HIGH-PRODUCTIVITY PROCESSES FOR THE HYDROGEN INDUSTRY: THE STACKSTAMP PROJECT

Europe is committed to become the world leader in industrial decarbonization, with flagship initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 initiative. This commitment involves investing in renewable energies and searching for new green energy vectors. Hydrogen is emerging as a promising alternative within energy vectors, with various technologies competing to be the most economically viable. Among them, SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolytic Cell) technology shows high potential for highly efficient hydrogen production due to its operation at high temperatures. Despite its high potential, the technology faces several challenges to become fully competitive. So, one of its main challenges is high capital expenditure (CAPEX). Established and highly replicable manufacturing technologies need to be explored, in order to reduce these costs. Some established and highly efficient sectors, such as the automotive industry, already have these types of technologies, such as stamping, that could be applicable to components like interconnector plates (IPs).

STACKSTAMP project arose from this need, with the objective of developing a new SOEC interconnector concept with advanced functionalities that can be manufactured by stamping and low-cost materials. The project is coordinated by Nuadi Europe S.L., a company located in Arazuri (Navarra) and specialized in automotive components manufacturing, which contributes its expertise in materials and stamping production processes. The Hydrogen Area of the National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), an expert in SOEC technology, collaborates with Nuadi on the design of the interconnectors and the validation of the obtained designs through specific tests. The project has been financed by the Government of Navarra and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the call for Aid to R&D Projects of the Government of Navarra.