AFC Energy

AFC Energy is a United Kingdom hydrogen-technology company that develops alkaline fuel-cell systems and related equipment for generating electricity from hydrogen. Its central commercial proposition is to replace or supplement diesel generators in applications where conventional grid power is unavailable, constrained, temporary or insufficiently flexible. The company has focused particularly on construction sites, temporary and off-grid power, electric-vehicle charging, industrial facilities and selected maritime or other distributed-power applications. AFC Energy's fuel-cell systems convert hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical process. During operation, the process can produce electricity without direct carbon emissions at the point of use, while water and heat are also produced. The overall environmental benefit depends on the source of the hydrogen, the energy used to produce it, transport arrangements and the efficiency and operating profile of the complete system. The company's technology is therefore positioned as part of a wider hydrogen and low-carbon power infrastructure rather than as a standalone guarantee of zero lifecycle emissions. The company's development began with the acquisition of intellectual property and assets from Eneco in 2006. Early projects demonstrated successive fuel-cell configurations in industrial settings, including a 2010 Alpha System at Linc Energy's Chinchilla underground coal-gasification facility and Beta Systems commissioned in the United Kingdom and Germany in 2011. These projects were intended to show that hydrogen from industrial or process sources could be used as a feedstock for stationary electricity generation. AFC Energy subsequently developed larger systems and pursued international deployment opportunities. Its KORE fuel-cell system began operating at an Air Products facility in Stade, Germany, in 2015 and reached 200 kilowatts in 2016. The company also explored large-scale projects in the United Kingdom, South Korea and Dubai, although the available reference material does not establish that the South Korean or Dubai projects proceeded to commercial operation. A proposed 1-megawatt United Kingdom facility was abandoned in favour of a larger deployment at Stade. In the 2020s, AFC Energy increasingly presented its equipment as a practical power source for construction and electric-vehicle infrastructure. Its H-Power range is designed to supply electricity in mobile or temporary settings and to provide an alternative to diesel generation. Hydrogen-powered charging systems extend the same concept to electric vehicles by using a fuel-cell generator to provide charging power where grid capacity is limited or rapid deployment is required. In 2020, the company collaborated with Extreme E on hydrogen-fuel-cell power for charging the racing fleet, with water generated during operation intended for use elsewhere at the site. AFC Energy has also worked on hydrogen-production and hydrogen-carrier technologies. In 2023, the company reported that tests of its ammonia-cracking technology produced hydrogen with 99.99% purity from a single reactor, with the results independently tested by the UK's National Physical Laboratory. Ammonia cracking is intended to release hydrogen from ammonia, potentially supporting hydrogen logistics where transporting or storing ammonia is more practical than handling pure hydrogen. The company remains exposed to the challenges common to emerging hydrogen businesses, including fuel cost and availability, equipment durability, manufacturing scale, site permitting, infrastructure requirements, customer adoption and competition from batteries, grid connections and conventional generators. AFC Energy is listed on AIM under the symbol AFC. Its current commercial scale, financial performance and project pipeline should be assessed using the latest company announcements and regulatory filings.

AFC Energy was established in the United Kingdom in 2006 through the acquisition of intellectual property rights and assets from Eneco. The company developed an alkaline fuel-cell platform intended to use hydrogen as a feedstock for stationary electricity generation. Its early work combined laboratory development with demonstrations at industrial sites, where the company sought to prove that fuel-cell systems could provide useful power from hydrogen obtained from industrial or process sources. In 2010, AFC Energy commissioned an Alpha System at Linc Energy's underground coal-gasification facility in Chinchilla, Australia. The project used hydrogen produced through the underground coal-gasification process as fuel for the cell. In 2011, the company commissioned a Beta System at its United Kingdom facility and then installed two Beta Systems at AkzoNobel's chlor-alkali plant in Bitterfeld, Germany. These installations reflected an early strategy of locating fuel cells near industrial sources of hydrogen rather than relying solely on a new retail hydrogen network. The company pursued larger installations as its technology developed. In 2012, AFC Energy and Industrial Chemicals Limited announced plans for a 1-megawatt fuel-cell facility in the United Kingdom. That plan was abandoned in 2013 in favour of deploying a larger system at an Air Products facility in Stade, Germany. AFC Energy began operating its first KORE fuel-cell system at Stade in 2015, and the system reached a reported capacity of 200 kilowatts in January 2016. AFC Energy also announced ambitions for international fuel-cell parks. In 2015, it committed to developing a proposed 50-megawatt fuel-cell park in South Korea through a joint venture involving Samyoung and Changsing Chemical. The same year, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai Carbon concerning a proposed 300-megawatt fuel-cell park in Dubai. The available reference material does not report subsequent progress or commercial completion for either proposal. In 2018, the company agreed to install a 200-to-400-kilowatt fuel-cell unit at Southern Oil's biorefinery in Gladstone, Australia. The project demonstrated AFC Energy's interest in using fuel cells at industrial facilities that may have access to process gases, hydrogen or other energy inputs. The company's subsequent commercial direction became more closely associated with modular power equipment and applications that traditionally use diesel generators. In 2020, AFC Energy announced a collaboration with Extreme E. The company's hydrogen fuel-cell technology was used to support charging of the racing series' electric vehicles with electricity generated without direct emissions at the point of use. Water produced as a by-product of the generation process was intended for other on-site uses. This collaboration helped present the technology in a demanding mobile and temporary-power environment rather than only in fixed industrial installations. During the 2020s, AFC Energy developed and promoted the H-Power range for construction, temporary power and other distributed-energy requirements. It also expanded its work on hydrogen-powered EV charging, targeting locations where grid reinforcement is difficult, slow or expensive. The company has continued to describe its systems as alternatives or complements to diesel generators, particularly where customers need quiet, modular or lower-emission power. A further technical direction has been ammonia cracking. In 2023, AFC Energy reported that a single-reactor test achieved hydrogen purity of 99.99 percent, with independent testing by the UK's National Physical Laboratory. The technology is intended to separate hydrogen from ammonia and could support hydrogen distribution models in which ammonia acts as a more readily transported carrier. The company remains a hydrogen-system developer and commercialisation business, with its future performance dependent on technology validation, manufacturing, customer deployment, hydrogen economics and the development of supporting regulation and infrastructure.

• 2023

  Ammonia-cracking test reports high-purity hydrogen

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The company reports 99.99 percent hydrogen purity from single-reactor ammonia-cracking testing, with results independently tested by the UK's National Physical Laboratory.

• 2020

  Extreme E charging collaboration announced

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  AFC Energy collaborates with Extreme E to use hydrogen fuel-cell generation to charge the series' electric racing fleet.

• 2018

  Australian biorefinery installation agreed

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  AFC Energy agrees to install a 200-to-400-kilowatt fuel-cell unit at Southern Oil's biorefinery in Gladstone, Australia.

• 2016

  KORE system reaches 200 kilowatts

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The Stade KORE system reaches a reported electrical capacity of 200 kilowatts.

• 2015

  KORE system begins operating in Germany

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  AFC Energy commences operation of its first KORE fuel-cell system at Stade, Germany.

• 2013

  United Kingdom megawatt plan replaced by Stade deployment

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  A previously announced 1-megawatt United Kingdom fuel-cell project is abandoned in favour of a larger system at an Air Products facility in Stade, Germany.

• 2011

  Beta Systems demonstrated in the United Kingdom and Germany

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  A Beta System is commissioned at AFC Energy's United Kingdom facility, followed by two systems at AkzoNobel's chlor-alkali plant in Bitterfeld, Germany.

• 2010

  Alpha System commissioned in Australia

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  An Alpha hydrogen fuel-cell system is commissioned at Linc Energy's Chinchilla underground coal-gasification facility, using hydrogen produced by the process as fuel.

• 2006

  AFC Energy is established

  [1]AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The company is established through the acquisition of intellectual property rights and assets from Eneco and begins developing alkaline fuel-cell technology.

A hydrogen-based distributed-power and fuel-cell technology provider focused on replacing or supplementing diesel generators and grid connections in construction, temporary power, EV charging and industrial applications.

• Hydrogen fuel-cell generator systems

  H-Power

  H-Power is AFC Energy's range of modular hydrogen fuel-cell power systems. The range is intended for construction sites, temporary electricity, off-grid locations and other applications that commonly depend on diesel generators or have limited access to the grid. The systems convert hydrogen into electricity and are positioned as lower-emission, quieter alternatives or supplements to conventional mobile generation. Actual lifecycle emissions depend on how the hydrogen is produced and delivered.

• Alkaline fuel-cell systems

  KORE

  KORE is an AFC Energy fuel-cell system platform demonstrated in industrial operation at Stade, Germany. The system formed part of the company's effort to scale alkaline fuel-cell generation beyond laboratory and small demonstration units. Its deployment at an Air Products facility illustrated the use of hydrogen fuel-cell generation in an industrial environment and reached a reported 200-kilowatt capacity in 2016.

• Electric-vehicle charging power

  Hydrogen-powered EV charging solutions

  AFC Energy's hydrogen-powered EV charging solutions use fuel-cell generation to supply electricity to vehicle chargers. They are aimed at locations where grid capacity is constrained, temporary charging is required or higher-power charging needs to be deployed faster than a permanent grid upgrade would allow. The approach links the company's stationary-generation technology with electric-mobility infrastructure.

• Hydrogen production and carrier technology

  Ammonia-cracking technology

  AFC Energy's ammonia-cracking work is intended to release hydrogen from ammonia for use in fuel-cell and power applications. In 2023, the company reported 99.99 percent hydrogen purity from a single-reactor test, with independent testing by the UK's National Physical Laboratory. The technology could support hydrogen logistics by using ammonia as a transportable hydrogen carrier, although commercial deployment depends on further validation, economics and infrastructure.

• 2020Extreme E hydrogen charging collaboration

  International motorsport · Electric-vehicle charging

  AFC Energy worked with Extreme E to provide hydrogen fuel-cell electricity for charging the racing series' electric vehicles. The project showcased the use of mobile hydrogen generation in a demanding event environment and highlighted water as a by-product that could be used elsewhere on site.

  Outcome. The collaboration served as a demonstration of hydrogen-powered charging for temporary and mobile applications.

  Source

• 2020

  Hydrogen fuel-cell charging for Extreme EProduct launch

  Background

  Extreme E required a way to charge its electric racing vehicles in temporary event locations.

  Action taken

  AFC Energy announced a collaboration to use its hydrogen fuel-cell technology to generate electricity for the race fleet.

  Aftermath

  The project extended AFC Energy's technology demonstration portfolio into mobile electric-vehicle charging and motorsport.

  Source

• 2013

  Redirecting the proposed 1-megawatt project to GermanyStrategy

  Background

  AFC Energy and Industrial Chemicals Limited had announced plans for a 1-megawatt fuel-cell facility in the United Kingdom in 2012.

  Action taken

  The United Kingdom plan was abandoned and the company chose to pursue deployment of a larger system at an Air Products facility in Stade, Germany.

  Aftermath

  The Stade project became the location for the company's first KORE system, which began operating in 2015 and later reached 200 kilowatts.

  Source

1. 1AFC Energyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2AFC Energy official websiteafcenergy.com
3. 3ABB Expands Partnership with Investment in AFC Energy to Further Progress Fuel Cell Innovationazom.com
4. 4AFC Energy Announces Strategic Collaboration with Global Engineering Consultancy Ricardo to Develop Global Applications for Hydrogen Power Generationprnewswire.com
5. 5AFC Energy appoints technology veteran as non-executive directorthemarketreporter.co.uk
6. 6AFC Energy launches new fuel cell test facility at its Surrey HQthemarketreporter.co.uk