The results of our research, carried out within the framework of the project “Development of an innovative energy storage technology utilizing renewable electricity from the Bükkábrány solar power plant” have been published in the Energies Q1 journal (a top 25% journal in its field).
Our study examines the chemical and economic challenges and opportunities of the dynamic operation of PEM water electrolyzers.
The research explains why green hydrogen production - key to reducing carbon emissions in heavy industry and transport - is spreading so rapidly, and why PEM electrolyzers are gaining an increasing share in the technology mix.
Main findings:
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Impact of intermittent operation: Due to the fluctuation of renewable sources, the changes in pressure, temperature, and reaction rate affect the electrolyzer, accelerating component erosion and corrosion and reducing the purity of the produced hydrogen.
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Case study: Our techno-economic analysis, based on data from a Hungarian pilot project involving a 1 MW PEM electrolysis system and a 20 MW solar power plant, shows that using a mixed electricity source (grid + renewable) results in the most favorable hydrogen price.
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Role of regulations and incentives: Local regulations and financial incentives significantly influence which operation - such as island operation or continuous grid electricity - proves to be the most economical.
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Capacity utilization is key: Our calculations show that high system capacity utilization is the most important factor in achieving the lowest possible (green) hydrogen production cost - even without accounting for the additional costs caused by dynamic operation.
Congratulations to the authors on this achievement: Balázs Endrődi, Cintia Alexandra Trapp, István Szén, Imre Bakos, Miklós Lukovics, Csaba Janáky
The full study in English is available here: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2154
