POWERUP UPFUEL | HYDROGEN ELECTROLYZER FOR ON-SITE PRODUCTION

Electrolysis offers the possibility of producing hydrogen with electrical energy from water. This technology becomes particularly interesting when combined with renewable energies such as solar or wind power. This changes a fundamental principle of today’s energy supply: a country does not necessarily have to have its own oil or gas reserves to produce energy carriers or even fuels in the future. What matters more is whether there is sufficient renewable energy available. Countries with high solar radiation could make a part of their energy supply more independent and not only use the available solar energy directly as electricity but also convert it into a storable form.

Making the energy of the sun storable

Solar energy has a significant advantage: it is nearly unlimited in many regions. However, it also has a weakness, as it is not always produced exactly when it is needed. For example, there can be significantly more electricity available at noon than in the evening or at night. Battery storage systems can effectively balance such fluctuations, especially over hours or individual days. However, when energy needs to be stored for longer periods or transported over long distances, hydrogen can be an interesting complement. Surplus solar electricity can be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. The electrical energy is thus transformed into chemical energy, which can be utilized later.

Hydrogen as a long-term storage solution

The major advantage of hydrogen is that energy can be stored over extended periods. While batteries are particularly efficient for short-term storage, hydrogen can be interesting where large amounts of energy need to be stored for weeks or even seasonally. For instance, some of the surplus energy from sun-rich months could be made available for times of lower renewable production. However, the storage of hydrogen is technically demanding. Depending on the application, it can be compressed, liquefied, or chemically bound. Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages regarding costs, efficiency, safety, and infrastructure.

Chemical storage of hydrogen

Particularly interesting is the possibility of not only storing hydrogen directly but also converting it into other chemical energy carriers. Hydrogen can, for example, be used to produce ammonia, methanol, or synthetic hydrocarbons. Such substances can be easier to store and transport than pure hydrogen. This way, renewable energy can be stored in the form of a chemical raw material and transported worldwide. Thus, electrical energy yields a tradable energy carrier that can be stored and distributed similarly to today’s fuels.

Fuel without its own oil reserves

Especially exciting is the potential to produce synthetic fuels using hydrogen. In combination with a suitable carbon source, synthetic fuels for aviation, shipping, or other hard-to-electrify applications can be produced. This reduces the dependency of fuel production on whether a country has natural oil reserves. A country with sufficient renewable energy, water, and appropriate infrastructure could theoretically produce its own synthetic energy carriers. This opens up new economic and geopolitical opportunities, especially for countries that are currently heavily reliant on energy imports.

Electrolysis and sustainability

However, electrolysis is not automatically sustainable. What is crucial is where the required electricity comes from. If hydrogen is produced using electricity from fossil sources, the ecological advantage is significantly reduced. Therefore, combining it with additional renewable energy is particularly sensible. The water requirement, the materials used, the lifespan of the systems, and the losses during conversion and storage must also be taken into account. Because at each step, a portion of the originally produced energy is lost. When electricity can be used directly, it is often more efficient than the detour via hydrogen. Therefore, hydrogen should primarily be utilized where direct electrification is challenging or long-term storage is needed.

Batteries and hydrogen complement each other

Batteries and hydrogen should not be seen as competing technologies. Both have different strengths. Batteries are excellent for short-term storage, high efficiency, and quick power delivery. On the other hand, hydrogen can provide advantages when very large amounts of energy need to be stored, held for extended periods, or transported over long distances. In a future energy system, both technologies will likely play an important role. It is crucial to deploy each technology where it is technically and economically most sensible.

Electrolysis as a building block of a new energy supply

The true strength of electrolysis lies in its ability to convert renewable electricity into a storable and versatile energy carrier. Solar energy does not have to be utilized exclusively at the moment of its generation. It can be stored in the form of hydrogen, transported, processed industrially, and used later. This makes electrolysis an important component for an energy supply that is less dependent on fossil raw materials and their geographical availability. Fuels no longer need to be produced exclusively where oil lies underground; they can be generated where sunlight, wind, and renewable electricity are available.