Innovation in Alkaline Electrolysis

Innovation in alkaline electrolysis technology

Alkaline electrolysis is the most robust and proven form of electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water. Despite the proven technology, no ready-made solution for large-scale industrial applications exists. The need for such solutions is emerging from the rapid roll-out of electrolysers deployment in novel domains.

At Stargate, we strongly believe that alkaline electrolysis technology has a lot of untapped potential left, and we are actively pursuing ways to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of alkaline cells, stacks and systems.

The current state of alkaline electrolysers

Although alkaline electrolysis technology is often described as being free of precious metals, the fact is that a large fraction of alkaline electrolysers are still utilising electrodes made of ruthenium and iridium which are some of the rarest elements in Earth’s crust.

While such electrolysers boast high current densities and high efficiency, their wider adoption is hindered by raw material availability issues. Nickel-based alkaline electrolysers do not face raw material availability issues, but suffer from lower current densities and lower efficiencies.

Beyond the State-of-the-Art in Alkaline Electrolysis

At Stargate, we build upon the best aspects of proven alkaline technology and complement it with breakthrough materials. This results in a completely new class of electrolysers: ceramics-based alkaline electrolysers, that have high current densities, and high efficiencies, yet contain no precious metals. This results in significantly lower hydrogen production costs and makes the electrolysers affordable for the end-users.

Our unique electrode technology relies heavily on scientific research

100% owner of the intellectual property

Fully equipped R&D Centre

Decades of combined experience

Authored 100+ scientific publications

Prior experience from renowned companies

Our partners

Stargate is a member of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECHA), Hydrogen Europe, Estonian Hydrogen Association, Latvian Hydrogen Association, EU Electrolyser Partnership, BotH₂nia-network, and belongs to Hydrogen Technology IPCEI.

Stargate R&D and demonstration projects

Stargate is participating and has initiated several R&D and demonstration projects.

Horizon Europe green hydrogen full value chain demonstration project

Duration: September 2023 – August 2028

Within the project, green hydrogen will be produced at an onshore facility by using marine-based renewable energy. Stargate’s role is to provide and install its novel 1 MW electrolyser to substitute conventional fuel with green hydrogen. The project is implemented in Gran Canaria as a joint collaboration of ten international partners. Read more about the project here.

Important projects of common European Interest – IPCEI

Duration: July 2022 – June 2027

Stargate’s project has been approved by the European Commission under the framework of IPCEI Hydrogen Technologies. Within the project, a mass-manufacturable and highly efficient precious metal-free 1 MW ceramics-based alkaline electrolyser will be developed and the production of the electrolysers increased to an industrial scale. The project will be implemented in cooperation with 5 direct and 15 indirect partners from across Europe. Stargate-led IPCEI’s ultimate goal is to establish first-of-its-kind manufacturing facilities for high-efficiency alkaline electrolysers. Read more about the project here.

Applied Research Project “Developing and Validating Alkaline Electrolysis Stack Technology with Nanoceramic Electrodes”

Duration: July 2022 – June 2025

The main objective of the project is to develop and lab-validate a 0.5-MW alkaline electrolyser stack lab prototype, one of the main components of an alkaline electrolyser. The project is the first stage of Stargate’s IPCEI project, which aims to establish a first-of-its-kind manufacturing facility for high-efficiency alkaline electrolysers.

Deployment of green hydrogen in public transportation

Duration: December 2021 – November 2024

Stargate is participating in a national demonstration project for green H2 uptake in the transport sector administered by Estonian Environmental Investment Center.