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// genAEMStack 10/2025-03/2028

Green hydrogen from Europe: The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Holst Centre in the Dutch province of North Brabant are working together on innovative approaches to the design and production of cost-efficient and large-scale AEM electrolysers. New components and manufacturing processes are being tested in the ‘genAEMStack’ project. The aim is to create an electrolysis stack with high European added value that will serve as a development platform for companies from both regions to develop their own products and establish regional value chains.

"Water electrolysis is the key technology for climate-neutral, green hydrogen – and central to compliance with the EU's Strategic Technologies for Europe (STEP) regulation. This is because hydrogen produced in Europe by electrolysis does not have to be imported and avoids dependence on supplier countries outside Europe. This is particularly valuable when electrolysers are used that make a significant contribution to industrial value creation in the EU," explains Dr Marc-Simon Löffler, head of the electrolysis development department at ZSW.


The Ministry of Economic Affairs of the State of Baden-Württemberg is providing the ZSW with approximately €1.6 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project will run for 2.5 years.

Today, companies use two commercially available electrolysis processes: Alkaline electrolysis (AEL), with its high degree of technological maturity, is highly scalable and therefore particularly suitable for large hydrogen production plants. It does not require expensive and resource-critical precious metals and is therefore cost-effective, but its response to operating requirements is limited. Polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis (PEMEL) delivers higher power density and also enables dynamic plant operation, but requires expensive and resource-critical precious metals such as platinum or iridium. The still young AEMEL technology (anion-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis) combines the advantages of AEL (no use of precious metals) and PEMEL (high power density and dynamic operation). However, there is still a great need for development at the component and stack level in order to achieve a level of maturity comparable to that of AEL and PEMEL.

From laboratory to prototype: the AEMEL stack

The manufacturing costs of green hydrogen via water electrolysis are a key factor in investment decisions. For the commercial success of AEMEL technology, it is therefore necessary to develop not only efficient and durable components, but also designs and production technologies that are suitable for series production, scalable and cost-effective.

This is precisely where the ‘genAEMStack’ project comes in, with ZSW and Holst focusing on complementary areas: ZSW is concentrating on the design and manufacture of a scalable AEMEL stack suitable for series production and on modelling approaches for the membrane electrode assemblies (MEA). Initially, the researchers want to implement the stack on a laboratory scale in the electrical power class of around 10 kilowatts. In a later phase, the partners plan to scale the unit to a commercially relevant power class of over 100 kilowatts. The newly developed AEMEL components and stack prototypes will be put through their paces in the existing test benches at the ElyLab test centre at ZSW in Stuttgart.

In addition to cost structure analyses, the Holst Centre is focusing on the development of improved porous transport layers (PTL) with flow field integration, in particular catalytic coatings and protective coatings, the validation of innovations on a laboratory scale and the integration of these novel technologies into next-generation electrolyser architectures.

The uniqueness of this collaboration lies in the cross-regional technological and commercial bridges it builds. ‘The unique expertise of our two regions can complement each other, not only producing revolutionary technologies, but also orchestrating innovations with commercial partners from both regions,’ comments Emilio Manrique, Business Development Manager at the Holst Centre.

Industry involvement

The newly developed, manufacturer-independent AEMEL stack will be made available to interested companies as a basis for their own developments. Interested companies will be approached and involved in the project in close cooperation with the innovation agency of the State of Baden-Württemberg, e-mobil BW, and the Brabant Economic Development Agency.