Enhanced performance and cost-effective materials for long-term operation of PEM water electrolysers coupled to renewable power sources
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The CNR-ITAE Institute, located in Messina (Italy), belongs to the Italian National Council of Research, Department of Energy and Transportation. The CNR-ITAE has a long and proven experience (around 30 years) in several categories of electrochemical and energy conversion devices including fuel cells, water electrolysers, photoelectrolysis cells, chloro-alkali devices as well as in
renewable energy sources. CNR-ITAE has coordinated previous European programmes and it is presently coordinator of an Italian FIRB project Rinnova dealing with the direct coupling of RES with electrochemical energy storage devices and two National Integrated projects on fuel cells. The research approach of CNR-ITAE is based on a mixture of basic and applied research, achieved by a multidisciplinary
approach, innovating the electrochemical energy conversion technologies with the up-to-date knowledge in materials science, catalyst preparation, micro and nanotechnologies, polymer science, system engineering.
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The Institute for Energy (IE) is part of the Directorate General Joint Research Centre (JRC)
of the European Commission. Its mission is to provide scientific and technical support for the conception,
development, implementation and monitoring of community policies related to energy. Special emphasis
is given to the security of energy supply and sustainable and safe energy production.
JRC supports EU actions by executing its specific research programmes in the fields of clean and
sustainable energy spanning both nuclear and non-nuclear domains. Typical activities encompass
nuclear safety in the enlarged EU, clean, efficient biomass combustion and gasification, and
harmonisation and validation of safety and performance assessment of PEM electrolysers and hydrogen
technologies. The Institute concentrates on S&T reference systems for policy support at European level,
networking, especially in areas where integrated action at the Community level in support to policies is
needed, and finally on mobility of scientific skills. It also performs contractual work co-financed by the
indirect actions of the Framework Programme (FP) and work for third parties as well as work at the direct
request of Commission Services.
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The laboratory for "Aggregates, Interfaces and Materials for Energy" (directed by Dr. Deborah Jones) of
the Institute Charles Gerhardt, is a joint CNRS-University Montpellier 2 research unit, labelled as a
Carnot Institute by the French Ministry of Research in recognition of its very high quality level
collaborative research with industry. Since the early days of the European JOULE projects this group,
currently comprising 12 staff members and 10 post-docs and doctoral students, has contributed to novel
approaches to intermediate and high temperature PEM fuel cell membranes, and to the development of
new concepts for hybrid and composite membranes, as well as to the understanding of degradation
mechanisms leading to membrane and MEA failure. Its recent work includes development of zero and
one dimensional carbide and oxide electrocatalyst supports for high temperature PEMFC. The group has
participated in FP6 IPHE-GENIE, CARISMA and Autobrane, in which Dr D. Jones was coordinator of the
Membranes sub-project, and Coordinator of the CARISMA European Coordination Action on High
Temperature Membrane Electrode Assemblies. These projects all ended in 2009. The group is currently
a partner in FCH-JU KEEPEMALIVE and coordinates MAESTRO and QuasiDry, respectively on
degradation phenomena, improved PFSA membranes for stationary applications, and phosphonic acid
functionalised membranes and MEAs for automotive PEMFC, and a partner in the Marie Curie ITN
SUSHGEN on sustainable hydrogen generation by high temperature PEM electrolysis. This laboratory
initiated and organises the international conference series "Progress on materials for medium and high
temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells". There are recent excellent collaborations with CNR-ITAE
through Autobrane, CARISMA and QuasiDry.
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SOLVAY SPECIALTY POLYMERS ITALY, a society of the Solvay Group, results from the acquisition of
Ausimont by Solvay in 2002. Ausimont was born in 1982 as the society of the Montedison group devoted
to fluorine chemistry. SOLVAY SPECIALTY POLYMERS ITALY is now the second world producer in
fluoromaterials and employs about 1800 people in 5 countries: 1400 in Italy, 280 in the USA, 70 in
France and 50 in the commercial offices in Brazil and Japan. The society owns 450 patents and in the
last 5 years has produced at least 30 patents a year. In 2002 SOLVAY SPECIALTY POLYMERS ITALY
S.p.A. has had sales for 361 M.
The operating unit working on the proposed project, belonging to the Fluoropolymer Group, operates
within the R&D centre of SOLVAY SPECIALTY POLYMERS ITALY in Bollate (Milano). It represents the
main R&D unit of the company, where themes of major relevance are developed, in particular those
related to fluorine chemistry, (per)fluoropolymers and (per)fluorinated fluids. The R&D site extends over
an area of about 20,000 sqm, has around 200 researchers, 40% of which with a university degree.
The Fluoropolymer Group possesses as a primary resource specialists in polymer design,
polymerization, polymer post-treatment and processing technologies. It consists of almost 60 people,
40% about of which are scientists, and runs directly development, characterisation and processing labs,
able to sustain the development of products from their conception to their commercialisation and to
supply customers with technical assistance on their marketed products. The Fluoropolymer Group
interacts with other R&D functions, such as the Monomers and Intermediates Group, for the
development of new monomers for innovative polymer materials. It interacts also with the Material
Science and Analytical Group.
It interacts with the Technology Group for the design and development of the processes and plants
necessary for the scale-up of the products to the industrial scale. Finally, the Fluoropolymer Group relies
on the Pilot Plants unit for the development and production of products at a scale which is intermediate
between the laboratory and the industrial scale.
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ITM is a dynamic innovative company committed to clean sustainable energy solutions
based around water electrolysis using Polymer-Electrolyte-Membrane technologies. ITM was established
in 2002 and has undergone the transition from research to commercialisation for our first wave of
electrolyser products, launched for sale in 2011. ITM has grown from 3 key staff in 2002 to 58 staff in
2011, with over 350 man years experience in the hydrogen field.
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The Tozzi Group is active in the electrical plant and instrumentation system industries since the yearly
50s. The Group is controlled by Tozzi Holding, which is the Tozzi family holding company. The Group
currently operates into the following two activities:
- Electrical and instrumental installation: historical core business of the Group. Currently it is wholly
managed by the sub-holding Tozzi Industries;
- Renewable Energy: Tozzi Group is involved in this business from the early 2000 through the subholding
Tre S.p.A. Tozzi Renewable Energies (herein after TRE).
Tozzi Group has started its operation in the renewable energy industry at the end of 90s with the
development and construction of mini hydro power plants. TRE S.p.A. is now active in the development,
construction and operation of renewable power plants (hydroelectric, photovoltaic, wind energy and biomass).
The company main activities are the following:
- Research and Development: Manufacturing of Power Plants; Production of Electric Energy;
- Sale of Electric Energy.
The portfolio of Tre S.p.A. is composed of a large number of plants for about 650 MWe as follows:
- Hydroelectric plants: in Italy and abroad for a power of 58 MW;
- On shore wind farms: more than 333 MW in Italy;
- Photovoltaic systems: over 155 MW of photovoltaic plants
- Solid Biomass Plants: for a total capacity of 50 MW
- Liquid Biomass Plants: for a total capacity of over 50 MW
The Research and Development (R&D) of TRE has the aim of bridging the gap in the Tozzi Group
manufacturing technologies for the production of electricity from renewable sources. The staff dedicated
to R&D now consists of about 20 researchers who are dedicated to develop projects in the field of
distributed generation of electricity from renewable sources.
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