The companies have implemented the demonstration for a hydrogen storage that is in addition to its compactness extremely efficient and sustainable. The strongly reduced water requirement for hydrogen production, the rapid storage and retrieval as well as the simple permitting procedures make the process very attractive.

Compact storage increases transportability
Compared to today’s storage technologies, AMBARtec’s HyCS process enables a much more compact storage and transport of energy and hydrogen. Up to 3 kWh of energy can be stored in one litre of storage material, whereas lithium-ion batteries currently only achieve 0.3 kWh/litre and liquid hydrogen 2 kWh/litre. The solution jointly implemented by UIT and AMBARtec makes the regional and international transport of H2 significantly easier and more cost-effective. Beyond transport, the HyCS process can contribute to becoming less dependent on supra-regional electricity and gas supplies in times of rising energy prices in combination with photovoltaic systems and/or heat pumps.

Technology with a lot of potential
HyCS technology offers enormous potential for increasing the efficiency of electricity storage compared to known H2-based solutions. Through clever integration with high-temperature electrolysers (SOEC) and fuel cells (SOFC), efficiencies of over 65 percent can be achieved, about twice as high as with established processes.

Constructive and trusting cooperation between the project partners The innovative process was first developed into a very detailed technical concept by AMBARtec AG and then implemented by Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden. Thanks to the cooperation of the individual specialist departments, the planning details were clarified in a targeted manner and the project was completed on time.

AMBARtec company founders Uwe Pahl and Matthias Rudloff, supported by Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden, have reached a major milestone: with the commissioning, they have provided technical proof that their process, developed over many years, can also be operated in a real plant. "We have already implemented all the components, control loops and safety systems in this plant that are required in real customer facilities," explains AMBARtec CTO Uwe Pahl. "After completing the test operation, we will systematically scale up the storage facility step by step over the next few months."

UIT Managing Director Lars Braun was also satisfied with the cooperation: "Together we have mastered this challenging project as project partners on an equal footing. Thanks to the constructive and trusting cooperation, we were able to react quickly to changing framework conditions. We are very satisfied with the completed plant in Freiberg. I would like to thank all UIT and AMBARtec employees for their excellent work." Storage with a capacity of 250 kWh can be supplied by AMBARtec AG as early as mid-2023, while storage with 3,000 kWh will be available from the end of 2023. Planning for projects with the HyCS standard module in a 20-feet container with a storage capacity of 20,000 kWh can already be kicked off now.

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- Wintershall Dea invests in hydrogen storage and transport solutions for a decarbonised energy supply

- AMBARtec’s unique HyCS technology offers one of the most compact and efficient ways to store and transport hydrogen

- The HyCS storage system can flexibly get hydrogen to end consumers using standard 20-foot containers – by road, rail or sea

As part of its efforts to position itself along the hydrogen and CO2 value chains, Wintershall Dea is investing in a promising new technology for storing and transporting hydrogen developed by the Dresden-based start-up AMBARtec AG. In the latter’s recent funding round, Wintershall Dea became the start-up’s lead investor via its fully-owned subsidiary Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures GmbH. In addition to underlining its confidence in AMBARtec’s new technology, this investment also highlights Wintershall Dea’s commitment to supporting the development of a hydrogen market in Germany and Europe.

Wintershall Dea is excited about AMBARtec’s unique HyCS (Hydrogen Compact Storage) technology, as the system offers what is currently the most compact as well as one of the most cost- and energy-efficient methods to store and transport hydrogen. “We are continuously expanding our carbon management and hydrogen portfolio to help enable the decarbonised economy of the future,” says Hugo Dijkgraaf, Wintershall Dea’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). “To scale up the hydrogen market, it will be key to have an efficient and flexible way to transport it – which is precisely where AMBARtec’s smart HyCS technology comes in.”

The HyCS technology is based on a process of loading and unloading hydrogen into a storage unit containing iron. The loading process involves reducing the iron by introducing hydrogen, which releases steam. To unload the hydrogen, steam is reintroduced into the storage unit, which oxidizes the iron.

This novel technology, which has the potential to become a game changer in the storage and transportation of hydrogen, offers several advantages over conventional methods, including:

- Compactness: The HyCS technology offers the highest storage density available. For example, one litre of HyCS storage can store twice as much hydrogen as other hydrogen storage technologies – or 10 times as much energy as lithium-ion batteries.

- Cost & Energy Efficiency: This advantage in terms of compactness also translates into additional savings for transportation and storage space.

- Sustainability: Iron is available readily, widely and in sufficient quantities to serve as a storage medium.

AMBARtec’s HyCS storage system uses a standard 20-foot intermodal container (TEU) that can hold 600 kg (20,000 kWh) of hydrogen. These containers, which do not have to be cooled nor bear the danger of hydrogen losses, can be transported by truck, train or ship. At present, there is only a single vessel worldwide that is capable of and purpose-built for transporting liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen, which is maintained at a temperature of -253°C, is held in a single tank with a maximum capacity of 1,250 cubic metres. In comparison, this same volume could collectively fit into just 134 containers using the AMBARtec technology. Currently, the largest container ship can carry slightly over 24,000 TEU which represent 24,000 containers of the AMBARtec system.

“With our new shareholders, we are ideally positioned to roll out our technology into all relevant markets and applications,” said AMBARtec CEO Matthias Rudloff. “Wintershall Dea is opening the door to the international energy business and enabling new business cases, and private investors will push us forward to decentralised and independent power islands based on green hydrogen.”

Wintershall Dea, Europe’s leading independent gas and oil producer, recently announced that it is expanding its activities in carbon management and hydrogen solutions. More detailed information on its plans for low-carbon hydrogen as well as carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects can be found online at: Hydrogen & CCS | Wintershall Dea AG