The Electrolyzer- Key Technology for Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure
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The Electrolyzer- Key Technology for Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure
The electrolyzer is a technology that breaks water into hydrogen gas and oxygen. As countires turn towards green-energy sources, we need to flesh out the hydrogen-fuel economy. Companies are working hard and investing into electrolyzers that break water into usable hydrogen and oxygen gas and will play a key role in the emerging green-energy infrastructure.
Plug power, a leader in clean energy battery technolgy, has been working on a commerically viable electrolyzer and is getting closer. A number of green-energy companies have been pursing hydrogen fuel-cell technolgy and the infrastructure behind it. Other industrial giants including Cummins, an engine manufacturer, are actively creating electrolyzers.
Electrolyzers break water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, and the input in electricity should come from renewable methods. The hydrogen fuel economy will reply upon renewable sources of hydrogen gas (H2) that can be stored and safely transported. There are a variety of electrolyzers in production, and they can range in size and function. The diversity of electrolyzers makes them ideal for applications from powering electric vehicles to smaller or even much larger projects. Imagine an electrolyzer system that could charge your electric vehicle batter or fuel cell, power your HVAC system and keep your electronics powered in your house. This is the gravity of these units on our grid.
The end products of the electrolyzer process are hydrogen fuel and oxygen. The hydrogen is consumed as green energy for batteries, and the oxygen itself can be used in medical breathing applications as well. This process must be powered in either a battery process using chemicals or from electrical energy. Clean chemical processes and clean energy production to supply the electricity required to break water must be developed on a wide scale.
With the support of large and small companies, the hydrogen fuel-econony will be developed. The Cummins electrolyzer fact page is a great primer on this technology, and the continued work of Plug Power is inspiring. Hydrogen fuel-cells and energy sources are a great tool in the clean energy portfolio supported by nuclear power, solar cells and even esoteric power sources including tidal power. Expect to see more electrolyzers in the grid in the next decade as they play a larger role in our lives.
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