Advancing Fundamental Understanding of Electrolyzers for Cost-Effective Green H2 Production

Abstract

Reaching net-zero by 2050 is critical to limit global warming to below 2°C by 2100. Renewable energy will play a vital role in this transition, and one of the key challenges is to deploy them at a multi-GW scale. TotalEnergies’ Hydrogen R&D department is committed to developing green H2 production and storage technologies to meet this challenge.In this talk, we will focus on alkaline electrolysis, which has been around for over a century but still presents significant challenges for GW-scale projects. We will discuss how our research can improve the efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness of alkaline electrolyzers. For instance, we will demonstrate using a simplified electrolyzer model that a good understanding of the kinetics of ageing phenomena can drastically impact the H2 production cost and the maintenance philosophy of an industrial plant. Based on these observations, we will propose a methodology to refine this understanding, and to better grasp the effect of intermittent operation of the electrolyzer on its ageing. Finally, we will highlight some fundamental findings made by academia that we believe could be good to explore to increase alkaline electrolyzer performance.In conclusion, there is a need to increase the dialogue between industry and academia to tackle the challenges of green H2 production at the multi-GW scale. By working together, industry and academia can develop more efficient and cost-effective green H2 production technologies, bringing us closer to achieving our ambitious multi-GW scale targets.