First hydrogen produced!
There is always something uniquely exciting about seeing a new technology being tested for the first time, especially when it works as intended and forecasted.
Today, the HyWaves system was successfully integrated with a new PEM electrolyser stack, producing hydrogen directly from the solar PV array without the use of power electronics. Whilst the system has been demonstrated before, this was the first time using a larger industry-relevant scale.
In conventional hydrogen systems, power electronics typically account for ~30% of system cost and contribute to significant energy losses. By eliminating them and using our direct DC-based power management and control architecture, our modelling suggests we can reduce the Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) by around 20%.
I could have shared a screenshot from the control system data display, but there’s something far more satisfying about an old-school analogue pressure gauge coming into life.
What’s Next?
This early-stage ‘swich on’ test was able to successfully verify the HyWaves Control system is able to supply power to the stack and the physical wiring and switching system is operational. Further testing over the next few days will see the HyWaves system optimise the supply of power from the solar array in response to the current solar condition.
