About
Prometeo

Prometeo is a European Horizon 2020 project that aims to design, construct and test an innovative prototype to produce renewable hydrogen from solar power.

The Prometeo’s prototype is based on high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) coupled with an innovative heat storage system. The storage system will optimize the use of intermittent solar heat in hydrogen production.

The prototype will be designed to meet end-users’ needs for renewable hydrogen in different industrial sectors: injection of hydrogen into the gas grid (SNAM, Italy), chemical storage of renewable electricity (Capital Energy, Spain) and use of hydrogen for ammonia and fertiliser production (Stamicarbon, the Netherlands).

The project will last three and a half-years and it is supported by funding of € 2.5 million from the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). The final goal of Prometeo is to move a step forward in the use of renewable hydrogen for industrial decarbonization by 2030.

The Prometeo project is the result of the cooperation among a number
of international partners operating in the hydrogen sector.
The Consortium pools a set of complementary knowledge and expertise along the hydrogen value chain, including R&D, technological innovation and industry know-how.

In the consortium, the partners have both technical roles and facilitating roles during the project execution. FBK and EPFL will facilitate technical cooperation between SOLIDpower (SOE stack supplier) with the process integrator Next Chem.

ENEA and IMDEA Energy will facilitate technical cooperation between Next Chem and the three end-users: Capital Energy (connection with RES technologies and utility grid), SNAM (connection with gas grid) and Stamicarbon (connection with Chemical Industry).

Basic components

Italy

SME specialised in the manufacture and industrialization of Solid Oxide Cells.

EPFL
Switzerland

University experienced in the characterization and modelling of electrolyzer stacks.

FBK Fondazione Bruno Kessler
Italy

Research center specialised in R&D support for the construction of integrated energy systems.

Process integration

Nextchem logo
Italy

Engineering company dedicated to new technology development in the field of green chemistry and energy.

Imdea Energy
Spain

R&D center specialised in high-temperature solar concentration systems, electrochemical and thermal energy storage.

ENEA
Italy

R&D organization specialised in solar-TES technology integrated with steam generator, heat transfer fluids for CSP applications.

End users

Snam
Italy

Large energy infrastructure company, operating the largest natural gas transmission network and storage capacity in Europe.

Capital Energy
Spain

Large renewable energy projects promotion platform focused on off/on shore wind energy, biodiesel, PV and thermal solar energy.

Stamicarbon logo
The Netherlands

Large company, leader in the development of fertilizer technology and in the supply of services related to urea technology.

The Prometeo project will run for 42-months, with a work plan consisting of eight Work Packages (WP).

WP1

Project Coordination and Management

will be implemented throughout the project duration.
WP2

Engineering design process

will design the system prototype considering end-users’ requirements, technology offer and specifications of basic items (SOE stack, CS-TES, Steam Generator, BoP), integrated system’s requirements, engineering & scaling-up, regulatory, standard & legal framework.
WP3

Design and characterization of basic components

will design, manufacture and characterise all the individual components of the system prototype.
WP4

System modelling

will focus on system performance analysis through process optimization, static modelling of the energy system and dynamic modelling.
WP5

System integration & prototyping

consists in the executive design, integration and on-site installation of the prototype (at least 25 kWe or 15 kgH2/day). The prototype will be assembled in a container and then installed on an end-user site where it will be connected to renewable heat and power sources.
WP6

Experimental validation

will test the prototype for at least 1,000 hours under full-capacity operation ( 25 kWe or 15 kgH2 per day), partial load and hot stand-by, i.e. when the cell is kept at ≥ 650°C in case of power shortage (no PV production and/or utility grid off-peak conditions).
WP7

Assessment & exploitation of results

will perform a techno-economic and sustainability assessment (LCA) of the prototype. An analysis of system up-scale and market deployment will consider three different end-uses with corresponding plant scales (from 1 to 100 MWe).
WP8

Dissemination of results

will disseminate the project among relevant stakeholders and European citizens.