Advent Technologies Announces Breakthroughs in Membrane Electrode Assembly Technology
Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADN) has announced significant breakthroughs in its Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) technology. The Advent MEA G2 technology, developed in collaboration with U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, has achieved:
1. 2.5x Power Density vs. Legacy MEAs, operating at 0.35W/cm2 compared to 0.14W/cm2.
2. Significant Potential for Lifetime Improvement, with 4x slower degradation and 25-fold improvement in start-up/shut-down stability.
3. Superior Heat Rejection and Management Properties, surpassing the U.S. DoE heat rejection goal with ΔQ/T of 1.1 kW/°C.
The technology enables the use of green eFuels and is being tested by strategic partners in the automotive and aerospace industries. Advent aims to enable OEMs to manufacture fuel cell systems using eFuels like eMethanol for a capex cost below $0.1/kWh.
- 2.5x increase in power density compared to legacy MEAs
- 4x slower degradation rate when operating at high power outputs
- 25-fold improvement in start-up/shut-down stability
- Surpassed U.S. DoE heat rejection goal, achieving ΔQ/T of 1.1 kW/°C
- Potential for fuel cell systems to surpass 10,000-hour lifetime
- Enables use of green eFuels like eMethanol
- Aim to achieve capex cost below $0.1/kWh for fuel cell systems
- Power density still lower than LT-PEM MEAs
- Commercial partnerships with OEMs still in development phase
Insights
This announcement represents a significant leap in HT-PEM fuel cell technology. The Advent MEA G2 achieves
The 4x slower degradation rate and 25-fold improvement in start-up/shut-down stability are game-changers for fuel cell longevity. These advancements could enable systems to surpass 10,000 hours of operation, a critical benchmark for commercial viability in many applications.
The superior heat rejection properties (ΔQ/T of 1.1 kW/°C) surpass the U.S. DoE 2025 target, addressing a key limitation of LT-PEM systems in high-temperature environments. This breakthrough could open up new markets in extreme climates and heavy-duty applications.
Advent's breakthroughs could significantly impact the fuel cell market. The ability to use eFuels like eMethanol addresses infrastructure challenges, potentially accelerating adoption in off-grid, portable and marine applications where hydrogen infrastructure is lacking.
The company's focus on partnering with OEMs for system development while manufacturing MEAs and fuel cell stacks is a strategic move. This approach could lead to faster market penetration and diversification across multiple sectors.
The target of achieving fuel cell systems with capex costs below
Investors should monitor Advent's progress in forming OEM partnerships and achieving performance targets in real-world applications, as these will be critical for commercial success and potential stock value growth.
HT-PEM fuel cell technology enables the use of green eFuels (eMethanol), renewable natural gas, or hydrogen on board. Furthermore, the HT-PEM fuel cells are highly efficient in terms of thermal management and highly resilient under extreme environmental conditions. The problem with the legacy HT-PEM MEAs was that they'd exhibit low power density and low lifetime compared to LT-PEM fuel cells. Advent has been developing the G2 MEA to overcome these problems.
The MEA developed with LANL technology is now in its second generation ("Advent MEA G2") and has achieved the following results vs. state-of-the-art "Legacy MEAs":
1. 2.5x Power Density vs. Legacy MEAs
Advent MEA G2 operates ideally at 160oC with nominal power produced at 0.35W/cm2 (0.58V@0.60A) vs. 0.14W/cm2 for the legacy MEAs. The Advent MEA G2 shows further potential for power generation when operating under pressure (1bar-2bar). Advent targets to achieve a performance of 0.7W/cm2 in the G3 version of the MEA with the target of 0.7V@1A with pressure.
The power density of Advent MEA G2 is still lower than LT-PEM MEAs, but the advantages of using liquid fuels/eFuels (methanol/eMethanol) on-board, not carrying compressed hydrogen, and the elimination of water management and complex thermal management components, results in a simpler system. The expectation is that the HT-PEM fuel cells developed with Advent MEA will be on par with LT-PEM in cost and weight while addressing the significant disadvantages of LT-PEM technology. Specific stationary, portable, marine and off-grid power applications are ideal for use with the Advent MEA G2.
"The off-grid, portable power and marine sectors need a liquid green fuel like eMethanol," says Dr. Chris Kaskavelis, Advent's Chief Strategy Officer. "It is highly inefficient to decarbonize these sectors with compressed hydrogen. We see many applications in off-grid environments, buildings, and marine where hydrogen would be impossible to deliver for financial or safety reasons. Using eMethanol (an excellent liquid green hydrogen carrier) allows the HT-PEM fuel cell to break the vicious circle. We can decarbonize these sectors with green hydrogen without investing in prohibitively expensive hydrogen transportation, dispensing, and liquefaction infrastructure. The benefits are significant for the mobility sector as well. With the new Advent MEAs, we envision eFuel-based HEVs (hybrid E.V.s with HT-PEM fuel cells) that are entirely green, using small batteries and achieving long-range, with the optionality of charging vs refilling. We can refill with eMethanol, a green net-zero hydrogen carrier, at any existing fuel station and reuse the existing liquid fuel transportation and storage infrastructure. We are in technology assessments with some of the world's largest automotive manufacturers and are eager to move to joint development programs in 2025."
2. Significant Potential for Lifetime Improvement vs Legacy MEAs
The Advent MEA G2 is a low-phosphoric acid, high-performance MEA that promises to increase the lifetime of fuel cell systems. "The lifetime of a system depends eventually on hundreds of engineering design factors, decisions, and operational processes, but a resilient MEA is a must," says Emory DeCastro, Advent's Chief Technology Officer and the recipient of the 2024 U.S. Department of Energy's R&D award for commercializing LANL technology. "When operating at high power outputs, Advent MEAs degrade 4x slower (4.1µV/min. vs. 16µV/min.) than legacy MEAs used in previous HT-PEM systems, including Advent's 1,200 deployed systems. When combined with outstanding start-up/shut-down stability (0.02mV loss per cycle vs 0.50 mV loss, or a 25-fold improvement), we expect that we'll see fuel cell systems easily surpassing the 10,000-hour lifetime even when operating in extreme conditions, and soon, 15,000 hours of operation."
3. Superior Heat Rejection and Management Properties
Mass market penetration for LT-PEM is limited by inferior heat rejection, especially when ambient temperatures exceed 35oC. "Simply put, we don't have radiators or cooling systems to drive trucks in
Commercial Progress:
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Advent is already using the Advent MEA G2 for the
U.S. Army Honeybadger project and all its technology assessments and joint development programs in the stationary, automotive, marine, and aerospace sectors. - The Company is designing and developing a next-generation fuel cell stack based on the Advent MEA G2, with targets of 2x performance improvement in power density and 3x in lifetime vs. legacy HT-PEM systems.
- Advent will invite select industry-leading OEMs to collaborate in developing complete fuel cell system solutions leveraging Advent's MEAs, fuel cell stacks, and the Company's expertise in system development. Advent intends to manufacture only the MEA and the fuel cell stack rather than the complete system that varies widely for each application.
Dr. Vasilis Gregoriou, Advent's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We have achieved the MEA performance that will enable leading OEMs to manufacture fuel cells that last at least three times as long and have double the power density of our previous systems. We aim to enable OEMs to manufacture fuel cell systems that use eFuels like eMethanol for a capex cost below
Highlighting the progress on the development of the new Advent MEA G2, Dr. DeCastro stated, "We are excited about the progress of the L'Innovator program and our long-term partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory as we expand our understanding of the fundamentals of this new approach to HT-PEM."
About Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc.
Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. is a
For more information, visit www.advent.energy.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "could," "may," "will," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "goal," "project," and other words of similar meaning. Each forward-looking statement contained in this press release is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company's ability to maintain the listing of the Company's common stock on Nasdaq; future financial performance; public securities' potential liquidity and trading; impact from the outcome of any known and unknown litigation; ability to forecast and maintain an adequate rate of revenue growth and appropriately plan its expenses; expectations regarding future expenditures; future mix of revenue and effect on gross margins; attraction and retention of qualified directors, officers, employees and key personnel; ability to compete effectively in a competitive industry; ability to protect and enhance Advent's corporate reputation and brand; expectations concerning its relationships and actions with technology partners and other third parties; impact from future regulatory, judicial and legislative changes to the industry; ability to locate and acquire complementary technologies or services and integrate those into the Company's business; future arrangements with, or investments in, other entities or associations; and intense competition and competitive pressure from other companies worldwide in the industries in which the Company will operate; and the risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in Advent's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 13, 2024, as well as the other information filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read Advent's filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these statements. Advent's business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.
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Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc.
Chris Kaskavelis
press@advent.energy
Source: Advent Technologies Inc.
FAQ
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