Novel alkaline electrolyser with optimized micro-patterned electrodes for efficient ultra-low cost hydrogen

** 挑战：** 到目前为止，氢的生产过于昂贵。目前，市场由96%的灰氢（即由天然气或甲烷产生的H2，而不捕获温室气体）提供服务，这是8.3亿吨二氧化碳排放量的原因。蓝色氢是没有替代品，因为它基本上与灰色氢相同，只是碳捕获。实际上，CO2捕获非常昂贵，并且具有沿着供应链沿着的甲烷泄漏的附加问题。绿色氢，即由可再生能源产生的氢，目前的价格约为5美元/千克。这个奖需要下降到三分之一，以使它成为一个有效的能源。在Electrogenos，我们的目标是使绿色氢气成为最可行和最具竞争力的技术。我们正在采取自上而下的方法，到2025年实现< 1.5美元/公斤的目标。由于我们面对的是一个竞争激烈的市场，我们的技术将迅速商业化。该项目完全符合英国的“净零”战略，即到2030年实现5GW的低碳氢产能。这也将提升英国作为氢生产国的地位。创新：** 在这个项目中，我们将为我们的4kW电解槽原型的电极开发一种新的表面增强技术。增强的电极将提高水解器电池的效率和耐久性。这将提供更高的氢气产量，同时节省成本。它将改善我们产品的组成部分，电解槽本身。这个项目的好处是，（软工具）具有新颖的设计，可以超越现在市场上的产品（由贵金属制成或通过昂贵的制造技术实现）。我们的首席科学家专门通过电镀开发微结构，用于热-交换机市场的利润空间非常紧张，通过可扩展的连续制造将成本降至最低，这是必须的。在他的博士论文期间，他开发了许多用于制氢过程的电催化剂。这两个经验导致了下一个合乎逻辑的步骤，成立Electrogenos有限公司，其独特的方法来开发新型电解槽。这项赠款资助的项目将为我们提供进一步发展技术和加快商业化的机会。

**Challenge:**So far hydrogen production is too expensive. Currently the market is served by 96% grey hydrogen (meaning H2 created by natural gas or methane, without capturing greenhouse gases) which is responsible for 830M Tonnes of CO2 emissions. Blue hydrogen is no alternative since it is basically the same as grey hydrogen, just with carbon capturing. In reality CO2 capture is very expensive and has the added problem of methane leakage along the supply chain.Green hydrogen, meaning hydrogen produced by renewable energy sources, is currently prized at around 5US$/kg. This prize needs to come down to a third in order to make it an effective energy source. At Electrogenos we aim to make green hydrogen the most viable and competitive technology. We are taking a top-down approach to achieve that goal with < 1.5$/Kg by 2025\. Because we are dealing with a very competitive market our technology is set for rapid commercialization.This project aligns perfectly with the UK's 'Net Zero' strategy of 5GW of low carbon hydrogen capacity by 2030\. It would also boost the UK's position as hydrogen producing nation.**Innovation:**In this project we will develop a novel surface enhancement technique for the electrodes of our 4kW electrolyser prototype. The enhanced electrodes will boost efficiency and durability of the hydrolyser cell. This will provide a higher output of hydrogen while saving costs. It will improve the integral part of our product, the electrolyser cell itself.This project has the benefit of coupling disruptive manufacturing tools (soft tools) with a novel design that can outperform what is now available on the market (being made of precious metals or achieved through expensive manufacturing techniques).Our chief scientist is specialized in developing microstructures via electroplating for the heat-exchanger market which has very tight profit margins and keeping costs to a minimum through scalable continuous manufacturing is a must. During his PhD thesis he developed many electrocatalysts for hydrogen production processes. Both experiences led to the next logical step in founding Electrogenos Ltd with its unique approach to develop novel electrolyser cells. This grant funded project would offer us the opportunity to further our technology and speed up commercialization.