Sunfire put 30 million Euro into a research center
The company wants to develop new electrolyzers in Dresden that can be used to produce green hydrogen. The move means that series production will take place elsewhere.
Dresden. The hydrogen company Sunfire is starting to build a research and development center at its headquarters in Dresden, the company announced. It was said that 30 million euros would be invested in the next few years. According to the information, prototypes for electrolyzers are to be built in the Saxon capital. The current number of 400 employees is expected to double as a result. In Dresden you will find top-trained talent and a first-class research landscape, the company explained its choice of location.
Green hydrogen for the energy transition
Electrolyzers use electricity to split water into its components, water and oxygen. Green hydrogen is seen as a source of hope in the energy transition to reduce CO2 in energy-intensive industries. For hydrogen to be considered green, the electricity used in its production must come entirely from renewable energies.
Further development of technology in Dresden
According to Sunfire, the construction of the research and development center in Dresden also means that series production will take place at a different location. “If we start series production, we will produce our SOEC electrolysers at a different location – just as we already do with our pressure alkaline technology. In Dresden, however, we are concentrating on the further development of our technologies,” said managing director Nils Aldag.
Purchase of neighboring properties
In order to be able to realize the expansion plans, the electrolysis company says it has already acquired neighboring properties on Gasanstaltstraße. Since this year, the site of the former vocational school for technology has also belonged to Sunfire.
Collaboration with large industry
Sunfire has been at home in Saxony since 2011. So far, Dresden has not only been the headquarters for the hydrogen company, but also a production location. This is where Sunfire manufactures its high-temperature SOEC electrolyzers for producing green hydrogen. These have already been installed at industrial partners such as RWE, Salzgitter AG and Neste.
At the end of August, Sunfire received 162 million euros in funding from the federal government to set up hydrogen production. In the summer of 2022, Amazon’s venture capital fund also joined the Dresden company.