The electrolyzer manufacturer Enapter has received an order from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) for a 500 kW AEM electrolyzer. This will be used in the largest European research project for renewable energy. The company also received another order from Canada for a Hydrogen Hub.
The hydrogen produced by the AEM Nexus 500 electrolyzer will be used in various test scenarios for sector coupling, Enapter reported on Tuesday (June 11). These include waste heat applications. Additionally, the Nexus 500 will supply “several pilot plants” with green hydrogen. According to Enapter, the electrolyzer consists of several dozen AEM electrolysis stacks connected together. It can produce about 225 kilograms of hydrogen per day with a purity of 99.999%.
For the Energy Lab project in Karlsruhe, KIT is collaborating with the Helmholtz Centers, the German Aerospace Center, and the Jülich Research Center. Together, the institutes are investigating the “intelligent linkage of environmentally friendly energy generation, storage, and provision options.” Additionally, future energy systems are being simulated and tested based on real consumer data.
The goal is to improve the transport, distribution, use, and storage of renewable electricity, thereby laying the foundation for the energy transition. The Energy Lab is funded by the Federal Ministries of Education and Research (BMBF), Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), and the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg (MWK).
Major Order from Canada
Furthermore, the manufacturer reports another order for an AEM Nexus 500 from Canada. Here, the electrolyzer will be used in the “Clean Hydrogen Hub” research project at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The hydrogen produced will benefit local industrial companies and researchers.
Additionally, the Canadian project aims to raise public awareness of hydrogen and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province of British Columbia. Enapter's integration partner and customer, Ensol Systems, is responsible for the implementation. The AEM Nexus 500 is scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2025. The research project receives 10 million CAD in support from the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, an economic development agency under the Canadian government.
Enapter CEO Jürgen Laakmann stated that the company's electrolyzers meet "the highest quality standards": “This is why existing customers, after their initial experiences with our compact single-core devices of the EL class, are now increasingly ordering large-scale devices in the megawatt range. Our AEM technology has already proven its advantages in practice.”