SHINe story: PEM Technologies

Innovation and opportunity

In conventional PEM electrolysers, cells are built into large stacks that cannot easily be taken apart. When a single cell fails, the whole stack often must be replaced. This removes a large share of a system's capacity at once. PEM Technologies' design changes this by using modular "cell blocks" that work like building bricks. 

The advantages of this include:

• Failing cells can be swapped out individually, reducing replacement costs and downtime
• Capacity can be added in stages, so customers can start small and expand as demand grows
• Alternative catalysts and membranes reduce exposure to scarce iridium and PFAS-based inputs, with the aim of lowering costs and supply-chain risk

The company's initial focus is on distributed 300 kW to 2 MW deployments, where modularity and uptime matter most. 

Its two beachhead markets are hydrogen refuelling for heavy-duty vehicle depots and smaller renewable sites looking to make use of curtailed wind and solar power. It also sees opportunities in industrial small-to-medium sized businesses (SMEs), off-grid construction, farming and forestry, and in retrofitting existing electrolysers with its cell and stack architecture.

SHINe’s role in supporting PEM Technologies

Through the SHINe commercial support programme, the SHINe team prepared an independent report to test PEM Technologies' core hypotheses about cell failure and its impact on PEM electrolyser systems. The work included:

• A literature review of relevant academic findings on cell and stack degradation and failure
• Interviews with key industry stakeholders to gather first-hand insight on how failures happen and how they are managed in practice
• An assessment of the cost and operational impact of early stack failure for operators
• An evidence base for PEM Technologies' value proposition that can be shared with investors

The report found that stack failure before expected end of life is a clear issue for PEM electrolyser systems, often caused by failure at the individual cell level. 

As those cells can't easily be removed, whole stacks usually must be replaced, adding substantial cost and reducing operational uptime. Industry stakeholders showed clear appetite for a solution, which PEM Technologies' architecture is designed to provide. The company now has independent evidence that its technology addresses a real market need.

PEM Technologies’ next steps

PEM Technologies is targeting completion of its proof-of-concept cell and associated manifold by the end of 2026. Successful testing will mark an important technical milestone. The company then plans to raise between £750,000 and £1 million in early 2027.

The company’s modular architecture is designed to enable individual cells or modules to be replaced independently. This reduces maintenance disruption and the need to replace the entire stack.

The next development stage will demonstrate a prototype stack and module under representative operating conditions. This will validate performance and serviceability before progressing from a 1 kW demonstrator towards a 100 kW pilot system.

Investment will support team growth, prototype testing and pilot development. PEM Technologies will also develop repeatable manufacturing processes, establishing a staged route towards automation, while investigating alternative lower cost materials enabled by its cell geometry.

The commercial research undertaken through SHINe will help inform market priorities, potential partnerships and routes to market. This strengthens the company’s investment proposition alongside its technical results. 

PEM Technologies aims to secure a pilot partnership with an electrolyser manufacturer, system integrator or project developer. This provides a route towards initial commercial orders, module supply or technology licensing.