Rolls-Royce Power Systems and SOWITEC, a specialist in renewable energy projects, have agreed to cooperate with the aim of providing power-to-X projects with a total electrolysis capacity of up to 500 megawatts by 2028. The plants will use renewable energy sources to generate electrical power that will be used to produce hydrogen with mtu electrolyzers.

This green hydrogen can be used as fuel for fuel cells and hydrogen engines, to produce industrial feedstock and to produce sustainable e-fuels for marine, aviation, agriculture, mining and data center power.

Rolls-Royce brings a wide range of its own new products to the cooperation for the production and use of sustainable fuels based on green hydrogen: these include mtu electrolyzers, mtu fuel cell systems and mtu hydrogen engines, as well as experience with hydrogen ecosystems and in the simulation, design and optimization of decentralized energy supply systems.

SOWITEC, based in southern Germany, is one of the world’s leading developers of renewable energy projects and has been active for almost 30 years. With more than 4.2 gigawatts of solar and wind projects installed in South America, Europe and Asia, the Baden-Württemberg-based company has extensive experience in developing financeable turnkey renewable energy projects, from concept to implementation, including investor sourcing.

Rolls-Royce had announced in 2021, through its ‘Net Zero at Power Systems’ sustainability program, that it would realign the product portfolio of its business unit Power Systems so that by 2030, sustainable fuels and new mtu technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent compared to 2019. This near-term target plays an important role in the Rolls-Royce Group’s Net Zero ambition by 2050 at the latest.

In the meantime, the company is already successfully operating an mtu fuel cell system, developing electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen, and gradually releasing its main engines for sustainable fuels such as HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oils). The mtu gas engine portfolio is currently being prepared for hydrogen as a fuel, thus enabling a CO₂-neutral energy supply.