PVTIME – Swedish hydrogen specialist Metacon has secured EU financial backing through its wholly‑owned Greek subsidiary Metacon SA for the BIOH2VAP initiative, receiving a grant totalling EUR 241 920. This cross‑cutting project will run for 24 months, combining real‑world validation of biomethane‑reforming hydrogen‑making workflows alongside research into advanced anion‑exchange‑membrane (AEM) electrolyser hardware.
At its core, the BIOH2VAP scheme is built to demonstrate renewable hydrogen output from locally‑sourced biomethane feedstock. Metacon will deploy its proprietary reforming technology to test performance under realistic industrial operating conditions. Running parallel to the reformer pilot, the workstream will advance AEM electrolyser optimisation, targeting an electrical efficiency benchmark exceeding 80 percent across steady‑state operation and frequent start‑stop cycles.
A key technical objective for the AEM development track is to move away from scarce precious‑metal catalysts such as platinum and iridium. The team will refine electrode layouts, boost membrane service life, and assemble a 0.5 kW prototype stack for lab verification. By pairing reforming and electrolysis innovation within one publicly‑funded programme, the firm can compare two distinct low‑carbon hydrogen production pathways on European soil.
Christer Wikner, President and CEO of Metacon, pointed out that such EU‑supported research acts as an important catalyst to drive down hydrogen‑production costs. The grant expands Metacon’s existing technology portfolio, which already covers pressurised alkaline and conventional PEM electrolysis systems, while bolstering clean‑energy innovation activities within Western Greece. The public funding is co‑financed via the European Regional Development Fund alongside national Greek allocations.
Even with promising lab‑level targets in view, the project team notes that further real‑world testing will still be required before these technical concepts can graduate into fully commercial‑scale manufacturing and deployment.
