Hydrogen is efficiently produced by proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Current applications of PEM electrolyzers cover the fields of re-filling stations for automotive applications, autonomous power stations for radio transmission and energy supply units for remote sites.
GenHyPEM is a three-year long (2005-2008) international research program coordinated by the University of Paris 11. The project which is supported by the European Commission (STREP 019802) gathers partners from Russia, Romania, Armenia, Germany, Belgium and France. Its main goal is to develop advanced hydrogen generators (up to several Nm3 H2/hour) powered by renewable energy sources for domestic applications.
In this communication, the main results obtained so far are presented. New electrode structures with large roughness factors and small noble metals loadings have been developed. Alternatively, new non-noble compounds have been synthesized, characterized and tested. Different stack design have been tested for high pressure operation and a prototype generator which can produce H2 up to 1000 Nl/hour has been constructed and tested.