Our Applications

Energy transition relies on zero-emission applications based on hydrogen instead of exhaust gases: In November 2021, Proton Motor successfully delivered its key product innovation HyShelter^® 240 based on three Proton Motor systems HyFrame^® S43 as core components with installed fuel cell power of 43 kW each. For “Shell New Energies” as a subsidiary of the international energy group, a new technology solution was implemented for the off-grid power supply of a transportable pressurized hydrogen filling station.

The energy supply of the off-grid refuelling unit is provided by Proton Motor’s containerised hydrogen fuel cell power plant with peak power of up to 240 kW and integrated battery storage for 400 VAC grid connection. The diverse HyShelter^® application areas range from uninterruptible emergency power supply for data centers, municipal utilities, hospitals and other critical public facilities up to off-grid charging infrastructure for battery-electric vehicles.

In the middle of the Weitmar district of Bochum lies a housing estate with 1,400 tenants. In this settlement of the district on Bärendorfer Straße, measures will be tested here to help reduce carbon dioxide.

The current project in the heart of the Ruhr region with its historic coal mining is called “ODH@Bochum-Weitmar”. When it comes to generating electricity and heating in the future, those responsible want to rely on hydrogen as a storage medium, geothermal energy, photovoltaics, fuel cells and heat pumps, among other things.

For this reason, a system with an installed 36 kW fuel cell as HyFrame^® system from Proton Motor was commissioned for the new glass energy centre of the future. The facilities and systems under construction were officially opened in 2021 and will supply 81 flats with CO2-free energy.

In 2020, the first grid-connected hydrogen storage plant was opened in Rostock-Laage. The system stores energy in the form of renewable hydrogen, which is obtained by electrolysis from excess wind energy. Proton Motor’s container solution with an installed fuel cell capacity of 178 kW is an important component of this hydrogen power plant.

The 20-foot outdoor container is designed for grid-synchronous operation with an output power of 100 kW and is based on five units of the hydrogen fuel cell system HyFrame^®. In addition, the Proton Motor solution contains the AC inverter for direct feeding into the local power grid. Outside the container is an external table cooler module with the additional option of extracting and using the fuel cell waste heat.

The residential property in the Ahrntal village of Kasern did not have its own grid connection when the conversion began. The goal was to establish a continuous self-sufficient supply of light, electricity and heat for the private house. The concept for energy production is based on the house’s own and already existing water turbine and is expanded with a hydrogen storage system. Proton Motor supplied the HyModule^® S8 fuel cell for this purpose. With its electrical output of 8.4 kW in stationary use, this HyModule^® represents part of the energy supply to organise the requirement for the purely water-powered storage project.

The challenge of the mountain cabin, which is known historically as “Knappenhaus” (miner`s cabin), is the fact that the water flow decreases significantly in winter due to frost and icing. A new storage technology was therefore a basic requirement to be able to store the natural “green” energy in the long term. The special feature of the “Hy2green” solid-state storage system is the local generation and storage of hydrogen without additional compression in metal powder. The hydrogen serves as a storage medium for the original electrical energy. The metal powder in turn is used as a particularly safe storage medium for the hydrogen. Hydrogen is generated from electrical energy by means of electrolysis and fed into “GKN Powder Metallurgy’s” storage tanks filled with metal powder. Here, the hydrogen binds to the metal particles – the so-called metal hydride is formed, a stable and safe compound.

The connection of the metal hydride storage can be loosened again by simply adjusting the pressure and temperature. The hydrogen is fed into the PM fuel cell and converted into electricity. All that remains is water vapour and water, without any environmentally harmful influences. The heat energy produced during the conversion is fed into the building’s heat cycle by the heat management system. This significantly increases the energy efficiency of the building with its zero-emission power and heat plant. Stationary energy generation through local natural energy sources such as hydropower leads to sustainable energy, CO2 reduction and cost savings.

The residential building in Brütten in the Swiss district of Winterthur follows increased ecological and energy standards and was initiated by “Umwelt Arena AG”. The house requires no external energy supply, neither thermal nor electrical. All electrical and thermal energy is drawn from the sun and distributed throughout the year by various forms of storage (short-term and seasonal storage) in the building. The solar energy is converted into electricity via the solar cells and temporarily stored in daily or medium-term battery storage units for use in the building. For long-term storage, a new type of conversion from electricity to hydrogen is used. The hydrogen is temporarily stored and converted into electrical and thermal energy via a fuel cell when needed.

In this project from 2016, Proton Motor was responsible for converting the stored hydrogen back into electricity and feeding the electrical energy into the DC circuit of the house. For this purpose, the HyModule^® S8 fuel cell module is integrated with a DC/DC converter in a 19-inch cabinet. Furthermore, Proton Motor’s scope of delivery includes a heat exchanger that makes it possible to use the thermal energy generated during the process to heat the house’s hot water.

The diesel generator, which was previously responsible for the emergency power supply, was replaced by the emission-free fuel cell application HyModule^® S8 with an output of 7.8 kW. Especially with regard to the railway infrastructure, the fuel cell offers an eco-friendly and durable alternative for the interruption-free protection of the power supply. The temperature-independent (-40 to +50 degrees Celsius) power adjustment in a maximum of 20 seconds through a modular design makes the complete container solution a universally applicable and adaptable alternative to conventional emergency power applications.