Overview
LAFA is not a standalone hydrogen system. It is a functional application layer embedded in the eWATT solar-thermal power platform. eWATT captures mid/far-infrared solar flux (>1.1 μm) at low incidence angles and converts it to electricity via a thermodynamic cycle; LAFA uses part of that internally generated power to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis — with no grid dependency and no external energy import. Hydrogen is a secondary product of electricity generation, not the primary goal. Because LAFA exists only as a layer of eWATT, its maturity is capped by eWATT's: both sit at TRL 3.
Applications
Primary use cases: industrial hydrogen supply; chemical-process feedstock; mandated energy storage; export hydrogen hubs; synthetic-fuel feedstock.
Positioning: not a universal energy solution — the cheapest hydrogen source where hydrogen demand is unavoidable and hydrogen funding exists.
Users: industrial off-takers, chemical plants, export-oriented energy operators.
Operating Principle
eWATT thermal absorbers capture IR-dominant solar heat → thermodynamic cycle + generator produce electricity → a fraction of that power drives water electrolysis to generate hydrogen. Water runs in a closed loop (reuse, no discharge, no process losses, no contamination). No grid balancing, no peak-pricing exposure, no external electricity.
Limitations: every LAFA cost and efficiency figure is downstream of eWATT's efficiency, which is itself a claim awaiting independent validation; the integrated thermal-to-H₂ chain has not been demonstrated at prototype scale.
Key Parameters
Hydrogen cost: claimed ~€0.2/kg vs EU market average €6–8/kg (claimed 30–40× reduction). CAPEX: claimed 3–4× lower than PV-electrolysis. OPEX: minimal (no fuel, no grid, no consumables). Payback: claimed 2–3 years. No platinum catalysts, no membrane-degradation burden, no high-pressure systems, conventional recyclable materials.
Note: all figures inherit eWATT's unvalidated 60–70 % efficiency assumption and must be treated as indicative until prototype data exist.
Architecture and Components
Host platform: eWATT (patented thermal absorbers + thermodynamic cycle + electric generator; future thermionic modules). LAFA-specific layer: electrolysis stack powered exclusively by eWATT, closed-loop water management, power conditioning between the eWATT bus and the electrolyser. No independent energy source.
Advantages
Technical: internal power autonomy (no grid, no peak pricing); closed-loop zero-discharge water; no platinum catalysts or membrane-degradation problem; conventional recyclable materials.
Economic: claimed 3–4× lower CAPEX and 2–3-year payback derive from eWATT's high-efficiency thermal capture and elimination of expensive PV cells — not from subsidies or rare materials.
Strategic: monetizes existing "green hydrogen" funding rationally, without building fragile, subsidy-dependent systems.
Integrations
Deployed only alongside eWATT installations; shares eWATT's thermal/electrical bus; complements ARBOK solar/thermal and storage systems. Cannot be deployed independently of eWATT.
Deployment & Operation
Steps: deploy eWATT (site/heat assessment → absorber + conversion install) → add LAFA electrolysis layer + closed-loop water → operate. Modular, scalable from local to utility scale; suited to regions with high solar-thermal potential. No grid connection required.
TRL
TRL 3 (confirmed by Michael). Proof-of-concept: electrolysis itself is conventional and mature, but the *integrated* LAFA-on-eWATT system inherits eWATT's TRL 3 — its host platform is still at proof-of-concept, with thermionic modules and efficiency/cost claims awaiting independent validation. Remaining: eWATT prototype build + validation, then integrated LAFA demonstration. (Supersedes the legacy "TRL 7–8" claim, which described conventional electrolysis in isolation, not the integrated system.)
TRL scale:
- TRL 1 — basic principles observed
- TRL 2 — technology concept formulated
- TRL 3 — experimental proof-of-concept ← LAFA / eWATT
- TRL 4 — validated in lab
- TRL 5 — validated in relevant environment
- TRL 6 — demonstrated in relevant environment
- TRL 7 — prototype in operational environment
- TRL 8 — system complete and qualified
- TRL 9 — proven in operational environment
Market Potential
Green-hydrogen funding is large and politically driven, even though hydrogen is an inefficient electricity round-trip carrier (electrolysis, compression, storage, and ~40–50 % fuel-cell losses). LAFA does not argue for hydrogen on energy logic; it targets the funded demand that exists regardless — industrial supply, mandated storage, and export hubs — as the lowest-cost source where hydrogen is unavoidable.
Typical Project Economics
Claimed ~€0.2/kg hydrogen, 3–4× lower CAPEX than PV-electrolysis, 2–3-year payback, minimal OPEX. All contingent on validated eWATT efficiency; indicative until integrated prototype data exist.
Risk Factors
Inherited risk: every LAFA figure depends on eWATT's aggressive, unvalidated 60–70 % efficiency. Integration risk: the thermal-to-H₂ chain is unproven at prototype scale. Market risk: hydrogen economics are policy-dependent and shift with subsidy regimes. Credibility risk: a 30–40× cost-reduction claim will draw heavy investor scrutiny — keep it explicitly labelled as claimed until demonstrated.
Related Technologies
eWATT · TERU · TEG-Blanket · TRISTONE (TEG-Electroliser) · Fo Pro (Green Hydrogen)