Wasserstoff

The Fraunhofer ISE has just published a detailed cost model in a project commissioned by the NGO Clean Air Task Force (CATF).

© iStock/smirkdingo

The cost of producing green hydrogen must come down to support Germany’s climate action targets. But water electrolysis – the primary technology used to produce the energy carrier – is still far from being cost-effective. Energy companies therefore need greater transparency and joined-up financial modelling to help them decide which electrolysis systems to invest in.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has just published a detailed cost model in a project commissioned by the NGO Clean Air Task Force (CATF). The study compared alkaline and Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis systems and evaluated the cost dependencies of the individual technologies.

Two system sizes of 5 MW and 100 MW were considered for both types, for use in decentralised as well as centralised applications. The study included technological forecasting to compare cost structures for components and materials available today with expected next generation developments in alkaline and PEM electrolysis systems.

The results revealed that alkaline systems overall are more economical than PEM, but that the cost differences even out over time. They also showed the high cost of stacks for both types of system can be halved, in practical terms, within 10 years. Overall, system costs of approximately 400 to 500 euro per kW can be achieved by 2030, but decentralised smaller systems will remain significantly more expensive.

"These results...show us that through innovation and experience there will still be significant cost reductions in electrolysis in the future. We hope that this study can make its contribution to an objective discussion of future costs," states Mike Fowler, project supervisor at CATF, in a Fraunhofer ISE press release.