Sunfire Begins Construction of an SOEC Test Facility at the Lausitz Industrial Park

High-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) utilizes available waste heat, thereby enabling highly efficient hydrogen production. As an innovation leader, Sunfire—headquartered in Dresden—has played a key role in shaping the development of this technology and has achieved record efficiencies of up to 89% LHV, AC. With the establishment of the SOEC test facility, the project strengthens Lusatia as a hub for future technologies.

Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire: “Sunfire stands for green hydrogen technologies, ‘Made in Germany.’ While our pressurized alkaline electrolyzers are already being successfully deployed in large-scale industrial projects across Europe, we also see high-temperature electrolysis as a crucial driver for the energy transition. SOEC technology has the potential to become another key technology for the decarbonization of industry. As the global market leader in SOEC, we are playing a major role in shaping this development. With the test facility at the BASF site in Schwarzheide, we are consistently implementing our SOEC strategy and further advancing the commercialization of the technology. The site offers ideal conditions for further accelerating the market ramp-up of high-temperature electrolysis.”

Christian von Olshausen, CTO of Sunfire: “With our SOEC technology, we are demonstrating the full potential of German engineering expertise. By utilizing available waste heat, high-temperature electrolysis achieves record-breaking efficiencies and can significantly reduce the production costs for green hydrogen and synthesis gas. The groundbreaking ceremony for the test facility at the Lausitz Industrial Park marks an important milestone: With validation under real-world industrial conditions, we are completing the final steps before implementing the first commercial applications. “As an innovation leader in high-temperature electrolysis, we are building on our extensive experience from industrial demonstration projects and gaining additional insights for successful scaling through practical long-term testing.”

Sunfire’s SOEC electrolyzers are highly efficient and enable the lowest LCOH (Levelized Cost of Hydrogen). As a pioneer in SOEC development, Sunfire has implemented the most industrial demonstration projects worldwide. 

The SOEC technology used in Schwarzheide was significantly further developed as part of the H2Giga flagship project—specifically the HTEL MODULE subproject—funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). Building on these research results, the test facility serves to validate the technology over the long term under real-world operating conditions and ensures its technological maturity for large-scale applications as part of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). The European Investment Bank is co-financing the development and industrialization of the innovative SOEC electrolysers with a loan.

• About Sunfire

Sunfire is a global leader in electrolysis, developing and manufacturing industrial electrolysers based on pressurized alkali (AEL) and solid oxide (SOEC) technologies. With its electrolysis solutions, Sunfire is dedicated to addressing the central challenge of today’s energy system: the provision of green hydrogen as a climate-neutral substitute for fossil fuels. Sunfire’s innovative and proven electrolysis technologies enable the decarbonization of industrial sectors that are still dependent on oil, gas, or coal today. The company employs more than 700 people in Germany.