Call for Participation: Shared Research Program on AEM electrolysis

Calls for Participation | Power-2-Hydrogen

After the successful launch of the Shared Research Program (SRP) PEM GEN 2 ‘Supercell’ in 2022 TNO will start a new SRP with focus on accelerating the development of AEM elektrolysers.

VoltaChem/TNO has a growing team of researchers focusing on AEM R&D. The last year we spoke to over 30 companies who are (becoming) active in part of the AEM technology value chain. This effort resulted in a good overview of the challenges and barriers which still need to overcome. Concentrated effort is hereby needed, which we will address in the multiyear and multi partner SRP. The ambition is to start the program early 2024 with a group of complementary partners in the value chain (i.e. an end user, stack developer and developers, manufacturers of key components like catalyst, membrane, Porous Transport Layer TL and Bipolar  Plates).  Our team has already started a number of strategic collaborations with universities like university of Exeter (UK) and the technology university in Eindhoven (NL). 

VoltaChem/TNO is looking for partners to join our Shared Research Program on AEM electrolysis, more details below

Model TNO Shared Research Programs

• Open innovation model
• Joint strategy
• Co-funding possibilities
• Multiply knowledge investments
• Contribution of background
• Non-exclusive access to foreground
• Customized bilateral contract based on template
• Actively participate
• Partners can keep strategic background and specific foreground confidential

Goal of the SRP:

• The SRP aims at accelerating the developments for next generations of AEM electrolysers.
• These electrolysers will contain optimised and new concepts on component level.

SRP partners need:

• An objective and relevant testing environment for integral testing.
• Understanding of the functioning of their component in future electrolysers. 

TNO offers:

• A representative cell/stack environment as a testbed for new components.
• Knowledge & test protocols: performance + aging and detailed knowledge/modelling of the inner workings of the electrolyser.
• A position in the middle of a network of  end-users, OEM’s and suppliers.

What is the joined output of the SRP:

• A detailed performance model of the inner workings of an electrolysers suitable to model different component concepts. This model can be used by component suppliers to access the effects of optimizations on cost/performance/degradation.

What do the SRP partners get:

• An objective and relevant testing environment for integral testing.
• Access to using the model to optimize their component(s).

How competing component suppliers can all work together in this SRP (in future):

If the model uses a modular approach we can have three classes of confidentiality:

• Class 1: generic component based on average first generation: free for all.
• Class 2: Specific component model of a specific company: only for that company.
• Class 3: Generalized new component model: based on anonymized data of several new (but similar) components.

Other relevant aspects:

• Competing component developers do not meet, if they don’t want to, but our aim is that they do collaborate precompetitive.
• We can sign NDA’s with component developers to facilitate interaction.

Why join?

Join a winning team:

Many companies are investing in electrolyzer technology. Joining the SRP generates unique insight in and access to what is happening along the supply chain.

Result driven adaptive research:

Research goals and targets are regularly updated and revised in order to make sure the R&D is relevant to the partners in the SRP.

Multiply investment & accelerate development:

Not only does the shared research program lead to an attractive multiplier on the investment, it also reduces time-to-market through its strong focus.

For more information, please contact Business Developer Power-2-Hydrogen Lennart van der Burg, details below.

View Calls for Participation overview

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