This new electrolysis technology aims to offer advantages in terms of efficiency and cost reduction, as it significantly reduces the use of scarce and exhaustible materials, and allows for great flexibility and rapid response when integrated with renewable energies

Naturgy and the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), a public R&D center under the Government of the Canary Islands, will share their knowledge and experience to validate the performance of an innovative electrolysis technology for the production of green hydrogen. The goal of this collaboration is to install and test an experimental 2 kW electrolyzer prototype to evaluate the design of this new technology and compare the results with those of current commercial systems.

This project is expected to bring benefits in terms of efficiency and cost reduction in green hydrogen production due to the reduced need for scarce, exhaustible materials such as noble metals. Additionally, it is a technology easily adaptable to the variability of renewable energies, providing great flexibility and a rapid response.

This technology, known as 'Anion Exchange Membrane' (AEM), is developed by the Singaporean startup Sungreen, with whom Naturgy has been collaborating since September 2022. As part of the collaboration between Naturgy, Sungreen, and the ITC, a second pilot phase is expected to begin in early 2025 with a 50 kW electrolyzer in Gran Canaria, which will be optimized based on the improvements and results obtained from the 2 kW unit currently being tested. Both organizations have established a long-term collaboration, through which they plan to install a second testing program early next year with a higher-capacity electrolyzer.

Jesús Chapado, who leads the Innovation area at Naturgy, emphasized that "this project represents the company's commitment to facilitating the arrival of green hydrogen and promoting its development with lower costs. We expect this new technology to provide greater flexibility, self-regulation, and self-efficiency in the production of this new energy vector."

In turn, Gonzalo Piernavieja, Director of R&D at the Canary Islands Institute of Technology, stated that "the testing of cutting-edge technologies for green hydrogen production is part of our commitment to accelerating the effective integration of renewable energy sources into the energy model." "We collaborate with international energy companies to explore and validate solutions aimed at achieving a decarbonized economy, positioning ourselves as a reference in the use of green hydrogen as a raw material for the production of carbon-neutral fuels," he added.

Commitment to Innovation and Sustainability

Naturgy views innovation as an essential tool for developing new energy solutions that enable progress in the energy transition, combat climate change, and evolve toward technological solutions that simplify processes, enhance cybersecurity, and improve data management. Moreover, digitalization is a fundamental pillar for achieving the company's goals.

Naturgy Innovahub has a strong track record of various ongoing industrial projects linked to innovation in the energy sector, which have already resulted in the creation of two disruptive companies: GIRA Wind and W2BM. The first of these, in collaboration with Ruralia, Posteléctrica Fabricación, and Invenergy Services, aims at the comprehensive recycling of wind turbines and the recovery of materials from blades and other turbine parts for subsequent reuse. The second project, developed together with Greene, seeks to develop biogas production technology from a renewable synthetic gas derived from the gasification of industrial solid waste.

The company's innovation model is designed to create collaborative networks within the ecosystem, enabling it to respond to the complexity of the environment and address challenges swiftly and effectively, with a focus on process and service digitalization. It has agreements with universities, works with technology centers and research groups, sectoral and business associations, public institutions and administrations, and, of course, entrepreneurs.

Canary Islands: A Green Technology Laboratory

The Canary Islands Institute of Technology is a public R&D center and a key player in the Government of the Canary Islands' efforts to promote regional economic competitiveness, contributing through knowledge and technological innovation to the sustainable development of the region. With a multidisciplinary approach, its R&D areas address the challenges of a vulnerable territory threatened by tourism pressure, the climate crisis, and the specific conditions of an Outermost Region (OR) (remoteness, insularity, limited territory, dependence on external resources, etc.).

The Institute focuses its scientific and technological expertise on strategic sectors for economic growth and diversification in the Archipelago, leveraging the competitive advantages of the insular territory as a natural laboratory for developing innovative solutions in ecological transition and resource valorization. Among other areas of work, the Canary Islands R&D center promotes the use of renewable energy resources and the development of sustainable self-sufficiency and electricity generation technologies, whose capabilities are transferred to regions worldwide that share similar conditions.