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Alkaline Electrolysis¤

1: Global Hydrogen Production Overview 1¤

In 2022, global hydrogen production reached nearly 95 Mt, marking a 3% increase from 2021. This production landscape continued to be dominated by the unabated use of fossil fuels. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Natural Gas: Accounting for 62% of the global production, natural gas without Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) was the primary source.

  • Coal: Unabated coal, predominantly from China, contributed to 21% of the worldwide production.

  • By-product Hydrogen: Refineries and the petrochemical industry produced 16% of the global hydrogen as a by-product during processes like naphtha reforming. This by-product hydrogen often finds use in other conversion processes, including hydrocracking and desulphurisation.

Low-emission hydrogen production amounted to less than 1 Mt in 2022, equating to a mere 0.7% of the global production. This was virtually unchanged from 2021 and primarily sourced from fossil fuels equipped with CCUS.

2: Introduction¤

Alkaline electrolysis, a well-established method for hydrogen production, involves the electrochemical decomposition of water into its elemental components, hydrogen and oxygen. Highlighting its technical constituents:

  • Electrolyte: The process utilizes a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as the electrolyte.

  • Electrodes: Typically made from nickel or its alloys, these electrodes are where the actual hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions occur.

  • Reaction Dynamics: At the cathode, water reduces to generate hydrogen gas, while at the anode, water oxidizes to produce oxygen gas.

  • Operational Parameters: Effective operation often requires temperatures ranging between 60-80°C with a potential of around 1.8-2.4 V.2 3

  • Efficiency: Alkaline electrolysis exhibits a cell voltage efficiency of approximately 60-70%, though advanCement Prod.s aim to enhance this metric.3

3: Global Deployment 1¤

Water electrolysis, often simply termed as electrolysis, while currently contributing to only about 0.1% of the global hydrogen production, has been witnessing a significant growth in terms of installed capacity and announced projects.

  • Production in 2022: Production from electrolysis was still below 100 kt H2 in 2022, albeit this showcased a promising growth of 35% compared to the prior year.

  • Installed Capacity and Projects: As of the end of 2022, the worldwide installed capacity for hydrogen production through water electrolysis was nearing 700 MW, reflecting a 20% increment from the previous year. Furthermore, around 600 projects boasting a combined capacity exceeding 160 GW have been announced post the Global Hydrogen Review (GHR) in 2022.

  • Electrolyser Types: By the culmination of 2022, alkaline electrolysers made up 60% of the installed capacity. This was followed by Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysers accounting for around 30%. However, based on project announCement Prod.s, PEM is anticipated to overtake alkaline electrolysers in market share in the foreseeable future. It’s notable that many upcoming projects remain undecided or undisclosed regarding their choice of electrolyser technology.

While alkaline electrolysis has been utilized for nearly a century for large-scale hydrogen production, recent emphasis on clean energy and the hydrogen economy has revitalized interest in this technology. It is the most mature and widely used electrolysis technology on the market today, accounting for the majority of installed electrolysis capacity globally.

4: Use in Quebec and Canada¤

Quebec¤

Quebec, with its abundant hydroelectric resources, presents an ideal landscape for green hydrogen production using alkaline electrolysis. There’s a growing interest in harnessing this potential1 and several projects, both in pilot and commercial scales, are under consideration or development. 5

Canada¤

Nationally, Canada recognizes the strategic importance of hydrogen as a clean energy vector. As a part of the broader Canadian hydrogen strategy, alkaline electrolysis features prominently due to its maturity and adaptability. Several industries, especially those in regions with plentiful renewable electricity, are exploring the integration of alkaline electrolyzers for hydrogen production, aiming for a decarbonized industrial future. 4

ES Model Parameters¤

All the parameters concerning the Alkaline Electrolysis are listed in the table below.

entry_key value unit sets source_reference
ELECTRICITY_HV (layer) -1.72 - van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
H2_MP (layer) 1 - van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
HEAT_LOW_T_DECEN (layer) 0.26 - van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
c_inv 1345 MCHF/GW van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
c_maint 47 MCHF/GW/yr van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
c_p 0.9 - van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
gwp_constr 0.21 kt/GWh van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
lifetime 10 y van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
ref_size 0.001 GW van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
trl 8 - van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas, (2018): "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"
Data Sources
van Leeuwen, Charlotte; Zauner, Andreas. (2018). "Innovative Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies and Power-to-Gas Concepts after Optimisation"

  1. Global Hydrogen Review 2023 - IEA. (2023, October 16). Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2023 ⧉ ↩↩↩

  2. Colli, A. N., Girault, H. H., & Battistel, A. (2019). Non-Precious Electrodes for Practical Alkaline Water Electrolysis. Materials, 12(8), 1336. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12081336 ⧉ ↩

  3. Carmo, M., Fritz, D. L., Mergel, J., & Stolten, D. (2013). A comprehensive review on PEM water electrolysis. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 38(12), 4901–4934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.01.151 ⧉ ↩↩

  4. Natural Resources Canada. (2023, October 3). Retrieved from https://natural-resources.canada.ca ⧉. ↩

  5. Crawford, G. A., & Hufnagl, A. F. (1987). Becancour, Quebec. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 12(5), 297–303. doi: 10.1016/0360-3199(87)90054-1. ↩