Sistemi di produzione di H2

The industrial production of green hydrogen is done through the electrolysis of water using exclusively renewable energy.

In large-scale production, the typical demineralised water is broken down into oxygen and hydrogen in an electrolyser. In contrast with the conventional method of steam reforming, e.g. from natural gas (“grey” or “blue”), this type of production is completely free of CO₂. In order to generate a tonne of hydrogen, approximately 55 MWh of electricity is needed.

The water electrolysis systems commercially available today for industrial use employ alkaline electrolysis with a potassium hydroxide electrolyte or proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis with a proton-permeable polymer membrane:

• Alkaline water electrolysis is a technology that has been on the market for many years and does not require the use of any precious metals
• PEM electrolysis, on the other hand, achieves a power density which is significantly higher and extremely high power versatility; it is, therefore, also suitable for network stabilisation and for adding floating electricity from wind farms and photovoltaic plants.

Since this technology entered the megawatt range for the first time in recent years, significant cost reductions can still be expected for large-scale applications.

The electrolysis system can be grouped into a covered configuration in a container, as seen below: