Oort Energy demos direct solar hydrogen production at commercial scale in UK

British firm Oort Energy has claimed to have achieved direct solar hydrogen production at commercial scale using a 250 kW demonstrator electrolyzer with Harlaxton Engineering Services, first-of-its-kind feat in the United Kingdom. 

The off-grid commercial electrolyzer system is reported to be running continuously on solar power for several days, proving the commercial viability and performance standards of the technology for widespread adoption. 

The clean hydrogen produced at the facility is said to be 99.9995 percent pure. Despite being off grid, the H2 production unit meets the ISO14687 fuel cell specification. 

Oort Energy's high efficiency, economically viable systems will play a crucial role in driving the commercial availability of green hydrogen, Marcus Bull, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), opined, as reported by H2 View. 

"This is a tremendous milestone, in what Oort Energy can do to accelerate the viability of a sustainable 'hydrogen economy. Oort Energy's lean business model has delivered amazing commercial results more quickly whilst spending less than any other manufacturer in this market", Nick Van Dijk, CEO and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the company commented. 

Oort claims to be ready for about 1 MW to 5 MW of commercial pilots for green hydrogen production with its customers. The company claims to be on track with the delivery of 1 MW PEM electrolyzer to a project in Morocco and 1 MW unit in South Africa.