The Challenges of Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Equipment
Water electrolysis hydrogen production has a history of hundreds of years and is a mature technology. And today, we are going to talk about the changes for current hydrogen generating equipment.
At present, the biggest challenge of water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment is energy consumption. At present, the comprehensive electricity consumption of 1 standard cubic hydrogen is 5.2-6 degrees, so water electrolysis hydrogen production is the most expensive of all hydrogen production. Since the main cost of electrolyzed water is determined by electricity price, electricity price is the main factor restricting development. At present, the best way is to use renewable energy to produce hydrogen, and use electricity that cannot be consumed by the grid to produce hydrogen. In this way, the cost of electricity is very low, and the produced hydrogen is used as energy, and the whole process has no carbon emissions.
The second constraint is the cost of equipment. The cost of large-scale water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment is also relatively high compared to other methods.
The third factor is the large-scale equipment. At present, the maximum single unit that can be manufactured is 1,000 cubic meters hydrogen plant, which is still too small for energy. The equipment manufacturing cost can be reduced after the equipment is enlarged.
The other factor is market application. Water electrolysis is only used for special industrial applications before hydrogen is used as an energy source. Without market support, technology research and development progress is slow, and it is difficult to reduce the cost of manufacturing.
The advantages of water electrolysis hydrogen generator are that the technology is mature, the process is simple, and the gas purity is high. It is currently the only hydrogen production method that can be connected with renewable energy.