Brenmiller, the company who created the bGen thermal energy storage system, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SolWinHy Cádiz S.L. This MoU states that Brenmiller and SolWinHy Cádiz S.L have an agreement centred on the development of hydrogen and e-methanol projects.

Brenmiller will provide their bGen thermal energy storage system to SolWinHy who is based in Arcos de la Frontera in Spain. SolWinHy is a company who is jointly owned by two European developers, Green Enesys Group and Viridi RE, and they are a purpose-built company. This storage system will provide SolWinHy with a system that is capable of providing the project with clean steam production and energy storage. In the lead up to this agreement, feasibility and proof-of-concept studies were carried out and were successfully completed.

Now that the agreement has been made, the plan is for SolWinHy to integrate the bGen thermal energy storage system and once this has been done, the company will apply a minimum of 55MWh to the thermal energy storage system. From here, following the terms specified in the MoU, the collaborating companies will work together to finalise the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase. The companies are expecting this stage to be completed by Q3 2024.

The overall aim for this project is to produce more than 29,000 tons of green e-methanol annually. This goal will be met through the use of 54MW of wind and 165MWp of photovoltaic electricity production, disconnected from the electrical grid. This configuration will allow the project to generate power from renewable energy, without affecting Spain’s national grid. The purpose of this project is for the power that is generated in this green and environmentally friendly way, to go to the EU’s industrial, power generation and transportation sectors.

The mutual planning for this project began back in September of 2022, with the first step being for the two companies to conduct feasibility studies for the implementation of the bGen system. The tests will conduct studies on how the system performs when it is implemented into different production facilities which deal with green hydrogen and e-methanol. This research was conducted in order to determine if the systems would be suitable for these kinds of facilities, which will soon be under construction in Europe. The results from these experiments came back positively so the project went ahead and took the next steps, leading to SolWinHy using the bGen system.

The Chairman and CEO of Brenmiller, Avi Brenmiller, commented, “We are pleased to see our initial MoU with Green Enesys and Viridi come to fruition with this specific SolWinHy project that has already completed the key feasibility and proof-of-concept milestones. Green e-methanol has great potential to replace fossil fuels in heavy carbon emitting industries. We are working diligently with our partners to complete the FEED which will move us into the phase where Green Enesys and Viridi will lead the financing of the joint project.”

Green Enesys and Viridi’s integrated Energy Solutions Director, José Luis Morán, added, “Brenmiller’s bGen is a proven solution that we trust to produce clean steam 24/7 at demand. We are pleased to partner with Brenmiller’s dedicated team of energy experts to build the SolWinHy project and help the European Union (EU) achieve its clean energy goals.”