International Journal of Hydrogen Energy· 2017Q1
Future cost and performance of water electrolysis: An expert elicitation study
- 2,001citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2017year
Short summary
Experts predict that increased R&D funding could reduce water electrolysis capital costs by 0-24%, while production scale-up alone could achieve 17-30% reductions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- R&D funding could cut capital costs by 0-24%; scale-up by 17-30%.
- System lifetimes are expected to reach 60,000-90,000 hours.
- Efficiency improvements are projected to be negligible.
- Automated manufacturing and better components are crucial for cost reduction.
- SOEC and AEC innovations may rival PEMEC's projected dominance.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The need for energy storage to balance intermittent and inflexible electricity supply with demand is driving interest in conversion of renewable electricity via electrolysis into a storable gas. But, high capital cost and uncertainty regarding future cost and performance improvements are barriers to investment in water electrolysis. Expert elicitations can support decision-making when data are sparse and their future development uncertain. Therefore, this study presents expert views on future capital cost, lifetime and efficiency for three electrolysis technologies: alkaline (AEC), proton exchange membrane (PEMEC) and solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC). Experts estimate that increased R&D funding can reduce capital costs by 0–24%, while production scale-up alone has an impact of 17–30%. System lifetimes may converge at around 60,000–90,000 h and efficiency improvements will be negligible. In addition to innovations on the cell-level, experts highlight improved production methods to automate manufacturing and produce higher quality components. Research into SOECs with lower electrode polarisation resistance or zero-gap AECs could undermine the projected dominance of PEMEC systems. This study thereby reduces barriers to investment in water electrolysis and shows how expert elicitations can help guide near-term investment, policy and research efforts to support the development of electrolysis for low-carbon energy systems.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2017 · DOI ↗
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Field: Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Energy Engineering and Power TechnologyEnergy