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New components and systems for tomorrow's energy production.
Solvay and its partners are developing materials needed for new sustainable energy solutions like fuel and photovoltaic cells, hydrogen storage and new generation batteries.
Fuel cells
With its partner Umicore, Solvay continues to develop the SolviCore joint venture, which produces membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and is today the European leader in its area.
SolviCore has a growing number of projects with leading automotive groups.
In particular, the joint venture is developing an MEA for the modular system of the polymer membrane proton exchange fuel cell developed by a major automaker in partnership with the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA, France), with the objective of integrating it into a prototype hybrid car.
Solvay is investing over EUR 5 million in the construction of a 1 megawatt stationary fuel cell which will become operational in mid-2011 at the SolVin site in the port of Antwerp (Belgium).
This exceptionally large unit, built with public-private financing, will reconvert hydrogen from SolVin's electrolysis activities back into electricity.
Solvay has upped its stake in ACAL Energy, a British company that is developing fuel cells.
ACAL intends using these funds to accelerate the next development phase of FLOWCATH®, its non-platinum cathode technology for low-cost fuel cells. Solvay is planning to install the world’s first demonstration system of this technology at the Solvay Interox production site in Warrington (United Kingdom).
Organic photovoltaics
 Complementing its Organic Electronics programs, Solvay is undertaking a research program into organic photovoltaics at the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) aimed at developing new and more efficient organic materials.
In addition to these efforts, Solvay's investment in Plextronics Inc. (USA) is allowing the Group to collaborate with a leader in the field of active materials for organic photovoltaic cells.
Advanced electrochemical energy storage solutions
The need for new energy storage solutions to balance the intermittent nature of electricity generated by renewable sources, as well as to replace the internal combustion engine with electric traction, will grow steadily in the coming years. In response, Solvay will focus its R&D efforts on the use of hydrogen as an electrical energy storage medium and on breakthrough battery technologies.
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