Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - 6:10 PM

Commercial Progress, PEM-based Hydrogen Generators for Fueling

Mark Schiller, Distributed Energy Systems

Water electrolyzers are a key element in achieving a renewable-based hydrogen fueling infrastructure.  PEM-based electrolyzers are a serious contender, with new innovations in cell stack, power conditioning, balance of plant, and manufacturing underway to drive down cost without compromising the established operability and benign environmental benefits of PEM technology.  A roll-out plan for larger commercial PEM electrolyzers is presented to meet the future and present market demand for these units. 

 Field trials of smaller 12 kg/day fueling installations as well as customer and government study input are establishing larger unit requirements.  New commercial applications for small fleet hydrogen fueling and renewable energy capture in the next 5 years may be well-satisfied with a 100 kg H2/day PEM hydrogen generator product.  In turn, this platform may be scaled towards a 500 kg H2/day module for medium fleet and bus hydrogen fueling stations as well as utility load-leveling, and renewables to hydrogen capture.

 Commercialization efforts are progressing with scale-up of a commercial 12 kg/day PEM hydrogen generator product to a 100 kg/day PEM hydrogen generator product, then a 500 kg/day product.  Innovations required and/or underway in cell stack, power conditioning, system, packaging design, and manufacturing are discussed in the context of a pathway to larger commercial products and lessons learned so far in hydrogen fueling field trials.