Ohmium International (Ohmium), a green hydrogen company that designs, manufactures, and deploys advanced proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, has partnered with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Breathe Applied Sciences, and Spirare Energy on India’s first CO2-to-Green Methanol plant.
The project will combine green hydrogen generated by Ohmium PEM electrolyzers with CO2 captured from the Singareni Thermal Power Plant to produce green methanol. The process to synthesize green methanol from CO2 emissions was developed by researchers at Breathe Applied Sciences and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in India. Spirare Energy partnered with Ohmium to procure the PEM electrolyzer solution, an important component of the overall project.
Methanol is commonly used as a fuel or as a raw material in various industrial processes. Reducing or eliminating the carbon content of methanol production helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Technologies for converting CO2 to green methanol can also help decarbonize various sectors including the coal based thermal power sector.
Ohmium’s modular PEM electrolyzers are designed for mass production and easy assembly. In July 2024, Ohmium celebrated the launch of its second Gigafactory in Bangalore.
A new study by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) assesses the readiness of four African countries – Egypt, Morocco, Namibia and Ethiopia – for establishing a green hydrogen ecosystem. The countries have been identified based on their vast renewable energy potential which could enable them to contribute significantly towards developing a green hydrogen ecosystem.
The study also examines the indicative Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCoH) for each of these countries considering various configurations of renewable energy. It takes into consideration the capital expenditure as well as operating expenses such as raw materials (water), electricity, financing, maintenance, etc, incurred over the life of the project (usually 25 years).
As per the study, hydrogen produced from hydropower is likely to be economical especially in hydro-rich regions of Egypt and Ethiopia allowing for higher electrolyser utilisation and high reliability. Hydropower is anticipated to achieve 95% capacity utilization factor (CUF) with perennial rivers present in these countries.
In Egypt, green hydrogen produced from hydropower and hybrid (solar PV + onshore wind) is estimated to be the cheapest at $3–4.5/kg. Hydrogen produced from pure onshore wind is estimated to cost around $4.5-5.5/kg followed by pure solar PV at $6-7/kg.
In Ethiopia, hydrogen produced from hydropower is estimated to be the cheapest at $4-5/kg, followed by hybrid (combining solar PV and onshore wind) RE power at $5.5-6.5/kg.
In Morocco, hydrogen produced from wind energy is estimated to be the cheapest at $4.5–5.5/kg, followed by CSP at $5.5-6.5/kg.
In Namibia, hydrogen produced from hybrid RE projects (combining solar PV and wind) is estimated to be the cheapest at $3.5–4.5/kg, followed by onshore wind at $4–5/kg.
The study states financing can be challenging for green hydrogen, due to the nascent nature of the sector and paucity of commodity offtakers at current price points. However, these candidate countries can consider innovative financial solutions and de-risking mechanisms to promote green hydrogen projects. There are several important examples of various financial instruments—such as tax credits, Contracts for Difference (CfDs), Viability Gap Funding (VGFs) and demand aggregation—being adopted by some countries such as the USA, Japan, and India.
Siemens has partnered with HiiROC to advance its hydrogen production technology. Under the agreement, HiiROC will use Siemens’ control technology and automation expertise to ensure safe and efficient hydrogen production and support scaling efforts. HiiROC’s proprietary Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) technology produces clean hydrogen from gaseous hydrocarbons without generating carbon dioxide, using only a fifth of the electricity required for water electrolysis.
Seraphim Reshape (Ningxia), a joint venture between Shanghai Reshape and Jiangsu Seraphim, has started building the Ningxia Taiyangshan integrated green hydrogen project (first phase) with 16,500 tons of annual green hydrogen output. According to China Daily, it will include a green electricity water electrolysis hydrogen production device with an annual output of 16,500 tons of green hydrogen and 132,000 tons of green oxygen, as well as a green oxygen recovery device, a transmission pipeline, and hydrogen spherical tanks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in “Assessing Technical and Economic Aspects of Nuclear Hydrogen Production for Near Term Deployment” that integrating nuclear power plants with hydrogen production could drive the development of the hydrogen economy. The paper analyzes various technologies and strategies for hydrogen production. “Nuclear power plant integration with hydrogen production has the potential to play a pivotal role in the emerging hydrogen economy,” said the IAEA.
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