UK-based Ceres Power Holdings has announced plans to continue its collaboration with Shell as they work to develop a pressurised module design for solid oxide electrolysers (SOECs) that can be scaled to hundreds of megawatts.

If successful, this could play an important role in accelerating the decarbonisation of emissions-intensive industries. Via integration with industrial plants, it could be used for synthetic fuels, ammonia and green steel, paving the way for production of sustainable future fuels.

Ceres’ contract with Shell aims to build on the data obtained from the use of its technology at Shell’s R&D facility in Bengaluru, India. “Our strategic collaboration with Shell continues to provide valuable insights, ensuring Ceres’ SOEC technology is well positioned to meet our partners’ needs for the green hydrogen and synthetic fuels markets” said Ceres CEO Phil Caldwell.

Ceres’ technology allows it to produce approximately 35% more hydrogen per unit of electrical energy when coupled with heat from industrial processes, the company said. By employing pressurised systems, the firm’s modular green hydrogen project targets a module-level efficiency of less than 36kWh/kg of hydrogen, which aligns with EU targets.

Ceres is aiming to use the project to chart the course for the commercialisation of SOEC technology for large-scale industrial applications, thereby ensuring a commercially scalable and competitive solution driven by key lessons from the existing 1MW demonstration project.

In February, Ceres collaborated with Canada-headquartered AtkinsRéalis to create a blueprint of the optimum system architecture for a 100MW+ electrolyser system to produce green hydrogen as a building block for GW-scale plants. This collaboration aimed at designing a commercial multi-megawatt modularised hydrogen production system to reduce large-scale industrial emissions using Ceres’ inherently reversible solid-oxide technology.

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Author: Shweta Dilawari