NPROXX Hannover Messe Stand 2024

NPROXX, a leading provider of high-pressure hydrogen storage solutions, showcased its innovative technologies and commitment to sustainable energy at the prestigious Hannover Messe in April 2024.

This annual event, renowned as the world’s largest industrial fair, served as the perfect platform for NPROXX to demonstrate advanced developments in hydrogen storage, and contribute to the global advancement of clean energy solutions.

At the heart of our exhibit was NPROXX’s groundbreaking hydrogen storage systems, designed to address the challenges of storing and transporting hydrogen safely and efficiently. As the demand for hydrogen as a clean energy source continues to surge, our cutting-edge solutions offer a reliable and scalable means of harnessing this abundant resource for various applications, from automotive to industrial and beyond.

Visitors to the NPROXX booth had the opportunity to explore the company’s diverse product range including lightweight composite tanks, advanced pressure vessels, and integrated hydrogen storage solutions. Through interactive demonstrations and informative presentations we highlighted the transformative potential of hydrogen as a key enabler of the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Partnering in the hydrogen economy

Moreover, our participation at Hannover Messe underscored NPROXX’s commitment to collaboration and partnership within the hydrogen ecosystem. By engaging with industry stakeholders, policymakers and technology enthusiasts, NPROXX aims to foster dialogue, exchange ideas, and drive collective action towards a sustainable future powered by hydrogen.

Throughout the event, NPROXX actively participated in panel discussions, workshops and networking events, ensuring that we contributed positively to shaping the discourse on hydrogen technologies, which ultimately will drive the adoption of clean energy solutions on a global scale. As the world continues to prioritize decarbonization and renewable energy, NPROXX remains at the forefront of the hydrogen revolution, driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Through its participation at events like Hannover Messe, NPROXX reaffirms its commitment to pioneering sustainable solutions that will shape the future of energy for generations to come.

 

NPROXX booth stand design

NPROXX will once again be exhibiting at Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe 2023, hosted in Bremen, Germany. The company will be showcasing its latest innovations in hydrogen storage technology, including its new high-pressure hydrogen fuel system for buses.

Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe is the leading event for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. This event, which prepares to expand to a bigger venue in Hamburg for 2024, is a great opportunity for businesses to learn about the latest trends in the industry, network with potential customers and partners, and showcase their latest products and services.

“We are excited to be exhibiting at Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe once again,” said Johannes Lorenz, Head of Marketing and Sales at NPROXX. “This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our latest innovations in hydrogen storage technology to a global audience. We have doubled our exhibiting space since last year, and will be featuring our innovative hydrogen bus system, demonstrating the work we are doing to help make clean transport more accessible.”

As part of this exhibition, NPROXX will be showcasing its high-pressure composite hydrogen containers. “Our Type 4 pressure vessels are made from a lightweight and strong composite, carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), that is resistant to corrosion and impact,” explains Johannes “They are capable of storing hydrogen under high pressure, making them ideal for use in a variety of applications, including fuel cell vehicles, stationary power generation and industrial applications.”

In addition to its high-pressure vessels, NPROXX will also be showcasing its other technological developments, as well as discussing its recent research and investments in further progressing hydrogen storage solutions. If you are interested in this innovative technology, you can find the NPROXX team at the Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe in Messe Bremen’s Hall 6 at stand E250 from 27th–28th September 2023.

 

Hydrogen (H2) in a jungle/forest denoting it's ecological benefits

Governments across the world are now investing heavily in alternative energy technology, with a particular focus on hydrogen. Hydrogen, and especially green hydrogen (which is produced through sustainable methods like wind and solar) offers a clean, sustainable energy option for all. NPROXX develops the vital technology that is needed to store hydrogen safely and effectively.

Why alternative energies?

As the energy crisis worsens against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and fluctuating fuel costs, countries across the world are in need of accessible and stable sources of power. Add in the climate crisis and the need for these new energy sources becomes urgent. Green hydrogen has the potential to fulfil these energy needs, but the underlying technology needs to develop and improve rapidly in order to deliver the scale required.

The search for secure, stable, safe energy

With the recent announcement of £102million in funding for nuclear and hydrogen innovation made by the British Government, the political focus on energy sovereignty and security is increasingly apparent. This is just one example of the significant energy investments that are happening across the Western world. As these plans develop, hydrogen technology is going to play a key role in the transition to a cleaner, greener future.

Working hard to meet this growing market demand, NPROXX is expanding both its workforce and its manufacturing capacity. “Governments around the world are investing in alternative energy technology, and we are seeing a surge in demand for hydrogen storage solutions,” says Michael Himmen, Managing Director of Sales for NPROXX. “We are scaling up our capacity and growing our team to help us manage this demand and cement our position as global leaders in hydrogen storage technology.”

Transforming transportation and other industries

One of the key areas where hydrogen is set to have a significant impact is in public and private transportation. On top of being cleaner, hydrogen fuel cell engines offer a variety of advantages over traditional gasoline and diesel engines, including lower emissions and longer ranges. NPROXX develops specialised pressure vessels for use in a wide range of rail, marine and road vehicles.

However, it’s not just the transport sector where hydrogen is set to make a difference. This technology is also being used to create stationary applications such as refuelling stations, where H2 can be used to generate electricity or heat buildings.

With expertise in both transport and stationary hydrogen pressure vessels, NPROXX is well-positioned to play a leading role in the transition to a hydrogen-based economy. To find out more about NPROXX’s work, read about our range of capabilities or contact us directly.

 

 

 

 

Hannover Messe - Making the difference #hm23

Hannover Messe is the world’s leading expo for industrial pioneering and innovative technology. As a returning exhibitor, NPROXX’s participation in this year’s event underscores its commitment to providing cutting-edge hydrogen solutions for the alternative energy sector.

Hydrogen storage technology specialist, NPROXX, will once again present at the upcoming Hannover Messe expo. The event will span a full week again for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and the NPROXX team is looking forward to returning to Hall 13 to exhibit its latest technological innovations. “We are eager to present our progress from the last year,” says Michael Himmen, Managing Director of Sales at NPROXX. “With the demand for hydrogen energy technology on the rise, we are constantly adapting and honing our products to offer the best solutions for the market. Hannover Messe is the perfect stage for us to showcase our advancement of these products.”

This year’s event will see NPROXX featured on a bigger exhibition stand, covered by a team of specialists offering an insight into our leading technology. In addition to a larger presence, NPROXX’s Marketing and Sales Director, Johannes Lorenz, will also be speaking at the event. “This will be a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate NPROXX’s industry expertise,” explains Lorenz. “Our team is currently at the forefront of the hydrogen transport sector, developing increasingly efficient storage solutions for all types of automotive needs. This year at Hannover Messe, we will be addressing first-hand how our technology is facilitating the replacement of fossil fuels with a cleaner, sustainable alternative.”

Meet NPROXX at Hannover Messe 2023 in Hall 13 at stand E33 and see Johannes Lorenz’s speech, titled The future of hydrogen transport efficiency, on Wednesday 19th April, 2:40pm CEST.

People working on a carbon fibre pressure vessel

Europe has now overtaken Japan to become the region with the most hydrogen-related patents. With a 28% share of patents from the years 2011 to 2020, European manufacturers like NPROXX are now leading the development of the specialist and innovative technologies needed to support the rapidly growing global hydrogen industry.

As governments across the continent attempt to tackle looming net-zero goals, European investment is driving energy innovation, especially in the number of H2-related patents filed around the world. This milestone, confirmed by a new study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), marks a shift in the European energy market, and signals a growing interest in alternative, cleaner energy sources.

As a major innovator of hydrogen storage technology, NPROXX can see the effects of this shift first-hand. “Surpassing Japan’s patent count shows how prosperous the European hydrogen industry is right now,” explains Johannes Lorenz, Sales and Marketing Director at NPROXX. “Patent filings are often used to understand the degree of innovation in a market. As a manufacturer based across Germany and the Netherlands, this news is reflective of the pioneering work we have done so far and offers encouragement to take our innovations a step further.”

As demand continues to grow, NPROXX is expanding its production capacity significantly, with a new, much larger manufacturing site opening up later in 2023. “As the world faces an urgent need to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, what we see today is just the start for energy technology investment,” says Lorenz. “With our expertise in hydrogen storage technology, supported by growing manufacturing capacities and a commitment to research and development, NPROXX is well-prepared to meet the ever-increasing demand for hydrogen in Europe.”

To find out more about NPROXX’s technology, read about our hydrogen storage applications, or get in touch directly through our online contact form.

The future of hydrogen - NPROXX pressure vessels

As global demand for clean energy solutions continues to surge, NPROXX’s innovative approach to advanced hydrogen storage technology and ambitious plans for sustainable growth are placing it at the heart of this rapidly expanding global market.

Energy from hydrogen is becoming increasingly prominent in governments’ net zero strategies. As a result, demand for expert design and manufacturing capability has soared. NPROXX is meeting this demand by investing in technology development and expanding production capacity. “Later this year we will open our new production site in Alsdorf, Germany,” announces Rainer vor dem Esche, General Manager of NPROXX. “This new facility will allow us to significantly increase our output to meet the powerful demand we are experiencing from both existing and new customers.”

Strategy shaped by innovation

NPROXX’s focus on innovation is evidenced by its portfolio of innovative and ground-breaking pressure vessel systems for heavy-duty trucks, public sector transport and automotive vehicles. NPROXX continues to develop its product offerings across all these applications. “NPROXX has plans to finalise the development of its next-generation pressure vessel technology in the coming year,” explains Johannes Lorenz, Marketing and Sales Director for NPROXX. “The outcome of this project is a promising development that has the potential to revolutionise the hydrogen storage market.”

Through this development, NPROXX is demonstrating that hydrogen storage systems have more potential than just buffering demand. “We can see the industry recognising this kind of technology on an increasing scale,” says Lorenz. “The accurate implementation of hydrogen storage systems in both mobile and stationary pipelines brings significant advantages for operators and end-customers, including increasing reliability, availability, scalability and reducing operating costs.”

Expanding into promising markets

NPROXX’s technology is already being used in a variety of applications, but in 2023, the company is focusing on expanding its reach. “We are preparing to move further into public transport applications,” explains Lorenz. “This is where we currently see the biggest, fastest growth for hydrogen logistics. We will be up against still-unstable global supply chains, but with a growing number of visionary blue-chip enterprises developing long-term hydrogen strategies, we project a positive shift in political support for green hydrogen production.”

With sights locked on the future of hydrogen energy, NPROXX is primed to steer the hydrogen storage market towards providing a more sustainable energy mix. For more information about NPROXX’s innovations, visit our capabilities page or contact us directly.

A person filling a hydrogen powered vehicle

As the world looks to radically reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and to grow a sustainable, decarbonised energy supply, governments are waking up to the potential of hydrogen covering energy demands where renewables cannot.

Hydrogen is a transportable, highly flexible energy source that offers a variety of ways to capture and transfer excess energy from renewable sources. Production from renewable installations can peak at times when demand is low, such as in the middle of the night or on sunny days. Using the process of electrolysis, surplus electricity from wind, solar and hydro farms can be converted into gaseous hydrogen by splitting water molecules. This gas can then be safely stored in high-pressure storage tanks – such as the range produced by NPROXX – and transported to wherever power is needed.

How is hydrogen better than fossil fuels?

Hydrogen produced using renewable energies is called green hydrogen. Its impact on the climate is very low, as the levels of greenhouse gases produced are negligible. Considering this compelling advantage, it is no surprise that hydrogen is playing a key role in many countries’ net-zero plans. Federal governments in Germany and other European nations are redesigning their power supply strategies to dramatically increase the use of hydrogen.

Moving away from fossil fuels toward an alternative, such as hydrogen, can also strengthen countries’ national security by facilitating energy independence. Governments investing in and building storage capacities – which are widely considered to be a key component of the expected low-carbon energy mix of the future – will be able to access an abundant energy supply whenever they need it, free from any political or logistic blockers. Additionally, hydrogen technologies also have the potential to create additional sustainable jobs and major investment in new technologies.

Where can hydrogen be used?

Hydrogen can be used to reduce carbon emissions across many sectors including production, industry and transport. It offers an effective solution to CO2 emissions caused by industry, particularly in energy-intensive steel or chemical production. Certain processes within the chemical industry can be made climate-friendly with green hydrogen.

Where the use of electric drivetrains is not achievable, hydrogen also offers a solution for climate-friendly transport. Green hydrogen can be safely transported to refuelling stations, where it can power cars, buses or heavy-duty vehicles. Hydrogen is also a powerful solution to replace diesel-powered local and regional trains.

Is hydrogen safe?

One of the most common concerns with hydrogen is that, as a flammable gas stored under pressure, it can be hazardous. It’s undeniable that, to be effective, hydrogen must be stored at very high pressure – it is, after all, the lightest element in the universe. In reality, hydrogen is no more dangerous than other flammable fuels, or the batteries used in electric cars as long as it is safely stored. Hydrogen storage technology is advancing rapidly and must be fully certified against stringent regulations. All NPROXX pressure vessels, for instance, undergo extensive certification tests to ensure that they perform reliably and can be repeatedly used without risk of the tank failing.

Already, millions of miles have been travelled using hydrogen power, and that number is rising exponentially. “I have personally driven more than 50,000km in my hydrogen car,” says Johannes Lorenz, Marketing and Sales Director at NPROXX. “For me, the overall experience is much better than a petrol or diesel car – it is the smoothest ride there is, and so efficient. With hydrogen, you can travel 500km and only have to wait five minutes for your car to be completely refuelled. It’s excellent.”

To find out more about how hydrogen is excelling as the fuel of the future, read about NPROXX’s hydrogen storage solutions, or contact us directly.

 

Two workers inspecting a graph

The Delfin project – a recently completed, €7.5 million research venture – explored how energy storage for hydrogen-powered vehicles could be built more affordably. As a major contributor to the project, NPROXX collaborated with some of the world’s leading automotive institutes to advance the hydrogen storage technology needed to make clean, sustainable transport accessible for all.

By focusing on how to reduce the cost of fuel cell technology, the Delfin project aimed to unlock some of the challenges facing the achievement of truly emissions-free transport on our roads. Cost is recognised as a key barrier to the wider adoption of hydrogen-fuelled commercial and personal transport on a global scale. NPROXX was key to this project, contributing their expertise in hydrogen storage manufacturing to inform the research and improve existing pressure vessel technology.

“This project has given NPROXX the chance to show what we do best,” says Alex Wolter, Simulation Engineer at NPROXX. “Almost every team was involved in this project at one stage or another, so it was a great opportunity to demonstrate our production line expertise. From the R&D stage, to design, to production and testing – we collaborated well, both internally and with partners, to produce our most weight-efficient vessel yet.”

“Optimising our products was a very exciting process to be involved in,” adds Jannes Timke, Manufacturing and Process Engineer for NPROXX. “We know our hydrogen storage technology is already some of the best in the world, but having the time and resource to invest in finding ways to improve it further – making it go the extra mile – was very rewarding.”

Exploring and enhancing NPROXX technology

Calculating the cost of a standard NPROXX pressure vessel was key to this research. “Before optimising our technology, we had to establish price reduction opportunities,” says Timke. “We found that reducing each vessel’s carbon fibre content was the key to bringing production costs down. Our work on this project mainly looked at how to get the most out of every inch of carbon fibre used by experimenting with new materials. This produced incredibly effective results.”

Efficient R&D processes were also crucial. “We utilised practical research methods to ensure we were exploring possibilities in the most resourceful way possible,” continues Timke. “In the development stage, for example, we produced a subscale vessel before creating the longer, full-scale version. This prototyping process proved our ideas worked without potentially wasting excess materials.”

Expanding knowledge through collaboration

The project brought several leading automotive manufacturing partners – including Ford, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – together with accomplished suppliers and engineering specialists, enabling them to learn from one another’s expertise. “Working with these partners was hugely insightful, since it increased our exposure to automotive industry-level manufacturing,” explains Wolter. “These are massive, world-renowned firms we were working with – some with more than a century of manufacturing experience. They had a very particular way of doing things, so we quickly learned how they work to ensure the project went smoothly.”

One way in which the NPROXX team had to adapt was in the testing stage of the project. “We worked closely with the partners to provide what they needed for testing our vessels,” says Timke. “Since the project was centred around research, we didn’t have certified bodies testing these products. Instead, following our internal testing, the partners took the vessels and tested every single unit we produced to see whether our methods of optimisation could endure the necessary amount of pressure. The nature of these tests, both theoretical and physical, were extensive and challenging. Yet, it was this level of examination that ultimately allowed us to perfect the vessels.”

Driving the automotive industry forward

NPROXX’s outputs for this project have proved how hydrogen fuel cells can be more affordable. In future, the optimised technology NPROXX has developed can be applied to all kinds of hydrogen fuel cell  or even CNG pressure vessels, depending on the amount of hydrogen required. “We look forward to working with some of these partners and collaborators again,” concludes Wolter. “This project marks the first big step in NPROXX’s efforts to make hydrogen transport accessible for all. Off the back of this, we will continue innovating, adapting and optimising this technology to support the roll-out of clean energy vehicles as standard.”

“The Delfin project is a huge step towards fuel cell vehicles that offer performance at a marketable price,” affirms Steffen Bilger, former German Parliamentary State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. “In order to see commercial adoption of fuel cell vehicles across Europe, we must prioritise developing technology that harnesses hydrogen. This project has done just that, and as a result we are closer than ever to successfully switching to alternative fuels on a large scale.”

Find out more about NPROXX’s other specialist hydrogen storage technology or contact us directly to discover the potential of our manufacturing expertise.

NPROXX booth stand design

The international trade fair, held at Messe Bremen, Germany, focuses on technologies and solutions for a low-carbon, hydrogen-led future. NPROXX will be presenting a range of advanced hydrogen storage solutions at this exciting event.

It is the 2nd time that NPROXX appears at this tradeshow and the company will be represented by three members of our senior sales team, Michael Himmen, Johannes Lorenz and Michael Ismar, who look forward to touching base with existing and potential customers and all other interested parties at the fair.

“As we produce reliable solutions for hydrogen transport and storage and increasingly exciting technology, leading the way in hydrogen power solutions, we are eager to showcase our latest products,” says Ismar, Marketing and Sales Manager at NPROXX. “The Hydrogen Technology Expo is renowned as a stage for ground-breaking hydrogen innovations, and we are excited to be back to present.”

To find out more about NPROXX’s advanced hydrogen technology, visit us at Stand 6201, Hall 5 from 19th–20th October 2022, or get in touch directly via our online contact form.