Enapter develops MW-sized AEM electrolyzer

From pv magazine Germany 

Germany-based hydrogen specialit Enapter aims to bring an alternative to the traditional electrolyzers for MW-sized applications onto the market – the “AEM Multicore”, which works with anion exchange membrane technology (AEM).

The electrolyzer combines 440 mass-produced core modules – so-called AEM stacks – to form an overall system. According to Enapter, these series-connected modules can produce around 450 kilograms of hydrogen per day, which corresponds to an energy equivalent of 9.5 barrels of crude oil.

The new product is expected to hit the market in the course of next year. It is being developed in Saerbeck, between Münster and Osnabrück, in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 76,000 square meter “Enapter Campus”, with buildings for research and development, office, seminar and event rooms, production, and logistics halls, as well as a parking garage, a canteen, and a residential building will be built there from this autumn. The production capacity in Saerbeck is expected to be 280 MW per year.

Enapter sees the AEM Multicore as an inexpensive and low-maintenance alternative to conventional electrolyzers. Reportedly, it is able to react flexibly to fluctuating energy supplies from renewable sources. “The AEM Multicore is cheaper than comparable products on the market – the use of standardized, mass-produced stack modules makes the difference,” said Enapter boss Sebastian-Justus Schmidt.

Enapter already caused a sensation with its technology that moved away from classic alkaline electrolysis and PEM electrolysis. For a small-format electrolyzer that is suitable for, among other things, use in private homes, the company was recognized as a pv magazine storage highlight in 2020.