H2GLASS Milestone: Advancing Industrial Deployment of Green Hydrogen
Read all A.SPIRE’s Success Stories here.
A Promising P4Planet Initiative
Featured as an A.SPIRE Success Story in January 2025, H2GLASS (full title advancing Hydrogen (H2) technologies and smart production systems TO decarbonise the GLass and Aluminium SectorS) will conclude at the end of 2026. One year after the previous feature, H2GLASS continues to progress towards its objective of supporting the hydrogen-based decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries.
A Major Achievement in a Promising Journey
Recently, the project team informed us that H2GLASS achieved a major milestone with the delivery and installation of a 2.5 MWe portable PEM electrolyser at its first industrial demonstration site at Owens Corning in Laudun L’Ardoise, France, to produce green hydrogen from hydropower.
This development builds on earlier groundbreaking short-term pilot testing with grey hydrogen at Owens Corning in 2024, making the company the first to successfully test industrial-scale production of glass fibre using only electrical boosting and oxy-hydrogen combustion. From March 2026, Owens Corning is expected to be the first of the four industrial demonstrators in H2GLASS to produce green hydrogen on-site and directly feed it into the burners adapted for hydrogen combustion by the consortium partners.
“This milestone turns years of planning and development into a practical demonstration, indicating that flexible, local hydrogen production can support the decarbonisation of the glass industry”, stressed the project team.
Success Story
All four planned industrial demonstrator sites have been established and prepared for upcoming test campaigns using the portable electrolyser. These sites will host sequential deployments, following a travelling schedule across different industrial partners. There have been several successful short-term test campaigns with hydrogen from tube trailers at two of the four industrial demonstrators.
The tests resulted in emission reductions of about 80%.
Furthermore, they provided the consortium with valuable first insights.
On-site production of green hydrogen through the portable electrolyser, combined with long-term testing campaigns, will allow a more comprehensive assessment of operational performance, handling, and safety of hydrogen across different glass manufacturing processes.
These long-term testing campaigns will provide further insights into hydrogen combustion at an industrial scale. According to the project team, they will not only help the thorough understanding of on-site hydrogen supply, safety, and infrastructure needs, but will also generate important experimental data to support further development of the H2GLASS Digital Twin. The Digital Twin will enable predictive maintenance and improvements to combustion and furnace system solutions.
Next Steps
Following its initial deployment, the portable electrolyser will be transferred to three other industrial partners.
Each deployment will provide valuable insights into operational performance, safety, and scalability. The successful demonstration of feasible on-site production of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources, which directly feeds into the burners and furnaces, represents the next step toward the future of the glass and aluminium industries. It also contributes to the decarbonisation and circularity of the entire energy-intensive sector.
Key Takeaways
H2GLASS has entered a new phase characterised by the deployment of infrastructure for on-site green hydrogen production and its planned integration into industrial combustion systems. The project continues to generate insights into the application of hydrogen technologies in energy-intensive industries.
A Strong Contribution to Processes4Planet
The progress of H2GLASS is a significant contribution to advancing the ambitions of the Processes4Planet Partnership. By demonstrating hydrogen-based technologies in industrial environments, the project supports the objectives of the Partnership’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda towards climate neutrality and circularity in European process industries. A.SPIRE looks forward to the outcomes of the upcoming testing campaigns, bringing European energy-intensive industries one step closer to decarbonisation.
Read the January 2025 Success Story: The H2GLASS Project: Decarbonising Our Future
Visit the H2GLASS website.
For more information about A.SPIRE, the Processes4Planet Partnership, and the Success Stories, contact the team.
