Experimental approach for assessing the impacts of intermittency: application on a 1 kW PEM electrolysis stack and on a 55 kW commercial PEM electrolyzer

<p>This study introduces a novel experimental approach to evaluate both the short-term and long-term<br>performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis technologies under intermittent<br>conditions. Based on a stochastic framework that incorporates random intermittency around a<br>specified operating point, test campaigns were performed on i) a 1 kW PEM electrolysis stack to<br>investigate the long-term effects of intermittency and ii) a 55 kW industrial PEM electrolyzer to<br>examine short-term impacts. This methodology entails comparing steady-state performance at a<br>defined operating point with performance under random intermittent conditions, while keeping the<br>average operating point constant. This approach isolates the influence of the operating point from the<br>effects solely due to electrical input fluctuations. First results from the commercial electrolyzer<br>revealed no short-term impacts of intermittent operation on the system key performance indicators<br>i.e. the specific consumption or the final production purity. By providing deeper insights into the<br>operational challenges and performance variations in PEM electrolyzers when integrated with<br>renewable energy systems, the research advances the development of more resilient and adaptable<br>hydrogen production technologies.</p>