Germany’s Enapter Prepares AEM Multicore for Green H2 Production

Germany-headquartered Enapter, a hydrogen generator manufacturer, has recently announced that it is expanding its product portfolio to the megawatt-class with the AEM Multicore electrolyser. The final development of the new model has started, further tapping into the innovative potential of Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) technology. The AEM Multicore will be introduced to the market next year, enabling low-cost, flexible and reliable green hydrogen production. The company has already started taking orders.

Enapter states that it will cut the cost of green hydrogen by mass-producing standardised products. The AEM Multicore is no exception: It will feature 440 mass-produced electrolyser core modules – the “AEM stacks” – in a complete system that can produce ~450 kg of hydrogen per day. This is the energy equivalent of around 9.5 barrels of crude oil. With this modular approach, it offers a lower–cost alternative to traditional megawatt-class electrolysers while also proving highly responsive to the fluctuations of renewable electricity supply.

Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, Chairman of Enapter AG, says, “The AEM Multicore will be cheaper than comparable PEM electrolysers and using mass-produced AEM stack modules makes the difference. The modular approach makes the entire system more affordable but also significantly more robust and enormously flexible. This makes it ideal for using intermittent renewable energy.”

The product’s multi-core approach also offers reliability advantages compared to conventional systems. If one stack module fails, it can be replaced in a few simple steps, while the “balance of plant” system that supports hydrogen production also has built-in redundancy. Its unique modularity allows the AEM Multicore to flexibly adjust production levels in reaction to changes in renewable energy supply.

AEM is widely considered by scientists to be the most cost-efficient electrolysis technology. According to Enapter, it is getting closer to realising AEM’s full potential to accelerate the adoption of green hydrogen energy, with construction of its “Campus” mass-production facility in Saerbeck set to begin in autumn this year – and planned to reach completion and operation in 2022. With this, the AEM Multicore will be ready to make a substantial contribution to the rapid scale-up of electrolyser capacity, the demand for which is reflected in targets such as the 5 GW in installed generation capacity Germany is calling for by 2025. With the Campus’ foreseen annual production capacity of 280 MW, it could meet more than 5% of this goal each year.

An award-winning company, Enapter’s patent-protected modular technology has a 10-year track record and allows for the mass production of low-cost, plug-&-play electrolysers for green hydrogen at any scale. They are used in 34 countries, in sectors like energy, mobility, industry, heating and telecommunications. Enapter has offices in Italy, Germany, Thailand and Russia.