What to know about SolydEra
SolydEra is an integrated group of international teams and subsidiaries, leading in the field of fuel cell technologies and manufacturing. The headquarters is in Pergine, Trentino Alto Adige.
It all began in the year 2000 when a group of researchers started an international cooperation on the development of super-efficient, flexibly usable fuel cell solutions in Italy, Germany, and Australia. In 2006, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) activities were spun out from Swiss tech university Lausanne EPFL into HTceramics in Yverdon, with a second location in Dandenong, Australia. A year later, it was acquired by SOFCpower S.R.L., itself outsourced from Eurocoating-Turbocoating Group in 2006.
The history
The first fuel cell production facility was established in 2008 in Mezzolombardo, Italy. The first micro-CHP system (combined heat and power) tested successfully in 2009. In the subsequent years, as part of EU’s fuel cell programme, systems were delivered to energy industry companies.
In 2014, with the entrance of international investors, the plant in Mezzolombardo was extended and the company name changed to SOLIDpower, S.p.A. In the following year, German CFC Ceramic Fuel Cells GmbH, producer of the BlueGEN SOFC system, was acquired. With this, Germany was added as a production, distribution, and service location. The technology and the production in Heinsberg were completely overhauled with SOLIDpower’s know-how.
Most advanced capabilities
In parallel, a new production facility and headquarters close to Mezzolombardo was established in Pergine Valsugana, Italy. There, Europe’s largest (6400sqm) and most modern fuel cell stack production is running. From 2016 onwards, high numbers of SOFC systems were installed at customers across Europe.
SolydEra possesses valuable IP (intellectual property) comprising its core technology. Ten patent families are being owned in 30 key jurisdictions.
Presently, SolydEra is operating three subsidiary companies in Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, and three production plants in Pergine and Mezzolombardo, both in Italy, and in Heinsberg, Germany.
The customers and partners consist of international blue-chip industry, such as Bosch, Shell, Microsoft, Equinix, or South Korean FCI.
Close to 3000 systems are running in 17 countries having surpassed 60 million hours of operation, while recently, orders and project requests are steeply increasing.
Driving progress in the new energy era
The highly automated manufacturing covers all critical components, testing, and assembly. The production capacity amounts to 1 million cells per year, equalling 60 stacks per day, as the current industry record. Another world record of SolydEra’s is the 98% stack efficiency in electrolysis mode.
In 2022, as part of the implementation of the new strategy under new CEO Martin Füllenbach, the company name was changed to SolydEra, for reasons of risk of confusion with a US battery company and better expression of the mission and activity.
The brand name reflects that SolydEra is in the middle of a big, highly dynamic development in the global energy sector that is leading into a new era of energy provision. The basis is the advanced fuel cell technology and its capacity of hydrogen production SolydEra has at its disposal.
The motto “We stack it” signals SolydEra’s ability to develop highly efficient, cutting-edge, innovative, and practical solutions, whatever the customer demand and requested outcome/application of the fuel cell technology is.