This work considers the low-cost production of renewable (‘green’) hydrogen from water, using water electrolysis powered by renewable energy. Green hydrogen constitutes the major means of decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors of our economy, including heavy transport, shipping, aviation, chemicals, and steel, amongst others. Global adoption of green hydrogen would see it used as a carrier of renewable energy and a substitute for fossil fuels and chemicals. However, green hydrogen is presently not cost competitive with fossil-derived hydrogen.
This work considered why that is and how it could be changed. The main reason for the high cost of producing green hydrogen is the poor efficiency of state-of-the-art commercial water electrolyzers. Modern-day electrolysis cells require ~47.5 kWh to produce 1 kg of hydrogen, with additional energy consumed by the supporting engineering plant (known as the balance-of-plant). The resulting total energy requirement of ~50-53.5 kWh per kg of hydroge
Largest Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolyzer Deployment in the United States A Plug cryogenic trailer has been filled with liquid hydrogen for use.
Producers of hydrogen energy would have to comply with strict climate rules to qualify for a lucrative tax credit under new proposed guidelines from the Treasury Department. The Biden administration and climate advocates say these guidelines would ensure the nascent power source develops in a sustainable way rather than becoming a significant contributor to global…