(Friedrichshafen) - Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG is taking over 54 percent of the shares in Hoeller Electrolyzer GmbH from Wismar. The company develops polymer electrolyte membrane stacks (PEM) for the production of hydrogen under the product name “Prometheus”. According to the information, the technology is the basis for the future electrolyzers of the Rolls-Royce subsidiary MTU.
During electrolysis, water is subjected to direct voltage, producing hydrogen at the negative pole and oxygen at the positive pole. The electrochemical reaction takes place in a cell between plate-shaped electrodes that are separated by membranes. Hundreds of cells stacked on top of each other and pressed together form a “stack,” the core of an electrolyzer, according to the company. Rolls-Royce now wants to develop the complete electrolyser from the Hoeller stacks, “which will be housed in containers in the first step”.
Test operation in 2023
According to information, development work for the first electrolyser based on a stack from Hoeller has been ongoing for some time. It is scheduled to go into test operation at the MTU Microgrid Validation Center in Friedrichshafen in 2023.
A first customer project is planned for 2024. “We will be bringing electrolyzers with several megawatts of power onto the market right from the start,” says Armin Fürderer from Rolls-Royce Power Systems. Through scaling, a total output of over 100 megawatts is conceivable.
Leading international stack manufacturer
The share in Hoeller Electrolyzer now held by Rolls-Royce comes from departing minority shareholders and from a capital increase. It was agreed not to disclose the financial details. The current managing directors Stefan Höller and Matthias Kramer will continue to run Hoeller Electrolyzer as an independent company with the aim of “building a leading international stack manufacturer,” according to the new owner.
Rolls-Royce Power Systems – formerly Tognum – has been fully part of Rolls-Royce since 2014. The company, based in Friedrichshafen, employs around 9.000 people. Under the MTU brand, the company sells, among other things, engines and drive systems for ships, heavy land, military and rail vehicles as well as for energy generation, as well as diesel and gas systems as well as battery containers for continuous power generation and systems for combined heat and power.
Photos
The first MTU electrolyzer from Rolls-Royce with the stacks from Hoeller is scheduled to begin test operation in 2023. From left to right: Otto Preiss, COO of the Rolls-Royce Power Systems Division, Armin Fürderer, responsible for climate-neutral solutions at RR, Hoeller managing director Matthias Kramer, Hoeller managing director and founder Stefan Höller. © Rolls Royce
