Title : Green hydrogen: Integrating electrolysis, green chemistry, and sustainable energy systems
Abstract:
Green hydrogen is emerging as a key pathway for connecting renewable electricity with industrial sectors that are difficult to decarbonize. This presentation examines green hydrogen as a systems engineering challenge, focusing on the integration of renewable power, water electrolysis, green chemistry, materials sustainability, storage, and end use applications. The presentation first reviews the renewable to hydrogen value chain, from solar and wind generation through power conditioning, electrolysis, hydrogen purification, compression and storage, to industrial applications. Alkaline, proton exchange membrane (PEM), solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC), and emerging anion exchange membrane (AEM) technologies are compared from the perspectives of maturity, dynamic response, efficiency potential, material requirements, durability, and suitability for different renewable-energy profiles. Particular attention is given to the role of green chemistry in reducing hazardous substances and waste, lowering dependence on critical catalyst materials, improving durability and circularity, and incorporating life cycle thinking into hydrogen system design. Water sustainability is also considered as a critical dimension of green hydrogen projects, including purification requirements, local water stress, wastewater reuse, desalination, brine management, and competing water demand. The presentation further discusses techno economic drivers such as renewable electricity cost, capacity factor, electrolyser capital cost, utilisation, efficiency, stack replacement, financing, storage, infrastructure, and offtake conditions. A hybrid solar wind hydrogen architecture with energy management and optimisation capabilities is presented as an illustrative system integration approach. Finally, key research priorities are identified, including low critical material catalysts and membranes, durable operation under variable renewable power, AI assisted optimisation and predictive maintenance, water-efficient electrolysis, industrial waste-heat integration, and coupled techno economic and life cycle assessment. The central message is that the sustainability of green hydrogen should be evaluated across the entire value chain rather than by electrolyser efficiency alone.
