Solid oxide fuel cell maker ramps production
Solid oxide fuel cell pioneer Ceres Power has started production at its UK factory alongside a ramp at a Bosch plant in Germany
Bosch has started manufacturing of the cell technology at its pilot facility in Germany, while the Ceres plant in Redhill, UK, started production in January. This is now up to 2MW, with plans to expand to 3MW next year.
A joint venture with another partner, Weichai in China, has been delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company is now investing in higher power applications and further development in electrolysis. It plans to invest £5m in the development of solid oxide electrolysis system to produce hydrogen and potential synthetic fuels over the next 18 months using the fuel cell in reverse. This will see 20 new jobs, across test and wider research, as well as an expansion of cell manufacturing capacity at Redhill to support SOEC development programmes.
“I would like to thank the commitment shown by everyone at Ceres over the past few months and the support shown to us by our partners and suppliers. I am incredibly proud to work with a team of people who have continued to innovate in every aspect of our business; from progressing our customer products and programmes and commissioning new manufacturing output to applying rigorous R&D to new applications for our technology,” said Phil Caldwell, Chief Executive Officer of Ceres.
“If anything, the current pandemic has only intensified the urgency for climate action and I believe Ceres has a no-regrets fuel cell technology for power generation that is highly complementary to today’s energy infrastructure, is hydrogen ready for the future, and can form a critical building block in achieving a net zero carbon future. The research and development we are undertaking today, to prove the technology as a solid oxide electrolyser, has been incredibly positive. We remain committed to maximising the future potential value for Ceres both in our existing power business and building our capability in hydrogen and synthetic fuels.”
The company saw a turnover of £20m in the last year and has £108m in the bank.
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