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Electrolyzer Achieving 95% Efficiency to Redefine Hydrogen Production

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A record-breaking hydrogen electrolyzer that has reportedly achieved an efficiency of 95% promises to redefine the costs of hydrogen production and revolutionize a promising energy field whose progress has been crawling for too long now.

The problem with hydrogen electrolysis is financial feasibility, as the process has typically been expensive and highly inefficient. Producing hydrogen at the scale required to replace fossil fuels is a proposal that never excited investors, as water electrolysis efficiency rate is roughly 75%. This means that for every 1 kg of hydrogen, which has a specific energy of 143 MJ/kg (39.7 kWh), electrolysis requires about 200 MJ of electricity (55 kWh).

The new electrolyzer made by Australian company Hysata only requires 41.5 kWh to produce 1kg of hydrogen and is also cheaper to install and operate than conventional models. Practically, its difference lies in using a capillary-fed electrolysis cell that draws liquids from an electrolyte reservoir at the bottom, resulting in a direct and separated electrolysis on either side.

After electrolysis, both the oxygen and the hydrogen molecules are released without having to pass through a liquid, so the efficiency of the cell is maximized due to not having to overcome the viscosity resistance. According to Hysata, while this approach can be further optimized, they consider the design ultimate because capillary-fed units give the best possible results, so this will be the basis of all future electrolyzers.

Currently, the state-of-the-art electrolyzer achieves an efficiency of 83%, while Hysata’s unit may reach up to 98% after some minor targeted optimizations. Also, the new design is safe even without a liquid in the chambers, thanks to its minimal gas crossover in the separating membrane.

In terms of when to expect this product to be made commercially available, Hysata estimates that they can have it ready for gigawatt-scale hydrogen production by 2025, achieving a production cost of $1.5 per kilogram of hydrogen.

Photo by Rafael Classen rcphotostock.com from Pexels
Article Source: Hysata