The world leader in solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) technology, Bloom Energy wants to make its electrolysers more widely available to help decarbonise a number of industrial sectors. The company is exploring opportunities with Shell around some major projects.

This American player has a 20-year experience in SOEC technology, which requires less electricity. According to Bloom Energy, its high-temperature, high-efficiency process produces far more hydrogen per megawatt than low-temperature electrolysers, such as PEM or alkaline electrolysers. And the company has quite the showcase: the world’s largest SOEC electrolyser, which has been commissioned at NASA’s Ames research centre in Mountain View, California. With a capacity of 4 MW, it can produce up to 2.4 tonnes of hydrogen per day.

The SOEC technology has been deployed in over 1,000 facilities, the equivalent of more than 2 GW. And the company claims to have clocked up more than 1,000 billion hours of service with solid oxide cells.

Bloom Energy boasts a solid industrial base. The world’s largest electrolyser gigafactory in Fremont, California, nears 3 GW of annual capacity. It now has the largest electrolyser manufacturing capacity of any electrolysis technology in the world, double that of its nearest rival.

The aim is to work with Shell to reproduce these electrolysers on a large scale. “This technology could represent a potentially transformative moment for opportunities to decarbonize several hard to abate industry sectors,” stated KR Sridhar, founder, chairman, and CEO of Bloom Energy. The agreement states that these electrolysers could produce hydrogen for the company’s needs.

More details can be read here.

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili