Italian startup Hybitat Srl has developed a hydrogen production and storage system for the long-term storage of excess residential and commercial solar energy. The system includes a main unit with electrolyzer and fuel cell, as well as a storage unit with 3 kg hydrogen capacity and 100 kWh energy capacity.
Italian startup Hybitat Srl, part of Italian energy company SIT Group, has launched a new green hydrogen generation and storage system for applications in individual homes, energy communities, energy efficient companies and public buildings.
“In anticipation of development plans, Hybitat has completed the sale of a first system with a capacity of 200 kWh of energy in recent days,” a company spokesperson said. pv magazine. “It will be installed in the first quarter of 2025 in a private home in a prestigious architectural context of the 18th century.”
The system uses excess solar energy from rooftop PV installations to produce hydrogen via an electrolyzer. The hydrogen is then stored in a storage unit consisting of a metal hydraulic tank. When the household needs more power, the hydrogen can be converted back into electricity via a fuel cell or supplied to the user in gaseous form for various purposes.
The standard version of the new product consists of an indoor main unit and a storage unit that can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The main unit contains a DC/DC converter, a DC/AC inverter, a water demineralizer, an electrolyzer, a hydrogen dryer, a lithium buffer battery and a fuel cell. It measures 645mm x 1,150mm x 1,860mm and weighs 400kg. It has an input power of up to 4 kW, an input voltage of up to 500 V and an output voltage of up to 253 V.
“The electrolyzer uses anion exchange membrane (AEM) technology, while the fuel cell uses polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology,” the spokesperson said, without providing further details.
The storage unit measures 460mm x 1,150mm x 1,110mm and weighs 300kg. It has 3 kg of hydrogen storage capacity and an energy capacity of 100 kWh.
The company also offers two larger versions of the product for apartment buildings and large buildings. The first has a main unit and two storage units, while the second contains two main units and two storage units.
“The system has been validated against the standards that allow the certification of conformity with the Machinery Directive, a reference for machines of this type at European level,” the spokesperson said.
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