GEH2® – a zero-emissions hydrogen power generator
Country of development/application:
France
Scope of innovation
☐ Office work
☒ Production / Service supply process
Sector-specific
☐ Yes / please, specify sector(s):
☒ No (relevant for all sectors)
Description of the needs
Hydrogen is the simplest, lightest atom – since it consists of a nucleus containing a proton and a peripheral electron – and the most abundant in the universe: it represents 75% of the mass of the universe and two thirds of all molecules on our planet. Fuel for the stars and fuel for the “empty spaces” between the stars, hydrogen is not a primary energy but an energy carrier. Unlike other sources, such as fossil or renewable energies, it is a secondary energy without CO2 emissions.
On Earth, hydrogen usually does not exist by itself in nature and must be produced from compounds that contain it, for example from water (H2O). The only exception is a very small percentage that exists in the Earth’s atmosphere. This reduced percentage is due to its low density; Earth’s gravity is not able to hold it and it floats in space. The lost flow is about 95,000 tons of hydrogen per year.
Hydrogen is a gas at room temperature, but turns liquid at -252.8˚C, and from liquid to solid state at -259.2˚C. About 10% of the weight of living organisms is made up of hydrogen – mainly water, proteins and fats.
Electrolysis is a process generating hydrogen for the production of carbon-free electricity from water. Its principles have long been taught in schools: it involves harnessing an electric current to break down a molecule of water (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases. More specifically, water is injected at the positive electrode (anode) where it is first broken down into oxygen, H+ ions and electrons. The H+ ions then migrate to the negative electrode (cathode) where they recombine with electrons to form hydrogen. The membrane is used to let the protons migrate while blocking the electrons to circulate them to the anode. For hydrogen to be green, the electricity used to generate the chemical reaction of molecule separation must itself come from renewable energies, namely solar, wind or hydroelectricity.
Hydrogen can be stored in gaseous form in cylindrical tanks under pressure, most often at 200 bars for industrial uses, these tanks then being mounted on racks to facilitate their transport in larger numbers. In the automotive industry, current tanks allow compression up to 700 bars. For buses and trucks, as in the maritime sector, the current standard is storage at 350 bars, but it is possible to go up to 700 bars, and even beyond, in suitable tanks. The greater the compression, the greater the volume of hydrogen stored in the same space. However, the storage capacity does not quite double if the pressure is doubled, because the walls of the tanks, generally made of composite, are then thicker to withstand these high pressures.
Another storage method is to make the hydrogen liquid. To do this, it is necessary to bring it to -253°C and to maintain this temperature, which requires a lot of energy. The interest of liquid hydrogen lies in the small volume occupied in comparison with the energy it carries. However, this solution is only of interest when the use of hydrogen to power a fuel cell is as continuous as possible: the hydrogen used to power the cell comes from what is called “boil off”, that is to say the change of state from liquid hydrogen to its gaseous form when it heats up and becomes volatile.
There are other more or less technologically mature storage processes, which make it possible to store hydrogen at ambient temperature and pressure using receptacles which will trap the hydrogen molecules before releasing them as needed. These chemical solutions are called LOHC (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier). There are also storage solutions based on metal and inorganic hydrides, the objective of which is similar: to make it possible to solve the problems of pressure and volume of hydrogen storage, the difficulty being to limit the quantity of energy necessary for these methods so as not to lose too much energy efficiency over the entire storage operation.
Currently, 95% of the hydrogen produced in France is of fossil origin, like almost 99% of hydrogen produced in the rest of the world. It is most often obtained from the steam reforming process of methane, the main component of natural gas. Each kg of hydrogen thus produced emits 12 kg of CO2, and its price varies from 1 to 2.5€ per kg. Nearly 45% of world production comes from this technique.
About 25% of hydrogen production comes from “co-production” of refined products from hydrocarbons, which is then called “fatal” hydrogen. Its production cost is variable since it is a “residue” from the production of other chemical elements, and therefore its carbon footprint is too.
A third method uses coal, burned at a very high temperature (1200 to 1500°C) to separate hydrogen – which should be called dihydrogen H2 – from CO2, in the form of gas. This production, about 30% of the total, makes it possible to obtain hydrogen whose price per kg varies between 1.5 and 3€, but releases 19kg of CO2 per kg of hydrogen into the air.
These are industrial models that produce “grey” hydrogen. “Green” hydrogen, which only contributes less than 1% of global production (about 5% in France), comes from the use of carbon-free or renewable energies (solar, wind, etc.). Water electrolysis, which allows a zero carbon footprint, represented only 0.1% of global hydrogen production in 2019, due to its relatively prohibitive production cost compared to other methods, one kg of hydrogen costing between €3 and €12 for its production alone (excluding the cost of transport, distribution, etc.).
To enable the large-scale deployment of “green hydrogen” in the future, electrolysis from a renewable energy source is one of the paths, and it is clearly one of the options selected by the 2020 recovery plan to make France and Europe champions in the production of “green” hydrogen.
The benefits of hydrogen:
• It is inexhaustible: On Earth, the most abundant source of hydrogen is water. During the electrolysis and electrochemical conversion processes with a fuel cell, the only by-products are oxygen and water. Its availability is therefore infinite.
• It is full of energy: Although its density is very low, which makes it necessary to compress or liquefy it, hydrogen has an exceptional energy density: 1 kg of hydrogen releases 4.1 times more energy than 1 kg of coal, 2.8 times more than 1 kg of petrol and 2.4 times more than 1 kg of natural gas.
• It is the best ally of renewable energies: Hydrogen makes it possible to store surplus renewable energies in the long term so that they can be reused later.
• It is light: Despite a lower theoretical yield than battery storage, hydrogen storage proves to be up to 10 times lighter. This lightness saves volume and reduces the mass necessary for energy storage, even taking into account the mass of the tanks intended to store it. This is why fuel cell-battery hybridization takes on its full meaning when the autonomy of a means of transport is an essential objective, on land as well as at sea. This is why “heavy mobility”, such as trains, buses, trucks and ships, which are fuel-intensive and need just much power to cover long distances on a single tank of energy, are the ideal target market for hydrogen in the energy transition to low carbon solutions.
• It is clean: When it comes from renewable sources, the production of hydrogen is carbon neutral. Its use in a fuel cell does not emit CO2, NOx or fine particles. It only rejects pure water, without any minerals, and heat. We can even state that the ambient air used by the cell to carry out the chemical reaction comes out much purer than it entered the fuel cell, because it is filtered upstream of the process.
• It recharges quickly: In the mobility sector, it is possible to refuel in a few minutes compared to several hours for its battery equivalent. A major benefit for tomorrow’s electric mobility.
Achieving zero emissions by 2050 will require a wide range of technologies and the transformation of infrastructures. Energy efficiency, paradigm shifts, renewable energies and new technologies will have to take their part. Already acclaimed for its many advantages and supported by many states which are investing strongly to democratize its uses and achieve their low-carbon objectives in the years to come, hydrogen represents a real opportunity to accelerate the energy transition.
Industrial players, local authorities and public institutions are multiplying initiatives to develop the renewable/green hydrogen market in order to work for the energy transition and virtuous growth. One of the main challenges is to produce clean hydrogen at an affordable cost (less than €10/kg), but also to offer technological solutions, both for use and supply, that are economically coherent.
To reach these objectives, it is not only essential to convert the most fossil fuel-consuming sectors, such as mobility and industry, to green hydrogen, but also to provide them with innovative and smart options facilitating their transition to carbon-free solutions. Finding technologies to tackle these challenges and marketing them is Energy Observer Developments EODev’s mission. The company offers solutions to accelerate the energy transition through cost-competitive deployment for both industrial and consumer uses.
Since innovation only takes on its full meaning if it is spread, and since the most extraordinary inventions are only of interest if they are shared, EODev relies on its own technological advances and those of its partners to design, develop, and produce accessible, high-performance solutions meeting the major challenges of the 21st century.
Description of the solution
During the electrolysis of water, the molecules of hydrogen are separated from the molecules of oxygen. The fuel cell proceeds in reverse, and will use oxygen from the air and hydrogen, from which it captures the electrons during the chemical reaction, before they are transformed into electricity. The principle of an electro-hydrogen generator is to be able to replace a diesel generator to power an electric motor, for uses related to mobility, or directly supply carbon-free electricity for any other application. There is no such thing as a hydrogen engine, even if the possibility of operating internal combustion engines with hydrogen, in part, also exists, and the objective is to have them run only on hydrogen. In most of the current innovations, it is the production of carbon-free electricity via the combination “hydrogen + fuel cell” which is targeted, both as an alternative to fossil fuels and to overcome the disadvantages of heavy and expensive batteries.
A fuel cell is made of metal, graphite, electrodes and its process is chemical. A fuel cell converts chemical energy (energy stored in molecular bonds) into electrical energy. A PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) cell uses hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) as fuels; electricity is generated via the oxidation of a reducing fuel, hydrogen, and the reduction of an oxidant such as the oxygen contained in the air. The reaction products in the cell are water, electricity and heat. As oxygen is readily available in the atmosphere, it suffices to supply the fuel cell with hydrogen which can come from an electrolysis process.
The EODev’s GEH2® is a hydrogen fuel cell power generator designed to replace diesel or gas gensets in both mobile, prime and emergency standby applications. This generator has zero direct emission, only rejecting water and heat as by-products. No noise, no fumes, no CO2 or fine particles. It was designed to be scalable, efficient and easy to use, and is equipped with the latest generation of hydrogen fuel cells from Toyota, giving it strong reliability and a record life span. It can thus be used in various scenarios, depending on the customers’ needs, to provide low carbon electricity to support existing power supply limitations from the grid. Customers comprise all sorts of companies that have temporary power supply needs or emergency power needs.
In case of grid failure, or simply when grid does not exist, the EODev’s GEH2® electro-hydrogen generator brings the energy needed without CO2 emissions or fine particles. With the GEH2 and its record-breaking energy density, the customer benefits from instant power of 110kVA in an optimized volume.
With a footprint of less than four square meters and an optimized mass, the GEH2 is equipped with the latest generation of fuel cells from our partner Toyota, giving it exceptional durability and reliability. It is today, in relation to the power delivered, the most compact and efficient electro-hydrogen generator on the market.
Always listening to customers’ needs, EODev’s teams have carried out numerous developments over the last few years in order to be able to mount the GEH2 in series and reach powers up to MVAs. No more noise and black fumes forcing customer to wear earphones and anti-pollution mask. The GEH2 does not emit CO2, HC, NOx or other fine particles. Only hot water and filtered air.
The GEH2 in a few figures:
• Dimensions – 3300 x 1100 x 2252 mm;
• Weight – 3.3 tons;
• Power – 110 kVA / 88 kW in ESP, 100 kVA / 80 kW in PR;
• Output voltage – 400 VAC / 480 VAC;
• Frequency output – 50 Hz – 60 Hz;
• Protection index – IP43.
One power generator, multiple applications:
• Isolated sites (life bases, shelters, islands, telecom relays);
• Sensitive or confined environments (tunnels, mines, closed spaces);
• Protected and regulated areas (zero emission zone);
• Construction sites (off-grid or downtown);
• Events (concerts and temporary or sporting events);
• Emergency generators (data centers, hospitals, airports, ports, banks);
• Port areas (dockside electrification).
Description of the effect
Sustainability. EODev’s products have been designed with the objective of always minimizing ecological footprint, to move towards carbon neutrality. They are scalable, dismountable and recyclable, using low-carbon materials and with a connected predictive maintenance system.
Reliability. It is at the heart of EODev’s solutions, the result of the most rigorous tests on board the Energy Observer in the harshest conditions: humidity, salinity, vibrations, extreme temperatures, etc.
Affordability. Mass production allows EODev’s to offer economically accessible and efficient products and solutions. Their adaptability thanks to a simplified man/machine interface allows for multiplying their potential applications.
Environmental benefits:
• The GEH2® cutting-edge generator has zero direct on-field emissions, only rejecting water and heat as by-products; no noise, no fumes, no CO2 or fine particles.
• The GEH2® hydrogen power generator has the advantage of being ultra-quiet and odourless when running.
The Financial benefits
• The GEH2® has an energy efficiency of 50%, whereas a diesel solution operates with only 30% efficiency.
• EODev offers a warranty of 6,500 hours or 24 months of operations but the lifespan of the GEH2 is expected to reach at least 13,000 hours.
Company/companies that developed/implemented/offer the innovation
EODev (Energy Observer Developments) is the result of the unique experience acquired on board Energy Observer: the first clean energy self-sufficient hydrogen vessel, developing innovative solutions for the environment. Created in March 2019, The company’s mission is to accelerate the energy transition by offering sustainable, reliable, efficient, and affordable industrial solutions.
Energy Observer Developments SAS
Head office address: 27, quai Duguay Trouin – 35400 Saint-Malo – France
Contact form
Website: https://www.eo-dev.com/
Additional information
Video: HYDROGEN POWERED – EODev supplies electricity for the PlayGround area at We Love Green!
Video: HYDROGEN POWERED – First backup solution for part of the electrical network at Air Liquide!