Posted on 09 Nov 2023
Dutch nuclear development firm ULC-Energy, Denmark’s Topsoe and the UK’s Rolls-Royce SMR have partnered to explore the production of hydrogen using small modular reactors (SMR), Kallanish reports.
The trio intend to use Topsoe’s solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology to produce hydrogen using the electricity and heat produced by a Rolls-Royce SMR nuclear power plant.
The firms believe that the hydrogen produced via SOEC using nuclear energy could have a lower levelised cost than other electrolysis technology. That’s because Topsoe’s high-temperature technology requires up to 30% less electricity than traditional electrolysers. In addition, nuclear energy can also supply heat, which can substitute part of electricity consumption in the electrolysis process.
Other benefits include a lower carbon footprint and round-the-clock power generation, as opposed to variable renewable sources.
“With our SOEC technology, we can produce more hydrogen relative to influx of renewable power input when compared to competing electrolysis technologies,” claims Sundus Cordelia Ramli, chief commercial officer Power-to-X at Topsoe.
Dirk Rabelink, ceo of ULC-Energy, highlights that hydrogen will play a key role in balancing future energy markets. “We expect nuclear energy, especially in combination with high-temperature electrolysis, to be able to produce zero-emission hydrogen competitively on a stand-alone basis.”
Rolls-Royce SMR plant can also deliver power to the grid when needed, functioning as a backup to variable power sources.
Initially, the firms will explore a conceptual study to demonstrate synergies between SMR and SOEC. They will also evaluate the operational flexibility of Rolls-Royce’s SMR technology and Topsoe’s SOE in the future green energy market.
“This agreement with ULC-Energy and Topsoe is an exciting step toward unleashing the potential of the Rolls-Royce SMR as its ability to flexibly provide thermal and electrical energy supports a wide range of industrial applications, chief amongst these being the large-scale generation of low-cost hydrogen,” adds Harry Keeling, Rolls-Royce SMR’s head of industrial markets.
Source:Kallanish
