The German government has awarded €5.6mn ($6.6mn) to technology firm Enapter and the Munster University of Applied Sciences to develop anion exchange membrane (AEM) technology.

AEM and solid oxide are seen as the two chief electrolyser technologies that can rival the more established polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and alkaline electrolysis (AE) systems for the production of green hydrogen.

“AEM electrolysis technology shows huge promise for enabling low-cost green hydrogen production,” says German federal research minister Anja Karliczek. 

“AEM electrolysis technology shows huge promise for enabling low-cost green hydrogen production” Karliczek, German research minister

By eliminating the most expensive PEM electrolyser components, AEM technology offers reduction in costs of up to 75pc over that technology, meaning green hydrogen could potentially be produced for less than $2/kg, according to research by the Los Alamos national laboratory in the US.

The Munster University of Applied Sciences will test Enapter’s electrolysers in its application lab.

“Making a megawatt electrolyser modular also means it is enormously flexible. This makes it ideal for using intermittent renewable energy,” says Elmar Brugging, leader of the joint research project for the university. Enapter says its technology further leverages AEM’s cost advantages by enabling it to mass produce modules.

A modular approach to hydrogen electrolyser technology could help the sector scale rapidly, as the units are easier to ramp up and down than a large electrolyser, helping the facility cope with the intermittency of the renewable generation that powers it.

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Author: Tom Young