Increasing the efficiency of water electrolysis for renewable hydrogen production

The combination of growing human populations and increasing anthropogenic activity has resulted in a surge in global energy consumption. As the majority of energy generation is presently produced with fossil fuels, such increases in energy consumption are accompanied by an increase in the production of the toxic by-products as well as the environmentally harmful activities which are often associated with energy resource exploitation. The production of hydrogen gas utilising renewable energy generation presents an opportunity to assist in the transition towards more sustainable energy generation and enhance the sustainability of anthropogenic activities due to hydrogen’s versatility in its application. However, the efficiency of industrial scaled hydrogen production from electrolysis will need to be increased to improve the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen’s use as an energy carrier. As such, investigation into novel techniques to enhance the efficiency of water electrolysis will be essential.