Listed fuels concern Orlen Group’s Odolanow Branch of Orlen’s unit, PGNiG Upstream Norway, a research programme has launched a facility to convert electricity produced from renewable sources into gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, the company said in a press release.

As reported, a test production of green hydrogen using electricity from a photovoltaic farm with a capacity of almost 0.5 MW, operating on the premises of PGNiG’s Odolanow Branch, has been launched as part of the programme.

The capacity of the installation, which uses an electrolysis process, is 20 tonnes of hydrogen per year. The hydrogen and natural gas mixtures will be injected into the research distribution network to test how they interact with various infrastructure components and consumer devices.

The company reported that Orlen Group has one of the largest gas distribution networks in Europe, with a length of 200,000 km. At the same time, it noted that “its use for the transmission of renewable hydrogen could accelerate the spread of this fuel in the economy.

“The InGrid Power to Gas project will help answer the question of how to do this most effectively,” said Orlen’s Gas Technology Development and Implementation Office director Tomasz Jarmicki, quoted in the press release.

Jarmicki believes that the research carried out at the demonstration plant covers the entire value chain, from the renewable energy source needed to produce green hydrogen, through the experimental, closed distribution network to the final equipment in which mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas will be burned.

“The unique knowledge and experience we will gain from InGrid Power to Gas will be used for an efficient and cost-effective energy transition for the country,” he added.

As a result of the tests, the optimal proportions of hydrogen and gas mixtures that are safe for the distribution grid will be determined. The technical feasibility of their transmission will then be verified. The final devices tested at the plant will be different models of boilers, generators, and gas cookers. The group expects the primary results of these tests at the end of 2024.

The research installation in Odolanow also includes two energy storage facilities. The first one stores electricity and can power the electrolyser. The second one stores hydrogen in two chambers that can hold over 50 kilograms of this fuel at a time. The electrolyser used in the plant is one of the first and largest units commissioned in Poland. Its capacity is 0.4 MW.

The InGrid Power to Gas installation will serve the research needs of ORLEN group entities. It is also planned to make it available to the company’s scientific and commercial partners. The work at the demonstration installation allows the technology to be commercialised, allowing hydrogen to be used in the green energy sector more widely.

After the research work planned for the year is finished, the installation will be used for further innovative projects, including the production of non-emitting methanol using green hydrogen. It will also be able to produce a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas for local industrial customers.

Author: Michał Budkiewicz