AUDI AG and the German Aerospace Center (DLR – Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.) are jointly working on the optimisation of a reversible high-temperature solid oxide cell (RSOC) in an industrial environment for the production of sustainable fuels for mobility needs.
The project is being supported by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur) via the National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology with funds totalling almost 1.67 million euros. The programme is coordinated by NOW GmbH National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.
RSOC technology provides the possibility of achieving particularly efficient energy conversions. In the medium term, this can reduce the costs of producing hydrogen as a form of stored energy or as a basic material for the chemical industry. For the first time, the reversibility of the technology – as demonstrated in the laboratory – is being tested under real conditions in plant operation. The test field is the existing industrial power-to-gas plant at the Werlte site, which is operated by Audi.
The consortium is working on the feasibility and suitability for reliable, robust and emission-free technologies in automobiles in the context of solid oxide cells (SOC) as fuel cells or electrolysis cells. Hydrogen production is to be demonstrated for at least two years, which would be unique in system operation to date.