New electrolyser technology could create hydrogen at US$ 1.5/ kg by mid-2020s

• Australian electrolyser manufacturer Hysata claims its electrolyser technology can enable hydrogen production costs to fall below US$ 1.5/ kg by the mid-2020s.

The research, which was released in the peer-reviewed clinical journal Nature Communications, verified Hysata's 'capillary-fed electrolysis cell' can provide a 95% system effectiveness, nearly 20% higher than modern alkaline electrolysers which produce the very best system efficiency until now.

Paul Barrett, chief executive officer of Hysata stated the technology will allow green hydrogen to "outcompete fossil fuel-derived hydrogen" with production expense to fall below US$ 1.5/ kg by the mid-2020s putting Australia as a "leading supplier" and also merchant of electrolysers.

" This is important to making green hydrogen commercially viable as well as decarbonising hard-to-abate fields," said Barrett.

Barrett's forecast is 5 years previously than IRENA's or study firm IHS Markit's prediction prices for green hydrogen having the ability to outcompete blue (or grey) hydrogen in all significant markets, with IRENA forecasting a cost of US$ 2.46/ kg by 2030 for Australia using solar as the energy resource.

Barrett added the company gets on its way to commercialise the technology and get to gigawatt range hydrogen production by 2025.

Infographic explaining how Hysata’s capillary-fed electrolysis cell works. Image: Hysata

A report concerning hydrogen production prices from the UK federal government's Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), recommended conversion effectiveness would certainly raise to 82-86% for alkaline, PEM as well as solid oxide electrolysers by 2050.

Gerry Swiegers, chief technology policeman at Hysata, claimed: "Hysata's general electrolyser system has been designed for simplicity of production, scaling as well as installment, supplying 95 percent overall system effectiveness, equal to 41.5 kWh/kg, compared to 75 percent or less for existing electrolyser technologies."

Swiegers added the technology stands to decrease both capital as well as functional prices for hydrogen producers to make green hydrogen.

The technology was first produced by researchers at the University of Wollongong as well as will certainly be commercialised by Hysata, backed by IP Team and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

With green hydrogen projects increasing in the past few years, lots of campaigns have been revealed in the past two years to increase green hydrogen production.

During COP26 last year, the UN-supported Green Hydrogen Catapult (GHC) committed to bring 45GW of green hydrogen electrolyser capacity to a final financial investment decision by 2026 and commissioning by 2027.

An European initiative, the HyDeal Ambition initiative aims to achieve 67GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030 and supply green hydrogen throughout Europe at EUR1.5/ kg (US$ 1.82) prior to 2030.