Alkaline Electrolysers

Alkaline water electrolysis is the oldest, most industrially advanced and cheapest water electrolysis technology. Alkaline water electrolysers are characterized by a slightly higher power consumption (compared to proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis and electrolysis of water vapor), but the levels reached in terms of durability, reliability and security are excellent. There is today a growing interest for alkaline water electrolysis technologies (in particular by using novel composite diaphragms and ion-exchange membranes). The coupling of water electrolysis systems to renewable or nuclear power sources, including the so-called Power-to-X technologies (X = gas, heat, mobility, etc.), is currently under intensive consideration. Commercially available systems are capable of producing wind- and solar-driven hydrogen on the scale of tens of MWs—100-MW-scale systems are under development. Hydrogen-based energy systems, in particular PEM water electrolysers, could comply with Smart Home and Internet of Energy concepts.