Abstract
This chapter reviews basic aspects of water electrolysis technologies. First, fundamentals of water electrolysis are discussed to give an overview on basic modes of operation, different ways to determine the electrolyzer efficiency and basic aspects of performance optimization strategies. Second the three main water electrolysis technologies, namely the alkaline electrolysis (AEC), the polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis (PEMEC) and the solid oxide electrolyte electrolysis (SOEC), are described in more detail. The state of the art, typical system setups, operating characteristics, main component materials, technological assets and drawbacks, current and future developments and future challenges of each of the main technologies are discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
[scm] = standard cubic meter—a cubic meter of gas under standard conditions, defined as an atmospheric pressure of 1.01325 bar and a temperature of 15 °C.
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Lehner, M., Tichler, R., Steinmüller, H., Koppe, M. (2014). Water Electrolysis. In: Power-to-Gas: Technology and Business Models. SpringerBriefs in Energy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03995-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03995-4_3
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