Transparent PEM Water Electrolysis
Water electrolysis is a key component of the energy system of the future. Relying solely on renewable energy from the sun, wind and water requires the use and development of efficient and cost-effective storage technologies. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis is capable of directly and fully utilising the fluctuating load profiles of solar and wind energy to produce hydrogen as a storage medium. During electrolysis, pure hydrogen and pure oxygen are produced from salt-free water through electrochemical reactions at two separate electrodes.
In addition to high load dynamics, there are further requirements for electrolysers, which are the focus of joint R&D activities between research institutions and industry. These include increasing the service life to a target of 80,000 operating hours and achieving maximum system costs (stack costs) of $250 ($100) per kW (US Department of Energy technology targets for 2026).
At the Institute of Energy Technologies (IET-4: Electrochemical Process Engineering) at Forschungszentrum Jülich, the focus of activities is on broadening our understanding of the relationships between materials, design, operating strategies and performance, as well as degradation behaviour. Manufacturing processes and potential for cost reduction for electrolyser components, such as membrane electrode assemblies and bipolar plates, play a major role here.
New materials (e.g. for membranes, catalysts or bipolar plates), designs and operating concepts are initially pre-characterised at IET-4 in small electrolysis test cells with an active cell area of approximately 20 cm². Promising designs then undergo a scale-up process to quantify the effects of cell size and cell count. Various test benches in different power classes, ranging from 100 watts to 400 kWel, are available for the characterisation of electrolysis cells and stacks. The exhibit on display here is a demonstration cell for PEM water electrolysis. With an active cell area of approximately 300 cm², it is of a technically relevant size. The end plates are transparent, making it possible to directly observe the generation and internal transport of hydrogen and oxygen through the flow distributors.
Contact
- Institute of Energy Technologies (IET)
- Electrochemical Process Engineering (IET-4)
Room R Y110