Hydrogen Energy Pack Reaches Key Milestone in Greece

The Energy Pack system installed at the CERTH research centre in Ptolemaida, Greece, has reached a major milestone within the EVELIXIA project. The Power‑to‑Gas‑to‑Power (P2G2P) hydrogen storage system is now physically connected to the building’s electrical infrastructure and has successfully supplied hydrogen‑generated electricity to the facility for the first time.

This achievement represents the first real‑world demonstration of the Energy Pack operating as intended within the EVELIXIA framework. The integration has followed a structured and methodical process. After the commissioning of the core hydrogen components — including the electrolyser, hydrogen storage tanks, and fuel cell — the system was electrically connected to the building grid. Initial power delivery cycles have already been carried out, with hydrogen‑based electricity feeding the research centre.

These first operational runs have been performed under manual supervision, allowing the engineering team to closely monitor system behaviour and verify performance under real operating conditions. The results confirm that all components are functioning as expected.

The next phase of work focuses on integrating the Energy Pack with the building’s Building Management System (BMS) using the Modbus communication protocol. Once this connection is completed, the system will be able to operate autonomously, responding dynamically to the building’s energy needs. In practice, this means storing surplus electricity as hydrogen during low‑demand periods and converting stored hydrogen back into electricity when demand rises — without manual intervention. Achieving this fully automated operation is a key objective for the coming months.

During the winter period, the site experienced challenging weather conditions, with temperatures dropping to approximately –10 °C. These low temperatures required maintenance on specific components, but all issues have since been resolved and the system has returned to full operation. Importantly, this experience has provided valuable insights into the system’s performance under harsh climatic conditions, supporting future resilience and robustness planning.

With the BMS integration now underway, EVELIXIA is moving closer to demonstrating a fully autonomous hydrogen‑based energy storage cycle in a real building environment. This milestone will further validate P2G2P technology as a practical and scalable solution for energy management in complex, real‑world applications.