Abengoa SA (Seville, Spain) has successfully completed the start-up, commissioning and Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) of the demonstration plant of the Grasshopper project, which is focused on the production of sustainable energy through the use of fuel cells from hydrogen.
The Grasshopper project aims to create a new generation of hydrogen fuel cell based power plants more cost effective and flexible in energy production, achieving an estimated CAPEX below 1500 EUR/kWe at an annual production rate of 25 MWhe (Source: Abengoa)
The pilot plant has been transported by land to the Netherlands. At its final destination, the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) will be carried out and, once passed, the demonstration plant will be in operation for five years, serving as a basis for obtaining valuable information for the improvement and industrial development of this type of plant.
The Grasshopper project creates a new generation of fuel cell power plants (FCPP) capable of generating electricity and heat without emissions from hydrogen, with water as the only by-product.
In addition to Abengoa Innovation, the project consortium includes INEA -Informatizacija Energetika Avtomatizacija, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Limited (JMFC), Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology B.V., Politecnico di Milano (Polimi) and Zentrum für Brennstoffzellen Technik Gmbh (ZBT).
The transfer of the pilot plant of the Grasshopper project represents a key milestone for Abengoa Innovation, as it opens the door to new developments in this field, while reaffirming the company’s leading position worldwide in this sector.
This project has been funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking undersigned agreement number 779430. It is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework program for research and innovation and by the Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research associations.