Rolls-Royce hydrogen test bench expansion

The green hydrogen will be produced at its business unit Power Systems’ headquarters in Friedrichshafen within the next few years and will be used to test its mtu hydrogen engines and fuel cell systems on its test benches.

The H2Infrastructure project has been awarded EUR4.25 million (US$4.66m) in funding from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management.

Norbert Markert, head of the H2Infrastructure project at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, explained:  “Our new facilities will cover a large part of the hydrogen value chain – from infrastructure to production, distribution and use. The project presents some challenges in terms of engineering, safety and regulatory approvals. Our customers will benefit from our experience”. 

The “H2Infrastructure” funding project covers the production of green hydrogen by means of innovative PEM electrolysis, including the necessary infrastructure and the construction of test benches that are specifically designed and adapted for the development of sustainable hydrogen-based solutions. Rolls-Royce plans to successively expand hydrogen production capacities of up to 10 megawatts in the long term.

Dr. Daniel Chatterjee, Director Sustainability, Technology Strategy & Regulatory Affairs at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, declared:  “We see hydrogen as one of the central elements of the energy transition. It can be used to store renewable energy and as a fuel for engines, fuel cells and combined heat and power plants to generate climate-neutral electricity and heat and is the basis for so-called e-fuels.”

Rolls-Royce Power Systems has announced that it is developing its own standardised mtu electrolysers and has acquired a stake in a German electrolyser stack developer and manufacturer, Hoeller Electrolyzer.