(Schwäbisch Gmünd / Germany) – The French green hydrogen supplier Lhyfe has completed an electrolyzer with an installed capacity of ten megawatts in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg. According to the company, the plant has a capacity of four tons per day, enough to power 100 trucks, each with a range of 400 kilometers.
Inauguration of the Lhyfe production site in Schwäbisch Gmünd in the presence of representatives from politics and business (from left): Richard Arnold (Lord Mayor), Matthieu Guesné (Founder and CEO of Lhyfe), Thekla Walker (Minister of the Environment of Baden-Württemberg), Winfried Kretschmann (Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg), Nicolas Gibert-Morin (DG Regio ERDF, European Commission), Joachim Bläse (District Administrator of Ostalbkreis), Luc Graré (Head of Central and Eastern Europe at Lhyfe). © Lhyfe
The plant, located on the one-hectare site, was inaugurated in the presence of Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, and was certified according to the European RFNBO (Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin) standard in September. This provides customers with proof of sustainability and enables them to participate in national and European funding programs.
Lhyfe says it has signed renewable electricity purchase agreements (PPAs) for its hydrogen production. This is the "first commercial plant in Germany dedicated exclusively to the free sale of renewable hydrogen," and also Lhyfe's fourth production site and the first outside France, says Luc Graré, Head of Central and Eastern Europe.
Trailer boxes for filling the hydrogen. © Lhyfe
The stackable containers reduced space requirements and covered the entire production and distribution process: power conversion, cooling, water treatment and electrolysis, purification, compaction, and filling into company-owned trailers with capacities ranging from 380 to 1.000 kilograms for delivery to customers. The components are currently undergoing final reliability tests. Marketing will begin "in the coming months." A contract with operator H2 Mobility GmbH to supply regional hydrogen filling stations has already been announced. Lhyfe also intends to supply the nearby planned "H2-Aspen" industrial park.
Lhyfe already operates three production sites in France: Bouin (one megawatt, Pays de la Loire), Buléon (five megawatts, Brittany), and Bessières (five megawatts, Occitanie). The project in Germany is receiving €2,1 million in funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contributed an additional €4,3 million.
Photo above
The new 10-megawatt electrolyzer was installed by Lhyfe on a one-hectare site in Schwäbisch Gmünd and is currently undergoing final testing. Commercialization of the hydrogen will begin "in the coming months." © Lhyfe
