Shell Plc has signed an agreement to offtake around 75% of the electricity generated from a 230-MW solar project in Germany, securing renewable power for its 100-MW Refhyne II proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser, reports Renewables Now.
The 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed with Solarkraftwerk Halenbeck-Rohlsd and supports Shell’s earlier five-year contract covering about one-third of the output from the 332-MW Nordsee One offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
The solar project, now under construction, will comprise two identical photovoltaic plants of 115 MW each. The facility is 50% owned by Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing (DAL).
According to Shell, the two PPAs signed by Shell Energy Europe Limited will secure “a large share of the renewable electricity needed” for the Refhyne II electrolyser, which is being installed near the company’s Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland near Cologne. Once operational in 2027, the unit will be capable of producing up to 16,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually to support partial decarbonisation of Shell’s operations.
The project also involves converting the existing hydrocracker and electrifying the facility, a move expected to reduce Shell’s scope 1 and 2 emissions by 620,000 tonnes each year. The electrolysis plant is supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
