All R&D+i activities intended to generate hydrogen using renewable energy, mainly through water electrolysis, but also via other biological processes and waste recovery based methods are part of the hydrogen production area. Achieving optimised systems, as opposed to operating with greatly variable sources such as renewable energies, without causing any detriment to parameters such as the purity of any produced gas, system efficiency or durability is the big challenge.
Clean hydrogen production from renewable sources is the most critical, essential aspect when considering hydrogen as an energy storage system, particularly via water electrolysis, both at low (alkaline, PEM) and high (solid oxide) temperatures. Electrolysis is a process that consists in adding electricity and heat to split the water molecules into its elemental components (H2 and O2). There are also other photochemical and biological based processes such as anaerobic waste fermentation or microbial electrolysis that are greatly important for clean hydrogen production.
At CNH2, we actively work on these processes supporting both the industrial and scientific sectors in order to optimise and drive these technologies forward. In this manner, the different activities undertaken in this area comprise the development and characterisation of components, design and improvement of electrolytic cells through CFD simulation, and testing stacks and industrial scale systems to analyse their durability and to optimise their performance. These activities also include the design, development and implementation of infrastructures aimed at testing these technologies, as well as modelling processes that combine all associated sub systems.
With the purpose of achieving these goals, CNH2 has several highly specialised laboratories available with the required equipment to support and cover the different R&D+i activities taking place in this area. Our main installations are fitted with the necessary equipment to carry out electrochemical and fluid dynamic research, corrosion testing, material characterisation, simulation licensing, test benches with different cell and stack power capacity and installations capable of testing full systems.
Finally, we would like to highlight that the area is staffed by a multi skilled team with wide experience in the different tasks involved including research, technological development and engineering.
Laboratories related to hydrogen production

Alkaline Electrolysis Laboratory

PEM Technology Research & Scale Up Laboratory

Solid Oxide Technologies Laboratory

PEM Technology Testing Laboratory

Biotechnology Laboratory

Simulation Laboratory

Materials Characterization Laboratory