HYScale project achieves major milestones, proving industrial hydrogen can be efficient, affordable, and sustainable
At the end of September, the EU-funded HYScale project announced a series of technical breakthroughs. These advances bring cost competitive, industrial scale green hydrogen production a decisive step closer to reality.
HYScale is a multinational, industry-focused, interdisciplinary EU-funded project. Its primary goal is to enhace its electrolyser technology to produce green hydrogen. The project will focus on refining materials synthesis and components production. In particular, it will address membranes, ionomers, electrodes, and porous transport layers, looking for optimisation and upscaling. The project’s final goal is to integrate the stack into a functional electrolyser system and to get to its validation in an industrially relevant environment (TRL5).
At the core of every low‑temperature water‑electrolysis system lies the membrane, a critical component for efficiency, safety, and scalability. HYScale coordinator Cutting‑Edge Nanomaterials GmbH (CENmat) has now successfully upscaled the synthesis and casting of its proprietary AionFLX™ anion exchange membranes (AEMs). At first, the new process delivers dramatically reduced hydrogen permeability, resolving a long-standing performance bottleneck in AEM electrolysis. Plus, it batches volumes sufficient for a 100 kW stack, eliminating membrane supply as a scale up constraint. We have moved beyond laboratory production; membranes are no longer the bottleneck. This scalability opens the door to multi‑kilowatt and soon multi‑megawatt systems. Building on the membrane advance, HYScale partners have fabricated large area, critical-raw-material free catalyst coated substrates (CCSs) for both anode and cathode. These developments ensure that all primary stack materials are available at industrial scale and meet stringent performance targets.
6 kW short stack validates integrated design
To verify real world functionality, researchers at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) designed, built, and operated a 6 kW AEM short stack using the new membranes and CCSs. As a result, the stack demonstrated stable operation across a wide range of temperatures, and current densities. Moreover, this output proves that HYScale’s materials can be combined into robust, application ready membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs).
Design of 100 kW demonstrator completed
Leveraging data from the short stack tests, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has finalised the digital design of a 100 kW HYScale stack demonstrator. The model details dimensioning and material selection, providing a firm blueprint for construction and paving the way to Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5). HYScale holds a unique position to deliver scalable, mass-manufacturable solutions for green hydrogen. Our focus is not only on better materials, but on making them work in real‑life production environments.
From components to complete systems
Taken together, these achievements trace a clear progression:
- Materials innovation: Industrial‑scale AionFLX™ membranes and CRM‑free CCSs.
- Module validation: 6 kW short stack proving reliability beyond the lab.
- System engineering: Digital design ready for a 100 kW demonstrator.
HYScale’s integrated approach accelerates Europe’s transition toward affordable green hydrogen, supporting the EU’s climate and energy goals.
About the Consortium
Led by Cutting-Edge Nanomaterials (CENmat), the consortium includes eight additional partners from seven EU countries. Among these are four renowned EU research centres specialising in hydrogen technology: the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and the University of Ljubljana. Additionally, there are five industrial partners: CENmat itself, the Public Power Corporation of Greece (PPC), which is the greatest energy producer in south-east Europe, HyGear, Meta Group, and Bekaert. The diverse expertise of these project partners ensures an efficient and targeted pursuit of the project’s objectives.
Glossary
- Green Hydrogen: A sustainable form of hydrogen gas produced using renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power, to power the electrolysis of water. This process splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and since it uses renewable energy, it results in zero greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, green hydrogen represents an environmentally friendly energy source.
- Water Electrolyser Technology: A technology used to produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water. The system applies an electric current across electrodes in an electrolyte, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. This technology is key in producing hydrogen for various applications, including energy storage and as a fuel source.
- AEMWE (Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis): A type of water electrolysis technology that uses an anion exchange membrane as a separator. This membrane lets negatively charged ions (anions) pass through and enables researchers to efficiently produce hydrogen and oxygen from water without relying on expensive or rare catalysts.
- CRM (Critical Raw Materials): Materials that are crucial for the economy and have a high risk associated with their supply. Industry typically uses CRMs to manufacture high-tech devices, green technologies, and other important industrial applications. Their scarcity or geopolitical constraints on supply can pose risks to economic security and technological progress.
- PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances): A large group of man-made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other substances. PFAS are used in a wide range of consumer products for their water- and oil-resistant properties. They are known for being environmentally persistent, meaning they do not break down easily, leading to concerns about environmental and human health impacts.
