A few years after the first industrial-scale projects were announced, green hydrogen is starting to become an alternative to fossil fuels used by Spanish industry. Deutz, a German company specialising in machining and assembling engine components, has just started up an innovative test centre for hydrogen technologies at its plant in Zafra (Badajoz), which employs around 500 people.

The pilot plant uses surplus solar energy generated on site to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis, a chemical process that separates hydrogen from water using electricity. The hydrogen obtained is stored under pressure and then used for power generation with a generator set powered by a Deutz TCG 7.8 H2 combustion engine.

Hydrogen value chain
This milestone makes the Zafra facility the first pilot plant in Spain to cover the entire hydrogen value chain and also includes the first hydrogen combustion engine manufactured by Deutz for operation in Spain. The 150kw generator set is designed to operate using 100% hydrogen.

The pilot plant is part of the company's “taking responsibility” strategy and contributes to demonstrating the potential of hydrogen for a sustainable energy future. It was back in 2023 that Deutz decided to launch this initiative, which has been made possible thanks to its collaboration with Ariema, Alternativas Energéticas Murcia and Fundecyt.

Operational and technical feasibility
The 500kw alkaline electrolyser prototype has been provided by the Spanish company Ariema. The aim of the project is to validate the operational and technical feasibility of the systems in order to demonstrate their efficiency and stability in continuous energy production. This is a full-scale test site where Deutz and Ariema will collaborate and be able to study and improve their respective prototype technologies.

In this next phase of the project, efforts will be made to improve the prototypes. In addition to demonstrating its feasibility, hydrogen storage and management systems will be optimised to ensure the availability and stability of supply. As Ariema CEO Rafael Luque explains, this innovative and sustainable project, which will demonstrate the potential of green hydrogen in industrial applications, includes “the first alkaline electrolyser with 100% Spanish technology tested in a real industrial environment”.

^{Photo: Ariema}