Using untapped wind energy to produce green hydrogen using a simpler and sustainable electrolyser design (H2Glas)

Project Description

Ireland imports in excess of 80% of its energy, which is fossil fuel based, and equates to €1 million every hour. The Government has set out in the Climate Act Bill (2021) that we must achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050. These are huge challenges that will require many approaches, but one solution lies in the use of green hydrogen. As an Island, we have an abundant source of offshore wind which can be used to generate electricity for our grid. However due to the intermittent nature of wind, we need energy storage (just as oil or gas are energy storage mechanisms) and a renewable energy storage vector is “green” hydrogen. However, for the integration of hydrogen into the energy mix, we require cheaper and more sustainable electrolysers, which forms the basis of this proposal. Our aim is to design and develop a prototype low cost membraneless electrolyser capable of producing economically relevant quantities of green H2, through the use of sustainable catalysts, intelligent cell design, advanced manufacturing techniques and inexpensive materials.