A joint venture between Plug Power, an American provider of turnkey hydrogen fuel cell solutions, and its South Korean partner, SK E&S, will provide polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis equipment for a state project to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green hydrogen and battery storage system.
Using electricity, water electrolysis technique decomposes water to make hydrogen. Due to its high production costs, hydrogen firms have been testing numerous approaches to improve water electrolysis technology in order to effectively create hydrogen.
SK Plug Hyverse inked a contract with Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) to supply a 1.0-megawatt PEM water electrolysis facility that utilizes a wind power plant to produce green hydrogen and distributes it via a charging station on the southern island of Jeju.
As they function at relatively low temperatures, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are mostly utilized for transportation applications and small-scale power generation facilities. The polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) comprises of a polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode).
The project in Jeju, according to SK E&S, created the groundwork for the localization of water electrolysis facilities and the expansion of Plug Power’s worldwide markets. The company stated that it would develop SK Plug Hyverse into the largest green hydrogen provider in South Korea.
SK Plug Hyverse will construct a substantial facility in the western port city of Incheon to make fuel cells and water electrolysis equipment for the Asian market. The production will commence in 2024. The “Giga” facility is intended to help Incheon’s objective to rejuvenate hydrogen public transportation and utilize hydrogen for all 2,000 municipal buses by 2030.
Despite hydrogen cars’ eco-friendly qualities, South Korean consumers have eschewed them due to a lack of charging infrastructure and a widespread belief that such stations could explode. The joint venture will supply liquefied hydrogen to charging stations using Plug Power’s expertise in operating and distributing liquid hydrogen charging stations.
South Korea is investing significantly in hydrogen fuel cells as a new source of energy. Hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen as fuel to produce energy. In eco-friendly automobiles such as full-size sport utility vehicles, smaller cell systems are placed, whilst larger cell systems are utilized in hydrogen power generators.
Hydrogen fuel cell power generation systems are perfect for providing power to microgrids, which are networks of small, isolated smart power grids in urban contexts. Due to their great energy efficiency, simple structure, and excellent endurance, PEMs can be used in stationary and portable fuel cell applications.
