The EMMA project, which is the result of collaboration between the two companies, has received a grant of €1.1 million by the Spanish government through its strategic recovery plan (PERTE) for Renewable Energy, Renewable Hydrogen and Storage (ERHA), an instrument funded by EU Next Generation.
The total budget of the project, including the partners’ funds, will be €1.4 million. The joint work will focus on the development and integration of high performance components from Matteco, a world class supplier of catalysts and electrodes for alkaline and AEM electrolysis, into a new generation of more durable and cost effective alkaline electrolyzers that will produce green hydrogen at a competitive cost.
The collaboration with Ariema will allow the possibilities of the new electrode developments to be studied and consolidated over a period of three years, both in intermediate cell sizes (25 cm diameter) and in the final sizes required by the green industry (1 m diameter).
Reducing the cost of green hydrogen production is the main lever for using this energy vector in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy industry, long-distance transport and surplus energy storage.
This deployment will also enable more efficient conversion of surplus energy generated during high hydrogen production periods, helping to stabilize the electricity grid and ensure a constant supply of renewable energy.
Iker Marcaide, co-founder and CEO of Matteco, said, “The collaboration with Ariema, a leading manufacturer, shows that Matteco’s nanotechnology is accelerating the arrival of a new generation of alkaline electrolyzers in which our components are key to their performance and efficiency. This new step forward strengthens the company’s position on the eve of the opening of our gigawatt factory in Valencia.”
Rafael Luque, managing director of Ariema, added, “We have high expectations for Matteco’s technology, a reliable partner that will allow us to make progress towards our goal of offering more and more efficient alkaline electrolyzers on a larger scale, consolidating Ariema’s position as a reference in the field of alkaline electrolysis, where Ariema is the first Spanish company to have its own technology.”
The EMMA project is in line with the objectives of the European Union’s Hydrogen Strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which aims to achieve up to 40GW of renewable green hydrogen electrolyzers by 2030. It also advances the challenges set by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for alkaline electrolysis by 2026.
