Cost Forecast for Low Temperature Electrolysis - Technology Driven Bottom-Up Prognosis for PEM and Alkaline Water Electrolysis Systems

The production of green hydrogen by water electrolysis has gained enormous interest in recent years and considerable efforts are being made in the electrolysis industry to scale up cells and stacks and to significantly increase manufacturing capacities. Along with this, the current debate on the costs of electrolysis systems is characterized by contradictory statements with a wide range of price projections, making a reliable assessment of electrolyzers difficult. To provide the necessary transparency in this discussion on the investment costs of water electrolysis, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has set up a bottom-up cost model and performed a cost study on behalf of the NGO Clean Air Task Force (CATF). It can be used to build up a broad understanding of the cost structures of low temperature water electrolysis systems.