Hydrogen can be used in many different ways, for example as an energy carrier in mobility, as an intermediate storage medium for energy or as a reactant in the large-scale chemical industry. For this reason, hydrogen from renewable sources is an important instrument for meeting climate protection targets while simultaneously defossilizing the energy system. Water electrolysis can be regarded as a particularly suitable technology, as it enables the efficient conversion of renewable electrical energy.

As part of the "Water Electrolysis Innovation Laboratory" (InnoEly) project, a characterization and modelling toolbox is to be developed for the further development of technical water electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen. This toolbox should help to increase efficiency and reduce costs in order to be able to provide an electrolysis capacity of 10 GW by 2035. All three commercially available electrolysis technologies (AEL, PEMEL, HTEL) will be considered within the project. The aim is to create a link from material and component development through to the design of complete water electrolysis systems.

The characterization tool includes a range of electro/physicochemical methods for the investigation of cell components used on a large scale in order to ensure uniform analysis and identification of optimization potential. In a further step, the results are transferred to the model level. This starts with the individual description of the cell and is then extended to the stack and plant level. With the help of the resulting modeling tool, an application-specific technology selection and dimensioning as well as the integration of the suitable electrolyser into a new/existing plant can be made possible. These tools can be used to identify development and savings potential through improved design of materials, cell components and operating strategies.