Ceres is developing its solid oxide electrolyser cell (SOEC) technology for low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production, citing efficiency and thermal integration benefits.
Speaking in gasworld’s webinar, ‘Hydrogen and ammonia: cracking the future of clean energy’, Deepak Mistry, Strategic Business Development Director at Ceres, outlined how the company’s technology could reduce both capital and operational costs while supporting industries where electrification is not an option.
Electrolyser efficiency: Cutting energy use by 30%
Ceres’ SOEC technology operates in reverse from its fuel cell technology, producing hydrogen from steam with efficiencies of 37 kWh per kilogram, 30% lower energy consumption than conventional alkaline or PEM electrolysers.
“Our technology is protected by over 150 patent families. And with our licensing model we enable ourselves to collaborate with some of the global industrial partners of the world to scale the technology at pace,” Mistry said.
By using less electricity per kilogram of hydrogen, Ceres’ system could reduce both operational and capital costs, requiring fewer electrolysers and renewable power inputs to deliver the same output as other techs.
Targeting hard-to-abate industries and ammonia production
Mistry identified ammonia production as a key market for Ceres’ technology due to its reliance on hydrogen and potential for thermal energy integration.
“If you think of the ammonia market, where the majority of hydrogen is being used today as produced from fossil fuels… with our technology, when we integrate the thermal energy that’s generated from the ammonia plant with our electrolyser technology, we’re able to deliver very high efficiencies of hydrogen production,” he said.
Beyond ammonia, Ceres sees potential applications in:
- Steel production – using green hydrogen instead of coal in direct reduction.
- Synthetic fuels – combining hydrogen with captured CO2 to create e-fuels.
- Data centres – providing backup power as AI and cloud computing drive demand.
- Shipping – using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier and fuel.
“We really need a solution to decarbonise these hard-to-abate sectors… industries where electrification is simply not an option,” Mistry added.
Hydrogen transport: No one-size-fits-all solution
Mistry acknowledged that different sectors require different hydrogen transport solutions. While some production will be localised near industrial sites, existing ammonia trade networks could facilitate hydrogen distribution for shipping and fertiliser production.
“We know today that, for example, ammonia is shipped around the world. It is used as a commodity in the fertiliser industry, and millions of tons of ammonia are already shipped today,” Mistry noted. “So it doesn’t depend on being decarbonised first. It’s already a scalable transport mechanism.”
For large-scale industrial users, project locations may depend more on power availability than proximity to demand.
“A significant green steel plant, for example, would require gigawatt-scale electrolyser parks,” Mistry said.
Innovation across policy, financing, and technology
Mistry outlined three key areas shaping the hydrogen economy:
- National policy and strategy – Governments refining regulations and incentives.
- Financing models – Emerging mechanisms to fund large-scale hydrogen projects.
- Technology advancements – Efficiency improvements in electrolysers.
Despite previous market hype, Mistry said discussions around hydrogen are now more focused on scalable projects.
“We see this as a good thing. The conversations are far more grounded now. The scale-up is becoming more realistic, and the much-needed innovation on multiple fronts… is gradually feeding through,” he concluded.
