Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking or Clean Hydrogen Partnership is a unique public-private partnership supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe. It builds upon the success of its predecessor, the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The topic focuses on the development of new cell and stack designs, aiming at the replacement of costly ceramic-based components and reduction of critical raw materials (e.g. light and heavy rare earth materials, LREE and HREE), and use of lower cost steels. Improved thermal and load cycling capabilities (faster and higher number of thermal cycles) should be ensured by designing new cells and/or stacks based on e.g. metal supported cells/stacks, cells with integrated interconnect/current collector/electrode and/or metal-based monolith cells/stacks and/or intrinsically more robust cell/stack design/assembly. The stack volume should be reduced compared to state-of-the-art stacks, by 15%. This can be sought by nano-engineering and/or self-assembly of interfaces, integrating several functionalities in single components and/or by developing thinner layers that can also contribute to reduce ohmic losses.
The new sustainable-by-design electrolysers will operate at temperature below 700°C to minimise thermally induced degradation and facilitate direct coupling with renewable sources.
Detailed Call Description
Proposals should address the following:
- Design of new cells and/or stacks based on e.g. metal supported cells/stacks, cells with integrated interconnect/current collector/electrode and/or metal-based monolith cells/stacks and/or intrinsically more robust cell/stack design/assembly, and validation in short stack;
- The short stack based on 5 cells with an active area of minimum 25 cm2 per cell should be operated under representative conditions of the targeted application(s) to evaluate its performance and durability over minimum 1000 hours of continuous testing and 2000 hours of accumulated testing;
- Effect of rapid thermal cycling and load cycling on voltage degradation should be investigated. The testing should be in line with protocols set-up by the JRC;
- Fluid dynamics and multi-physics modelling should be used to determine the optimal cell and stack architectures considering thermal management within the stack and optimising its compactness;
- Increased current density of the cells should be obtained by e.g., designing thinner electrolytes and/or new electrodes with improved materials/architectures;
- Corrosion stability of the metal-based components should be validated in relevant operating conditions, in particular for the steam side of the electrolyser, and if needed, improved by development of protective coatings;
- Degradation mechanisms of the cell/stack components should be identified with respect to temperature and load including in dynamic conditions, ripples and transients;
- The cell and stack manufacturing methods should be based on processes that have the potential to be scaled-up, automatised and mass-manufactured at a later stage;
- Techno-economic evaluation of the steam electrolyser integrated in given application(s) and considering economy of scale will provide the Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) and will be used to provide insights into relevant business models. The CAPEX of the novel stack concept should be compared to state-of-the-art SOEL stacks as well as other electrolyser technologies such as PEM and alkaline.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
EU contribution per project: € 3,000,000
Number of proposals: 1
Thematic Categories
- Energy
- Environment and Climate Change
- Industry
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Large Enterprises
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Consortia are expected to build on the expertise coming from both research and industrial community to ensure broad impact by addressing several of the aforementioned items.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
Email: info@clean-hydrogen.europa.eu
Phone number: +32 22218148
Postal address: Avenue de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
(Publish Date: 28/02/2023-for internal use only)