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, together with partners from research and industry, has launched the "GENtwoPRO" project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. 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 aim is to create a highly efficient, lightweight, and certifiable propulsion system that meets the specific requirements of civil aviation. Fuel cell systems have so far been "only partially suitable for the dynamic and safety-critical operation in aircraft," says PEM Chair 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 launched a hydrogen-based Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Vehicle manufacturer CaetanoBus is coordinating all aspects of the project. This includes integrating key system components, such as the supply 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. Furthermore, CaetanoBus is optimizing the fleet and planning a workshop and vehicle maintenance facility. The project allows CaetanoBus to collect technical and economic performance data throughout 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 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 a national storage infrastructure is not a viable energy system, but rather 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. The decision regarding the scale of hydrogen storage is therefore "not just a technical or economic question, but a question of energy policy sovereignty," according to author Markus Löffler. 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 requirements must be in 2045 under realistic systemic assumptions, based on the figure of approximately 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 scenarios from the National Hydrogen Council, the study calculates a storage requirement of 175 to 315 TWh. In terms of energy, this corresponds roughly to today's natural gas reserves of approximately 250 TWh. However, due to the significantly lower volumetric energy density of hydrogen, about five times the current storage volume would be required. For the same amount of energy, considerably more salt caverns would have to be created, and existing structures would need to be extensively repurposed. The study , "Hydrogen Storage in 2045 as a Consequence of a Green Hydrogen Economy," is available as a 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 Versogen's patents, know-how, and design expertise for stack development. The technology partnership aims to contribute to the development of high-performance electrolyzers specifically tailored to the Indian market. Insolare Energy plans to build a manufacturing plant 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 system operator Bulgartransgaz EAD will receive €4,56 million from the European Commission to finance the country's hydrogen infrastructure. The project represents the first 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. Plans include the construction of a 250-kilometer pipeline with a capacity of approximately 80 gigawatt-hours per hour, as well as two 24-megawatt compressor stations in the Kulata (Petrich municipality) and Dupnitsa regions. The project aims to establish the necessary infrastructure for the transfer of hydrogen to and from Greece and the Sofia region in Bulgaria. The infrastructure is intended to be expanded later, both within Bulgaria and across borders into Romania and other neighboring countries.
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Photo above
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
