Proposals should address the following aspects:

• As the aim of the topic is to cover the whole value chain and depending on the application the cost of certain components may be more relevant than others, the following ranges are to be considered. Size of electrolysis system: 3 to 5 MW. Minimum size of hydrogen storage: 4 tonnes;
• Proposals should be oriented to optimise the performance of the system, with particular attention paid to the effects on electrolyser’s efficiency and degradation rate on hydrogen production, as well as to power conversion, system control and other critical parameters. The KPI values as indicated above should be achieved at the end of the project, with the exception of the capital cost KPI. It is recognised that the cost of a MW scale off-grid electrolyser system may be significantly different to that of a grid-connected electrolyser of the same size;
• Proposals should secure downstream use, and it should include integration with enough storage to match discontinuous generation with hydrogen end uses. The end use of the hydrogen should be included and clarified in the proposal including a viable business case. All decisions relating to pressurised or atmospheric electrolyser operation, the use of compressors, and the amount and type of hydrogen storage should be justified;
• Proposals should also build upon knowledge and experience from relevant previously funded FCH JU projects[1], like ELY4OFF and REMOTE;
• Proposals should consider periods for scheduled maintenances of the system and estimate the performance of the system on that period;
• Strict off-grid conditions are desirable, although connection to the grid for testing, control and safety reasons can be foreseen;
• The system (demonstrator) developed by the project should operate for at least one complete year. This includes the complete value chain covering off-grid hydrogen production, storage, and end use.

Proposals should provide a preliminary draft on ‘hydrogen safety planning and management’ at the project level, which will be further updated during project implementation.
The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is €9,00 million – proposals requesting Clean Hydrogen JU contributions above this amount will not be evaluated.