Solid Oxide Electrolysis

Solid oxide water electrolysis is a technology used for splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity at high temperature. Compared to other electrolysis technologies, the key difference is that the electrolyte in the middle of the two catalyst layers is a ceramic that conducts O2-ions (rather than liquid OH-electrolyte for alkaline and a H+ polymer conducting membrane for PEM). A typical electrolyte is yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), the components of which are abundant natural resources. The solid electrolyzer cells (SOEC) commonly operate at 700-1000 C. Operating at high temperature allows SOEC to operate efficiently. However, dealing with high temperature operation does lead to challenges such as durability.