6x3 meters, 100KW! Endua launches First Modular Giant Hydrogen Energy "Charging Bank"

Australian clean energy company Endua has launched the first purpose-built stand-alone hydrogen "power bank", which it says is designed to close the gap in microgrid applications, where the need for reliable power means emissions-heavy power production systems such as diesel generators.

The energy storage system, which uses advanced hydrogen technology, will serve as a test bed and will be located in Archerfield, a Brisbane suburb where Endua is headquartered.

The modular "power banks," each about 6 meters long and 3 meters wide, each unit will drive an electrical load of up to 100KW, enough to power water pumps, farm greenhouses or stand-alone telecommunications infrastructure, with this renewable energy stored in the form of hydrogen and then converted back to electricity via fuel cells, while the modular design allows the solution to scale depending on site needs.

Paul Sernia, CEO and Founder of Endua, said:

"In order to store and use hydrogen like a battery, you need to convert water and renewable electricity into hydrogen with an electrolyzer, store the hydrogen until it is needed to use a fuel cell to convert it into electricity."

"When the grid cannot be relied upon, especially in our regional and remote power communities, our power banks fill a critical gap in enabling the clean energy transition and stabilizing power, generating enough stored hydrogen to replace diesel for off-grid generation at any location, such as a cattle farm or power communication equipment operating at the edge."

By 2020, renewable energy will account for 29% of global electricity generation, Endua said, and that proportion is expected to grow to more than half by 2050. However, renewable energy has its limitations, especially when there is no sunlight and wind, and traditionally distributed renewables have required the support of on-demand power generation equipment such as gas and diesel generators and batteries to stabilize and supplement electricity when it is not being generated.

"The challenge of this process is twofold. Diesel and gas generating units produce significant emissions, require significant ongoing operating costs to maintain, and are dependent on fuel supply chains and pricing, while existing battery technology is only suitable for a few hours of storage and therefore cannot meet the requirements of a 100% renewable future. How else can you run it for days on end without producing exhaust?" "He added.

After founding the company in 2021, Endua used its chemical and mechanical engineering expertise to inform its novel mobile power design, material selection and advanced manufacturing to design a highly optimized system that could be delivered as a commercially viable proposition.

"In Australia alone, $1.5 billion a year is spent on diesel fuel for power generation in remote and rural areas. Net-zero emissions and the power sector are not mutually exclusive, and creating a low-carbon economy requires new ways of working. Our mobile power supply means we can separate independent microgrid power systems from diesel for fossil fuel generation and provide a long-term solution that is cheaper than batteries, "explains Sernia.

Just weeks before showcasing its power bank, Endua announced that it had raised more than $11.8 million to expand its clean hydrogen energy solutions. Endua's investors include Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), Melt Ventures, 77 Partners, as well as founding partners such as Australia's national science agency CSIRO and its Deep technology fund Main Sequence and the country's largest Fuel Network.