Hydrogen projects

Green Capital

Green Hydrogen Plant

Green Capital S.A. is committed to constructing an immense green hydrogen plant comprising a 400 MW wind farm, an 800 MW photovoltaic farm, energy storage facilities, electrolyzers, and supporting infrastructure. This ambitious project will generate approximately 2.2 million MWh of clean energy per year, equivalent to alternative fuels like green hydrogen and heat (excluding energy consumed during technological processes). The energy produced will be nearly ten times greater than that of Poland’s current largest photovoltaic farm, a 200 MW facility located in Zwartowo. With an estimated investment of EUR 1.28 billion, Green Capital S.A.’s venture will be situated in the Zulawy region, encompassing multiple municipalities.

The strategic location of our investment in Zulawy presents significant benefits. The heat generated during hydrogen production can be utilized to serve the residents of Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot in the Tricity agglomeration, as well as various industrial processes. Our team is actively exploring various options for utilizing the green energy we will produce. Moreover, we have already secured favorable locations for wind turbines, adhering to local zoning regulations and backed by meticulous planning and environmental studies. Additionally, sites for the photovoltaic farm have been identified. Discussions with potential technology suppliers are underway, and we are conducting a thorough logistical analysis of the project.

We have great confidence in the current state of our project and its location. Zulawy is one of the most favorable areas in Europe for wind power production, making it an ideal choice. In comparison, the cost of generating a similar amount of energy from planned offshore wind farms would be significantly higher. Furthermore, the operating coal-fired power plants in Poland currently produce electricity at a cost 250-300% higher than our planned investment.

Ecologically, our investment excels. For instance, the wind power plants we plan to install will produce more energy in just seven months of operation than it takes to manufacture them. Additionally, approximately 90% of the materials used will be fully recyclable, with the remaining 10% having narrowed but still viable applications. We prioritize sustainability in every aspect of our project.

Hydrogen production
in Poland

Poland is the 3rd largest producer of hydrogen in the European Union after Germany and the Netherlands, and we produce 1.3 million tons of it. Unfortunately, it is gray hydrogen, i.e. produced by steam reforming, which produces up to 12 kg of CO2 when producing 1kg of hydrogen, resulting in as much as 15.6 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

Market structure hydrogen application

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer

PEM electrolyzers (polymer electrolyte membrane or proton exchange membrane) differ from the alkaline electrolyzer technology described above in the type of electrolyte used. In this case, it is a solid polymer. Such an electrolyzer uses only deionized water, with no additional electrolyte. The electrodes adhere tightly to the electrolyte forming a separating membrane. During electrolysis, oxygen and hydrogen ions, or protons, are produced at the anode. The latter are transported across the membrane and at the cathode combine with electrons to form hydrogen.

The use of PEM technology for water electrolysis has a number of advantages, which include the ability to achieve high current density and efficiency, and in addition, the use of deionized water produces hydrogen with a high level of purity. Their disadvantages, however, are the high cost of their constituent materials and the need to use high-purity water, which is also expensive to obtain.

Hydrogen applications – fuel cells

Transformation of hydrogen as an energy carrier

Ammonia production
process

Green ammonia is produced with hydrogen separated from water by renewable electricity, or more precisely, when hydrogen ions reach the cathode, they displace the lithium atoms in each lithium nitride molecule, forming NH3.

Haber and Bosch method

The process takes place in three stages:

nitrogen and hydrogen go into a compressor, where they reach a pressure of several hundred atmospheres,
the gases reactin a converter containing a catalyst (metallic iron with promoters),
the gases flowing out of the converter are cooled to -50 °C; the purpose of this operation is to condense the ammonia from the post-reaction gas mixture – unreacted nitrogen and hydrogen remain in the gas phase under these conditions.

The lower the temperature and higher the pressure, the higher the equilibrium ammonia content of the mixture. However, lowering the temperature results in a decrease in the rate of ammonia formation, so it is necessary to find the optimum temperature at which an acceptable rate of ammonia formation and efficiency of this reaction are obtained. In industrial practice, this reaction is carried out at pressures ranging from 200 to 400 atmospheres and temperatures varying between 400 and 650 °C.

Green hydrogen plant

The planned 600MW electrolyzer plant will produce 780,000 tons of clean, environmentally neutral hydrogen. The investment will have the capacity to produce H2 at 60% of nationwide production, ensuring that 9,360,000 tons of C02 will not be emitted into the atmosphere annually.

Hydrogen as energy storage

Hydrogen produced during the day with the help of electricity sourced from renewable energy installations can be safely stored in pressurized tanks and then “burned” in fuel cells in the evening, when electricity prices are highest.

Selling hydrogen as a product

Given the growing market for hydrogen in the world and the “EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation,” we can focus on selling and distributing it as a product. Depending on the scale of the installation and the customer, we can use transportation by dedicated or existing pipelines* or by TIRs and tanks under 200-350 bar pressure.

Transport and distribution of green ammonia

Ammonia as a product is a raw material whose price is dynamically increasing in value. The reason for the price increase is the closure or reduction of production by European fertilizer factories. This situation is a consequence of the drastic increase in the price of natural gas, which is needed in the process of making fertilizers

Ammonia also allows easier transport of hydrogen, since it condenses at a higher temperature than hydrogen i.e. minus 33 degrees Celsius – and contains 1.7 times more hydrogen per cubic meter than liquefied hydrogen. This allows us to open up to long-distance transportation and deliver it to the most cost-effective places. The raw material will be increasingly needed in Japan, among other places, where the first shipments are already flowing from Saudi Arabia and, in the longer term, Japan expects to import 3 million tons of pure ammonia by 2030, with demand rising to 30-100 million Mg of pure ammonia per year* by 2050.