first to transform ammonia into pure hydrogen to directly power fuel cells"
TECNALIA's deep tech start-up, H2SITE, is participating in a €7.8 million initiative, backed by the UK Government, whose objective is to develop the world’s first and most efficient decentralised plant to convert ammonia into hydrogen.
Today, long-distance transportation of hydrogen is a barrier to its widespread adoption. Ammonia is a molecule with a very high hydrogen density and easy to transport and store in situ. Precisely, the technology of H2SITE, TECNALIA's start-up, enables this ammonia to be converted into hydrogen at the end user's own facilities with high levels of efficiency.
In this context, the Tyseley Ammonia to Green Hydrogen initiative was launched in Birmingham, United Kingdom, with the aim of creating and implementing the world’s most efficient ammonia-hydrogen conversion unit. It will power the bus fleet in the city of Birmingham.
The demo plant will be located on the Tyseley Energy Park
The demo plant, which is currently under development, will be located on the Tyseley Energy Park, the strategic and resource centre for the West Midlands region of England, and will produce 200 kg of hydrogen per day to supply the existing hydrogen refuelling station located on the same park. The station will be equipped to supply the bus fleet in the city of Birmingham and will be the world’s first and most efficient plant to transform ammonia into pure hydrogen to directly power fuel cells.
As the H2SITE CEO, Andrés Galnares,pointed out, “ammonia is one of the most promising and upcoming alternatives to the transportation of hydrogen. H2SITE’s advanced membrane reactor technology generates hydrogen on-site with sufficient purity to power fuel cells and does not have any moving parts”.
A unique initiative
Tyseley Ammonia to Green Hydrogen is led by H2SITE, the deep tech start-up developed by TECNALIA in collaboration with its Deep Tech Venture Builder, TECNALIA Ventures, Engie New Ventures and Eindhoven University. The project also involves Gemserv, University of Birmingham, EQUANS, Yara and Tyseley Energy Park.
The initiative, funded with 7.8 million euros by the UK Government's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) , is part of its commitment to achieve hydrogen production capacity of up to 10 GW by 2030. Projections by this administration indicate that hydrogen will account for 35% of total energy consumption in the UK by 2050.
UK Energy Minister, Greg Hands, pointed out that “the country is leading global hydrogen innovation through the efforts of companies like those participating in this initiative. The support we are providing from the Government to these companies will help accelerate the development of hydrogen as the low-cost, affordable and home-produced super-fuel of the future.”
