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There are two main problems with cost estimates for electrolysers. First, the availability of data, given its confidential nature and the retention of competitive advantage. Second, the boundaries for the cost estimates are not consistent (e.g. stack, balance of plant, full system) and, in many cases, not even specified, which makes the comparison across studies more difficult. To deal with these challenges, this report performed a thorough literature review validated by consultations and a peer review with various leading manufacturers, which informed the cost breakdowns shown in Figure 18 and Figure 20. For the second barrier (boundaries), different system scopes are analysed for the cost estimates in this report: The first level is a single cell unit. This is the core of the electrolyser where the main electrochemical process takes place. This includes the catalyst coated membrane where the catalyst layers are coated directly as electrodes onto the membrane for the PEM type and the electrodes and diaphragms for the alkaline type, plus the manufacturing of these components which can represent a large share of the costs. The second level within stack costs includes the cells plus the PTLs, bipolar plates, end plates and other small parts such as spacers, seals, frames, bolts and others. This level usually represents about 40%-50% of the total. The third level is the system costs. The scope is all the balance of plant components and peripherals responsible for operating the electrolyser, but excluding any component responsible for further gas compression and storage. The major components for the balance of plant cost models typically include rectifier, water purification unit, hydrogen gas processing (compression and storage) and cooling components. These items can constitute 50%-60% of the total cost. Today, the main contributor to system costs is still the stack, which represents 40%-50% of the total, for both alkaline and PEM electrolysers. This share greatly depends on design, manufacturing strategy, business case, and customer specifications. Cost breakdowns for AEMs and solid oxide systems SCALING UP ELECTROLYSERS TO MEET THE 1.5°C CLIMATE GOAL are still not available, due to the limited number of systems that have been deployed commercially. A paper published in 2018 (Saba et al., 2018) showed a comparison of cost studies from the previous 30 years, and projections of these costs for PEM and alkaline electrolyser systems. The study showed there had been significant cost reductions over the period for both PEM and alkaline systems, but this reduction was more pronounced for PEM. Saba et al. depict a significantly large spread in the costs of PEM systems, ranging from USD 306/kW up to USD 4 748/kW, demonstrating the challenge of finding representative numbers for the current system costs (Saba et al., 2018). Figure 18 and Figure 20 show a breakdown of cost components for both PEM and alkaline electrolysers, while Figure 19 and Figure 21 combine this information with the potential for cost reduction of the various items in order to identify priority areas for innovation and deployment. First scalingup initiatives into systems larger than 1 MW will allow quick cost reduction of balance of plant components, as discussed above. Beyond this point, innovation becomes key for any further significant cost reduction. Most of the stack components are still over designed, and significant potential for cost reduction can be found for PTLs, bipolar plates and the highly expensive protective coatings on these. Figure 18 shows that for PEM electrolysers the stack represents slightly less than half of the electrolysis system cost. For the balance of plant, power supply represents a very significant cost component. For PEM stacks, bipolar plates are a significant cost component, as they are often built to provide multiple functions and require advanced materials such as gold or platinum coated titanium (Hermann, Chaudhuri and Spagnol, 2005). This is one of the areas where innovation can play an important role in both performance and durability enhancement, as well as cost reduction. Research is ongoing to replace titanium with cheaper materials, relying on the coating for its functional characteristics to remain unaffected, while reducing cost. 51PDF Image | GREEN HYDROGEN SCALING UP ELECTROLYSERS
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