Pian Camuno (Italy). The testing of the first “plug & play” container for hydrogen production has been successfully completed. The system is called H2ALP-120 and is capable of autonomously producing 20Nm3/h of 99.5% pure hydrogen, requiring a maximum of 120 kW of energy.
Hydroalp, a BM Group company operating in the renewable energy sector, has recently set up a new division specialising in the construction of turnkey plants for the production of green hydrogen.
At the production site in Pian Camuno (Italy), the testing of the first containerised hydrogen production plant for industry was completed on May 17.
Alessandro Galliussi, Hydroalp’s Skid and Green Hydrogen CTO, explains: “This new system autonomously manages the purification of the water needed for hydrogen production via a demineraliser that produces 30l/h of demineralised water. The two McPhy electrolysers can work in parallel to produce a maximum of 20Nm3/h or be used redundantly. The solution also includes a hydrogen drying and purification system and the automation of temperature management via air-water exchangers. Each function is remotely controllable, and it is possible to increase oxygen production (max 10Nm3/h). It is a small-sized plant that can be easily integrated: the ideal formula that allows companies to approach hydrogen with a small-scale solution, interesting for testing the application and assessing the impact it could have in terms of decarbonising their industrial process. The H2ALP-120 is remotely manageable and is part of the Industry 4.0 enabling technologies. The entire division pooled multidisciplinary expertise, and the agreed timeline was met.”
Luca Mion, Hydroalp Chief Executive Officer: “Green hydrogen is part of the diversification and development process that BM Group has identified for Hydroalp. In just a few months, we have become one of the first EPCs for the construction of plants for the production of green hydrogen. Today we are facing a concrete project, H2ALP-120, ready to be installed by the customer. The orders we are handling today involve other preliminary engineering development projects that we hope will result in turnkey projects.
The close cooperation and integration of in-house expertise also led Polytec Energy, another company of the group, to obtain the provincial tender of the Autonomous Province of Trento for the construction of a green hydrogen production plant in disused industrial areas within the framework of Mission 2 “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR). This proprietary project for the production of 1 MW is a real opportunity to test and develop technological know-how to be transferred to the projects that we will implement for our customers. Hydrogen is a key element in the path towards European decarbonisation, and we are proud to be an active part of this process.”