Hydrogen supply, system considerations

Where Will the Hydrogen Come From System Considerations and Hydrogen Supply... 

Ogden, J. (2004) Where will the hydrogen come from Systems considerations and hydrogen supply, in The Hydrogen Energy Transition (eds. D. Sperling and J. Cannon), Elsevier, Amsterdam. 

There are no electrolyzers developed specifically for operation with wind turbines. However, the rapid response of electrochemical systems to power variations makes them suitable "loads" for wind turbines. Industrial electrolyzers are designed for continuous operation, mainly because their elevated investment cost requires high-capacity factors for reasonable payback times, but they are subject to a considerable number of current interruptions through their lifetime due to occasional power interruptions, accidental trips of safety systems, and planned stops for maintenance. Current interruptions are more frequent in specialty applications, where electrolyzers supply hydrogen "on demand." Therefore, the discontinuous use of the equipment is not new, and most commercial electrolyzers may be used in intermittent operation although a significant performance decrease is expected with time. In fact, it is not power variation, but current interruptions that may cause severe corrosion problems to the electrodes, if the latter are not protected by the application of a polarization current when idle. 

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