Nel Hydrogen U.S. has been granted $5.6 MM in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense for accelerating advanced PEM electrolyzer stack development, to enable low-cost H₂ storage and resiliency applications, in collaboration with the Engineer Research and Development Center- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC- CERL).

The purpose of this 19-month project is to accelerate low-cost electrolyzer development with the aim to reduce both operating and capital costs. High level activities include development of membranes optimized for electrolysis applications, development of advanced catalysts including high volume manufacturing and recycling techniques, surface coating techniques to reduce precious metal usage, and cell stack integration and testing in a full system at ERDC-CERL. The project also has options for additional funding.

“We are excited to receive this funding from the Department of Defense. This project will be an important enabler for renewable hydrogen generation at scale for industrial applications with the PEM technology,” said Kathy Ayers, Vice President, Research and Development at Nel.

“Hydrogen generation provides a unique energy source that can be used to support the national energy security and resiliency,” said Nicholas Josefik, Senior Researcher, Energy Branch, ERDC-CERL.