Renewable energy producer Corsica Sole has inaugurated Folell’Hy, a pilot green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility at its Folelli solar power plant in Corsica, France.

The facility is designed to use surplus solar electricity that cannot be injected into the grid. The electricity powers an electrolyzer to produce renewable hydrogen, which can then be stored and used locally.

The 12 MW Folelli solar plant was commissioned in 2017 and generates around 18 GWh of electricity per year. Corsica is a non-interconnected electricity system, meaning generation and consumption must be continuously balanced. The hydrogen facility is intended to make use of solar generation that would otherwise be curtailed.

When renewable energy generation exceeds the grid’s capacity to absorb it, some of the electricity must be curtailed. Folell’Hy uses a portion of this surplus electricity to produce renewable hydrogen.

Hydrogen production and storage

The green hydrogen facility has 150 kW of electrolysis capacity across 60 electrolyzers, with a hydrogen production capacity of 30 Nm³/h, or around 20 kg per day. It can store up to 230 kg of hydrogen at pressures of 300 bar and 500 bar.

Enapter supplied the electrolysis technology, while Hensoldt Nexeya France was responsible for system integration. The project is intended to support the development of a local hydrogen ecosystem covering production, distribution and end use.

From hydrogen production to local applications

Corsica Sole and Europe Technologies Group jointly developed Clément’Hyne, a mobile hydrogen transport and distribution system. It transports hydrogen produced at the Folelli site to local end users.

One of the first applications is Alba, a training vessel operated by the Bastia Maritime High School and equipped with a hydrogen propulsion system. The project will test the hydrogen value chain from production and distribution to its use in maritime transport.

Corsica Sole said other potential applications include heavy-duty transport and off-grid power generation, with the project serving as a test case for renewable hydrogen deployment in island energy systems.

Alchymiste: Integrating hydrogen into island grids

Folell’Hy is the first operational component of Alchymiste, a research and development project focused on integrating hydrogen into island electricity systems. Alchymiste was selected in the 11th round of France’s i-Nov innovation competition and is supported by the French government under its France 2030 investment program.

The Alchymiste project has a total budget of nearly €4.9 million ($5.6 million), including more than €1.7 million in public funding. Corsica Sole is financing the remainder from its own funds.

The project will assess the role hydrogen could play in integrating intermittent renewable energy into island power systems while maintaining grid balance and stability.