Characteristics of a New Polymer Electrolyte Electrolysis Technique with Only Cathodic Media Supply Coupled to a Photovoltaic Panel

Herein we discuss polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis stacks and systems we developed that are optimized for direct coupling to a photovoltaic (PV) panel. One advantage of PEM systems is their use of non-corrosive and non-toxic media. Thus, safe outdoor operation can be guaranteed, even in the case of a leakage. The system design was adapted to reduce the number of connection tubes, allowing for a series connection of multiple stacks at low cost and high reliability. One coupled PEM/PV system was tested under various temperature and irradiance conditions. All system components were also thoroughly characterized. The characterization was used to calibrate simple models of the individual components. Finally, the models were used to predict the system's solar-to-hydrogen efficiency under different operating conditions and to find an optimal configuration for real-world outdoor operation.