PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) water electrolysis technology for hydrogen production offers numerous advantages, including high-operating current density, adaptability to renewable energy fluctuations, and a compact structure. These characteristics make it suitable for large-scale industrialization. However, for successful large-scale development, it is crucial not only to address key technical challenges but also to consider economic aspects.
The "Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035)" in my country emphasizes the need to enhance hydrogen production conversion efficiency from renewable energy sources and scale up hydrogen production per unit. Additionally, breakthroughs in core technologies related to hydrogen energy infrastructure are essential.
The Ministry of Science and Technology's "14th Five-Year Plan" National Key Research and Development Plan for "Hydrogen Energy Technology" (2022) includes several topics related to PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production. These topics encompass megawatt-scale proton exchange membrane electrolyzer technology, high-pressure hydrogen electrolyzer for water electrolysis, and research and development of key system technologies for hydrogen production through proton exchange membrane water electrolysis.
The electrolyzer, a key component of the PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production system, significantly impacts overall performance. Current product development efforts primarily focus on hydrogen production scale and cost.
Currently, only a few domestic manufacturers possess the capacity to produce PEM electrolysis equipment and even fewer can develop large-scale PEM hydrogen production systems. Consequently, several large-scale PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production projects prefer equipment from foreign companies.
Notably, some domestic enterprises and research institutes have achieved the development of PEM hydrogen production systems with a hydrogen production scale of 200Nm3/h.
However, the domestic PEM electrolysis water hydrogen production industry remains in the early stages of commercialization. In comparison to the prevailing alkaline water hydrogen production method, the main challenge facing PEM hydrogen production is its cost.
One industry leader said, "The entire supply chain must work together to reduce costs in the future. To be competitive, the cost of PEM electrolysis water hydrogen production needs to be reduced to 1.5-2 times that of alkaline water hydrogen production from green hydrogen."
Currently, there is insufficient localization of the water electrolysis hydrogen production supply chain. Core components like bipolar plates, catalysts, proton exchange membranes, and gas diffusion layers pose challenges due to cost constraints. While many domestic green hydrogen projects adopt PEM electrolysis hydrogen production technology, the number of projects following this route remains limited.
Within the entire PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production supply chain, the proton exchange membrane presents the most significant obstacle.
According to the industry representative, unlike fuel cells, the proton membranes predominantly utilized for water electrolysis-based hydrogen production are 115 and 117 homogeneous membranes, with a thickness of 150-200 microns. This thickness is relatively higher (8-10 microns) compared to fuel cell proton membranes, resulting in a higher swelling rate and potential deformation during coating. Therefore, specialized design is required for the electrolytic water membrane coating equipment, and fuel cell membrane electrodes cannot be directly used for this purpose.
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