Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation is supporting a hydrogen gasoline cell developer with $7 million to assist a brand new type of know-how utilizing silicon-based bipolar plates.
From pv journal Australia
Sydney-headquartered hydrogen gasoline cell and electrolyzer methods developer and producer start-up Siltrax, has been awarded AUD10.4 million ($7 million) from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).
The monetary dedication will assist develop a brand new type of hydrogen gasoline cell know-how that makes lighter, extra environment friendly gasoline cells.
Siltrax know-how makes use of bipolar plates made out of silicon as an alternative of the generally used graphite or steel supplies, to create thinner, extra environment friendly plates.
The use of silicon permits Siltrax to leverage the prevailing photo voltaic cell provide chain for uncooked supplies, and manufacturing tools.
The CEFC funding can be managed by local weather tech enterprise capital supervisor Virescent Ventures to assist Siltrax construct its Australian analysis and improvement group to concentrate on gasoline cell methods engineering and native commercialization alternatives.
Virescent Ventures Managing Partner Ben Gust mentioned one of many benefits of utilizing silicon manufacturing methods optimized within the photo voltaic trade is the potential to decrease prices.
“Other benefits of utilizing silicon as an alternative of steel embody corrosion resistance and diminished bulk enabling higher energy density,” Gust mentioned.
Siltrax founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr Zhengrong Shi mentioned that costs within the photo voltaic trade have decreased from between AUD5.9 and AUD7.4 to now AUD0.45/W prior to now few years.
“Siltrax is constructing on the foundations of PV and semiconductor manufacturing, and can have the ability to leverage present provide chains, applied sciences, and expertise pool to the fullest.”
Siltrax know-how has potential purposes within the heavy-duty, long-haul truck sector, which a CEFC-commissioned Australian Hydrogen Market Study discovered is more likely to depend on inexperienced hydrogen to scale back emissions, with forecast of hydrogen gasoline cell powered vans. which can be cheaper in the long run than inner combustion engine automobiles as the prices of the know-how have decreased and the usage of infrastructure has improved.
Siltrax’s first goal market is stationary energy technology, the place gasoline cells generate electrical energy via a mechanism that doesn’t require combustion.
CEFC Chief Asset Management Officer Sara Leong mentioned the event of hydrogen gasoline cell know-how is a vital enabler that may assist develop the hydrogen worth chain, in addition to speed up the event of Australia’s hydrogen trade.
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