The HYPRAEL project aims to drastically reduce the energy consumption of H2 production and contribute to reducing the overall costs of hydrogen production by increasing the output pressure of the H2 produced and improving energy efficiency by raising the temperature to at least 120°C.

HYPRAEL focuses on the development of advanced technologies for the energy and cost efficient production of compressed hydrogen (at least 80 bar).

To achieve the main objective, the well-established and mature alkaline electrolysis technology (AEL) will be significantly improved beyond the state of the art. Key innovations to avoid costly downstream mechanical compression processes will be investigated, along with advanced cell, stack and balance of plant designs to drastically reduce energy loss. Research will also be conducted on advanced and sustainable electrodes, separators, polymers and compositions, as well as on innovative architectures to advance sustainable and larger scale mass production of highly efficient electrolysers.

Aims of the HYPRAEL project

• Improve energy efficiency by 2-4 % Lower Heating Value (LHV) compared to the use of a mechanical. Eliminating the need for mechanical compression by increasing the system pressure will reduce the energy 3% reduction of LHV depending on compressor type and brand.
• Long-term stable and highly active materials improving stack durability for harsh environment.
• Increase system and components reliability and significantly reduce compression energy needs.
• Evaluate the potential value of H2 produced above state-of-the-art pressure to decarbonise our economy.
• Strengthen circular economy. HYPRAEL minimizes resource use and fosters valorising subproducts, waste streams and heat recovery.
• Direct scalability to MW electrolyser operation. Experimental evaluation at stack level of the best novel components developed in the project will be conducted in an industrial scale system as the last step.
• Contribution to renewable energy share growth. HYPRAEL will evaluate the value of electrolyser for the power system through their ability to allow higher integration of renewables.
• Keep European leadership in the front of innovation for market competitive hydrogen production to strengthen energy security and diversify the energy supply in Europe.
• Awareness increases of HYPRAEL findings, outcomes and key exploitable results. Awareness is the first point to be raised in different groups, as it is the initial step to generate interest and engage stakeholders, potential end users, scientific community, and general society.