A breakthrough in clean energy could unlock affordable, industrial-scale green hydrogen.

For the first time, scientists have determined how to scale up decoupled water electrolysis, a technique that produces green hydrogen without carbon emissions or expensive hardware.

This method could be a game-changer in how hydrogen is made, stored, and used across various energy-intensive industries.

Traditional hydrogen production relies on dirty energy, releasing tons of pollution. Green hydrogen, by contrast, is made by splitting water with clean energy like solar or wind, but current technologies struggle to scale due to cost and instability.

Conventional electrolysis uses membranes to separate hydrogen and oxygen, and while effective, they're expensive, prone to leaks, and can't easily handle fluctuations from renewable energy.

DWE eliminates membranes using redox materials that store energy like a battery, making the system more affordable and compatible with renewable sources.

The review, published in the journal Nature Reviews Clean Technology, was authored by an international team of leading hydrogen experts.

Researchers from institutions like the University of Glasgow, Technion, the Fraunhofer Institute, and H2Pro outlined for the first time a pathway to scaling DWE from lab-scale models to systems capable of generating a ton of hydrogen per day.

Early DWE systems produced only grams of hydrogen, but the review suggests scaling this up by a factor of one million.

"This gives some context to the rate of scaling of some of the new decoupled systems starting to emerge," said Professor Mark Symes from the University of Glasgow, a co-author. "I expect that the next decade will see decoupled electrolysis systems becoming serious competitors to more conventional electrolyzers."

Do you think we should be trying to pull pollution out of the atmosphere? Absolutely 👍 I need to know more 🤔 In some situations 🏭 No way 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

DWE could transform the $250 billion hydrogen industry into a $550 billion green energy market within the next decade. By removing technical roadblocks and offering energy storage, DWE could enable industries to ditch dirty fuels in favor of clean, locally produced hydrogen.

"Green energy is expected to account for 10% of the future energy market," added Professor Avner Rothschild of Technion. "Once it becomes possible to produce green hydrogen at large-scale and sell it at reasonable prices, hydrogen will replace a large part of the energy used in industry, heavy transportation, and other sectors."

This clean energy advance will improve public health by reducing air pollution from dirty fuel combustion, while expanding energy access globally.

While still emerging, DWE is developing rapidly, with researchers expecting commercial applications within the next 10 years. This breakthrough could help kickstart a promising new energy market.

It parallels recent developments in synthetic fuels for airlines, hydrogen fuel cell tech for cars, and advancements in solar. With transportation accounting for 16.2% of carbon pollution, according to Our World in Data, these innovations are crucial for a cleaner future.

Installing solar panels can also reduce home energy costs to near $0 while supporting a cleaner grid. EnergySage offers a free platform that helps homeowners compare quotes from vetted local installers and save up to $10,000 on solar installations.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.