Green Hydrogen Production with 25 kW Alkaline Electrolyzer Pilot Plant Shows Hydrogen Flow Rate Exponential Behavior with the Stack Current

Green H2 production using electrolyzer technology is an emerging method in the current mandate, utilizing renewable-based power sources integrated with electrolyzer technology. Elaborate research has been conducted to understand the effects of intermittent power sources on the hydrogen production output. However, in this context, the characteristics of the working electrolyzer behave differently under system-level operation. In this current study, we have investigated a 25 KW alkaline electrolyzer for its stack performance in terms of stack efficiency; stack current vs stack voltage followed by the understanding of H2 flow rate with stack current. It was found that 52 A is the best current to have the best system efficiency of 64% under full load operation for 1 hour. The H2 flow rate behaves in an exponential pattern, and it is also found that the ramp-up time for hydrogen generation by the electrolyzer is significantly low, thus marking it as an efficient option for producing green hydrogen with the input of a hybrid grid and renewable PV-based power sources. Hydrogen production techno-economic analysis has been conducted, and the LCOH is found to be on the higher side, considering the current electrolyzer under investigation.