Matteco is collaborating with the multinational companies Siemens Energy and Horiba, as well as the Institute of Molecular Sciences (ICMol) of the University of Valencia, and the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (HI ERN), to develop an innovative, sustainable, efficient, and scalable electrolyzer to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production.
Energy costs are the main factor in determining the levelized cost of green hydrogen. Increasing efficiency is therefore an essential lever for reducing production costs.
The SEAL-HYDROGEN project, coordinated by Gonzalo Abellán, co-founder and CTO of Matteco, and head of the 2D-Chem materials research group at the University of Valencia, has been awarded 3 million euros through a Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) grant from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.
The European organization recognizes Abellán and his team’s ability to address scientific challenges and contribute significantly to advancing knowledge in new materials. The new international consortium combines scientific research advances with the technological and commercial expertise of leading industrial partners, supported by European funding.
SEAL-HYDROGEN will pioneer efficient and stable electrolyzers, combining the benefits of an established technology with cutting-edge innovations to make the systems more cost-competitive. The consortium’s technology replaces precious metal-based catalysts with catalysts that do not require critical raw materials, such as nickel and iron, and enables higher current densities and efficiencies making the production of electrolyzers more sustainable and reducing costs for producers of green hydrogen.
The project involves the scale-up of PGM-free nickel-iron-based catalysts, coatings and electrodes by Matteco, and the design of a full-scale electrolyzer stack to bring the new technology to a pre-pilot level. Siemens Energy will contribute to the consortium with its expertise in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE).
Gonzalo Abellán states: «It is inspiring to carry out a tangible transfer of knowledge and technology, from the initial conception in the laboratory, through the field of experimentation and finally transforming it into a concrete application for the green hydrogen industry. We are proud to collaborate with leading organizations in the field, bringing together the best of both industrial and academic talent«.
The funding will enable Matteco to enhance further the development and deployment of its high-performance catalysts, coatings and electrodes, helping make green hydrogen cost competitive, and contributing to the fight against climate change.
ABOUT MATTECO
Matteco is a materials technology company focused on new solutions to decarbonize the economy and help build a better future together.
Its first innovation is a series of patented high-performance catalysts, coatings and electrodes for AWE & AEM green hydrogen production that greatly reduce energy consumption (lowering opex) and increase current densities (lower capex), making green hydrogen more cost-competitive to contribute to the fight against climate change.
Matteco is based in Valencia, Spain, and is part of Zubi Group. The company is currently expanding its manufacturing capacity to reach GW scale by Q2 2024.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
