Germany: PEM develops scalable fuel cell system for aircraft +++ Portugal: Porto to get traffic management tailored to fuel cell buses +++ Germany: Role of hydrogen storage is significantly underestimated +++ India: Insolare and Versogen develop AEM stacks and electrolyzer +++ Bulgaria: EU funds Southeast European hydrogen backbone with 4,5 million euros
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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RWTH Aachen University is participating in a project to develop durable and scalable fuel cell systems for aviation. © Airbus SAS
(Germany) The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has launched the “GENtwoPRO” project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, together with partners from research and industry. The three-year project focuses on developing a scalable fuel cell system for use in short-haul passenger aircraft with a capacity of approximately 100 seats. The goal is to create a highly efficient, lightweight, and certifiable propulsion system that meets the specific requirements of civil aviation. Fuel cell systems are currently "only partially suitable for the dynamic and safety-critical operation in aircraft," says PEM Director Achim Kampker. "To make hydrogen usable as an energy carrier in aviation, the systems must not only be high-performance but also durable and scalable."
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Under the direction of CaetanoBus, the city of Porto is introducing a traffic management system for fuel cell buses. © CaetanoBus
(Portugal) The city of Porto has introduced a hydrogen-based Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The vehicle manufacturer CaetanoBus is coordinating all parties involved. This includes, among other things, the integration of key system components, including the delivery of fuel cell vehicles, the integration of local green hydrogen production, the installation and commissioning of the hydrogen refueling station (HRS), and the provision of photovoltaic modules for on-site renewable energy generation. It also encompasses fleet optimization and the planning of a workshop and vehicle maintenance facility. The project enables Caetanobus to collect technical and economic performance data across the entire lifecycle, from system development and infrastructure integration to daily fleet operation. As a next step, the company plans to offer a pay-per-use model for public and private operators to utilize the entire infrastructure. Caetano, part of Toyota Caetano Portugal and Mitsui & Co., is providing twelve 18-meter buses equipped with doors on both sides.
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Study: "The role of hydrogen storage is significantly underestimated." © Westphalian Energy Institute / Markus J. Löffler
(Germany) A large-scale, import-dominated hydrogen system without national storage infrastructure is not a viable energy system, but a geopolitical risk. “Anyone who treats the storage issue as a minor market problem underestimates its strategic importance.” This is the conclusion of the study “Hydrogen Storage in 2045” by the Westphalian Energy Institute. According to the author, Markus Löffler, the decision regarding the scale of hydrogen storage is “not just a technical or economic question, but a question of energy policy sovereignty.” It will determine “whether Germany will have a robust energy system in 2045 – or one that is dependent on external actors in a crisis.” The study primarily examines the question of how large Germany’s hydrogen storage needs will be in 2045 under realistic systemic assumptions, starting from the figure of around 76 to 80 terawatt-hours (TWh) of seasonal hydrogen storage cited by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which is frequently used as a benchmark in public discourse. Based on the scenarios of the National Hydrogen Council, the study calculates a storage requirement of 175 to 315 TWh. In terms of energy, this would be roughly equivalent to today's natural gas reserves of around 250 TWh. However, due to the significantly lower volumetric energy density of hydrogen, approximately five times the current storage volume would be required. Therefore, considerably more salt caverns would have to be created and existing structures extensively repurposed to store the same amount of energy. The study "Hydrogen storage in 2045 as a consequence of a green hydrogen economy" is available as PDF (59 pages).
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Versogen had already achieved membrane production capacity in 2023 to manufacture AEM electrolyzers with a power output of one gigawatt. © Versogen Inc.
(India) Insolare Energy Ltd (IEL) and the US company Versogen Inc. plan to jointly develop and commercialize Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) technologies for the Indian green hydrogen market. Insolare Energy intends to license patents, know-how, and design expertise from Versogen for stack development. The technology partnership is expected to contribute to the development of high-performance electrolyzers specifically tailored to the Indian market. Insolare Energy plans to build a manufacturing facility with a capacity of 250 to 300 megawatts, scalable up to one gigawatt.
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First phase of the Southeast European hydrogen backbone: Hydrogen pipeline with compressor stations from Sofia to near the Greek border. © Bulgartransgaz EAD
(Bulgaria) The transmission gas network operator Bulgartransgaz EAD will receive 4,56 million euros from the European Commission to finance the country's hydrogen infrastructure. The project represents the first development phase of Bulgaria's "Hydrogen Backbone" and is a key component of the Southeast European Hydrogen Corridor, which connects Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany. It envisions the construction of a 250-kilometer pipeline with a capacity of approximately 80 gigawatt-hours per hour, as well as two compressor stations in the Kulata (Petrich Municipality) and Dupnitsa regions, each with a capacity of 24 megawatts. The project aims to establish the infrastructure for the transfer of hydrogen to and from Greece and the Sofia region in Bulgaria. Later, the infrastructure is planned to be expanded both within Bulgaria and across borders into Romania and other neighboring countries.
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Photo above
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
