Solid Oxide Stacks Eye New Markets Via Partnership
Elcogen and Hygreen Energy are at the memorandum stage, aiming to move toward MW-scale demonstration systems within two years.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Energy
Estonian fuel cell maker Elcogen and Beijing-based electrolysis specialist Hygreen Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding on a proposed partnership around solid oxide stack technology. The arrangement is at the memorandum stage and has not yet produced a shipped product.
Why it matters
The companies are considering pooling expertise to bring solid oxide stacks into new applications and markets, a move that would connect a European manufacturer with a Chinese electrolysis supplier. The timing follows Elcogen's expansion of its production capacity, which makes a broader supply arrangement more plausible.
Elcogen's capacity expansion from 10 MW to 360 MW is a company-reported figure tied to its ELCO I facility outside Tallinn. Hygreen's track record of more than 300 delivered electrolyser projects is likewise self-reported, and the source does not provide independent verification of either figure or the performance of the proposed stack products.
The players
Elcogen
Estonian manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cell and electrolysis technology, whose cells, stacks, and modules are integrated into third-party systems.
Hygreen Energy
Beijing-based electrolysis and clean power generation specialist that has delivered more than 300 electrolyser projects and supplies alkaline, PEM, and AEM systems.
The details
Solid oxide stacks are assemblies of ceramic cells that can run in two directions: as fuel cells, converting hydrogen or other fuels into electricity, or as electrolysers, using electricity to split water into hydrogen. Elcogen makes the cells, stacks, and modules that are integrated into third-party systems, while Hygreen currently supplies alkaline, PEM, and AEM electrolyser systems, which use different chemistries. The partners say they are considering pooling their expertise so that solid oxide technology can reach new applications.
Timeline
September: Elcogen opened its ELCO I manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Tallinn.
Over the next two years: the companies aim to move from laboratory-scale work toward MW-scale demonstration systems.
The Tech Race
Hygreen says it aims to add SOEC and SOFC products to its portfolio, positioning the company to compete in solid oxide technology alongside established solid oxide developers. The memorandum signals that electrolysis suppliers are seeking to broaden their chemistry options as hydrogen and fuel cell deployment scales.
The partnership is at the memorandum stage, so no products are available to buyers yet. Any commercial effect would depend on definitive agreements and the demonstration systems the companies say they are targeting over the next two years.
The takeaway
Watch whether Elcogen and Hygreen convert the memorandum into a definitive agreement with named products and volumes. The two-year target for MW-scale demonstration systems is the milestone that will show whether the proposed partnership moves beyond laboratory work.
Further reading
For broader context on the hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies behind this deal, explore the Energy section.
