ERDC-CERL to test new hydrogen electrolyzer technology

In Mississippi, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) said it will test new hydrogen technology in support of energy resilience. As part of a cooperative agreement, Nel Hydrogen will build electrolyzers to produce hydrogen to use as clean fuel in emergency situations. Once the technology is complete, the electrolyzer will be shipped to CERL for testing. “This electrolyzer project provides an exciting and unique opportunity to advance the research in efficient and low-cost hydrogen production which could improve the Nation’s competitiveness in the global energy market,” said Nick Josefik, an industrial engineer at CERL. The main purpose of the project is to reduce the cost of the membrane and catalyst electrode assemblies, or MEAs, which are a main component of the electrolyzer. This in turn will decrease the cost of hydrogen and electrolyzer technology, making it more competitive and economically feasible in the U.S. “Currently, electrolyzer technology can be two times higher in capital cost than the targets for large-scale energy applications,” said Josefik. “For it to be economically feasible, costs need to be reduced significantly.”

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