Electrolysis is the process by which water molecules are split directly into hydrogen and oxygen
molecules using electricity and an electrolyzer device. The overall electrolysis reaction is:
The two most common types of electrolyzers are alkaline (use a potassium hydroxide electrolyte) and PEM (use a solid polymer membrane electrolyte). A schematic of an alkaline electrolysis system is provided in below. The electrolysis reaction produces pure oxygen as a by-product along with pure hydrogen. The oxygen can then be used for other productive purposes.
e- + H2O -> 1⁄2 O2 + H2
The two most common types of electrolyzers are alkaline (use a potassium hydroxide electrolyte) and PEM (use a solid polymer membrane electrolyte). A schematic of an alkaline electrolysis system is provided in below. The electrolysis reaction produces pure oxygen as a by-product along with pure hydrogen. The oxygen can then be used for other productive purposes.
Hydrogen can be produced via electrolysis of water from any electrical source, including utility
grid power, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, hydropower, or nuclear power. Electrolysis is
currently done at a wide range of scales, from a few kW to up to 2,000 kW per electrolyzer.
There is a great potential for AU to use this technology, becoming a pioneer and becoming the first University in the US to have a fuel cell system on campus that is run on renewable hydrogen.
Because AU had already looked into the use of fuel cell systems but turned it down due to the non-renewable sources of hydrogen available at the time, the potential to acquire renewable sources of hydrogen change the equation.
Could AU implement a system like this?
There is a great potential for AU to use this technology, becoming a pioneer and becoming the first University in the US to have a fuel cell system on campus that is run on renewable hydrogen.
Because AU had already looked into the use of fuel cell systems but turned it down due to the non-renewable sources of hydrogen available at the time, the potential to acquire renewable sources of hydrogen change the equation.
Could AU implement a system like this?
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