Power-to-Hydrogen: Potential and Future Improvements

Kurzfassung

Hydrogen is expected to play an important role as a crosslinking technology between power generation on one hand and transport and industry on the other hand. When produced by water, electrolysis from renewable energies such as solar or wind hydrogen can directly replace fossil fuels in transport and industry, which are converted with lower efficiencies. The relevant technologies are either the mature alkaline water electrolysis or the newer proton exchange membrane water electrolysis, which exhibits higher potentials for performance enhancement and cost reduction. First, this option will be discussed based on the study Plan-DelyKad, which takes into account the impact on the energy system as a whole and discusses possible business cases; second, the research efforts of DLR regarding cost reduction, efficiency improvements and system integration of electrolysis technology. In particular, key components of polymer electrolysis that determine the stack cost are the bipolar plates (BPP) and the high loading of electrocatalyst for the OER in state of art membrane electrode assemblies. This presentation will discuss the potentials for cost reduction by synthesizing supported IrO2 electrocatalyst replacing the corresponding unsupported electrocatalysts. The supports need to be highly stable and exhibit sufficient electronic conductivity. Additionally, the cost reduction achieved by a titanium coating for stain less steel bipolar plates for polymer electrolysis will be shortly discussed.