POWER: Printed Circuit Board Optimized Water Electrolysis with Reduced PGM

To reach Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions green hydrogen is needed, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry, aviation etc.. The majority of green hydrogen is currently produced using alkaline or PEM electrolysers. Alkaline electrolysers are well established technology, although do not operate well under dynamic load conditions, which is needed when operating with intermittent renewable electricity.

They also utilise porous membranes, which is a safety risk for hydrogen cross-over, particularly during operation at low loads. PEM electrolysers have higher performance and efficiency than alkaline systems, and can operate on DI water, rather than strong alkaline electrolytes, although localised low pH conditions at the membrane require expensive platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts and materials (e.g.

Titanium) in the electrolyser stack. They also utilise fluorine-based membranes, which are an environmental and health risk. Anion exchange membrane electrolysis (AEMEL) in theory combines the benefits of alkaline and PEM electrolysis.

However, in practice commercial AEMEL systems have not been able to demonstrate the durability of alkaline or the flexibility to operate under renewable loads as PEM electrolysers. Within the "**POWER: P**rinted Circuit Board **O**ptimized **W**ater **E**lectrolysis with **R**educed PGM" project Bramble Energy will work with Tripod Technology Corporation (TPT) and Tripod Nanotechnology Corporation (TPNT) to develop a low-cost AEM electrolyser that is able to meet durability and flexibility requirements.

This will be produced based on Bramble's technology leveraging printed circuit boards (PCBs) for lower-cost and mass manufacturable electrolyser bipolar plate, alongside novel catalyst and membrane electrode assembly for electrolyser cells developed by TPT and TPNT, respectively.

Overall the project will prove out the electrolyser materials and manufacturing methods against European targets for electrolyser cost, performance and durability for 2030\. This will position the POWER consortium to scale and commercialise the technology from 2028 onwards.