Bramble Energy has been awarded government funding from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 (Stream 1) Competition. This funding is supporting Bramble Energy’s feasibility study to develop an electrolyser using printed circuit boards.
The use of hydrogen as a clean energy pathway forms a major pillar in the UK Government’s Net Zero strategy and it is essential that the production of green hydrogen in the UK is scaled in a quick and efficient manner to accelerate decarbonisation across a range of sectors, from transport to industry. This Phase 1 project will include laboratory demonstration of a printed circuit board electrolyser as well as designs and plans to scale-up to demonstrate a pilot-scale electrolyser system in 2024.
Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “The UK is truly leading the world in hydrogen innovation thanks to the exciting efforts of companies like Bramble Energy. The government support which they have received today will help to boost the development of hydrogen as the clean, affordable, homegrown superfuel of the future.”
As part of this study, Bramble Energy will combine the latest advances in electrolyser membrane technology with manufacturing capabilities from the printed circuit board industry. The printed circuit board electrolyser (PCBEL™) will deliver a low cost, durable and efficient next generation water electrolyser for green hydrogen production. Developing electrolyser technology with the PCB platform allows for an electrolyser design that is modular, durable and that can be quickly scaled-up at low cost by leveraging existing PCB manufacturing facilities and supply chains.
Vidal Bharath, COO at Bramble Energy comments: “Affordable hydrogen electrolysis is a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to enabling the hydrogen economy. Bramble Energy is applying its game changing low-cost fuel cell manufacturing routes through the printed circuit board industry to unlock the potential of this all important energy vector.”
The PCB platform significantly simplifies the design of the electrolyser stack, lowering the number of parts compared to conventional electrolysis systems, reducing manufacturing costs and the number of potential failure points during operation. Within this BEIS funded Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition, Bramble will be optimising the performance, including long-term testing of PCB electrolysers and develop a modular, scalable electrolyser system design. Alongside the technical development and electrolyser testing, Bramble will also develop cost models and plans to manufacture the electrolyser system in the UK and strategy to lower the cost of green hydrogen production.
