From Durability to Deployability: Charting the Next Phase of PEM Electrolysis

For PEM electrolysers, degradation is more than a technical nuisance, it’s an economic barrier. Even small performance losses accumulate. A few microvolts per hour might seem minor in the lab, but over tens of thousands of operating hours, they determine stack lifetime and the overall cost of hydrogen. As a result, durability has become a key performance metric, a stack that maintains its performance over the long term delivers more value than one that is highly efficient initially but degrades quickly. 

Advanced materials are helping close the degradation gap. Our Resillion™ coating technology, for example, protects critical components from corrosion and wear, ensuring stacks retain their performance and reliability over tens of thousands of hours. These improvements do more than enhance performance curves, they reduce risk, build investor confidence and make green hydrogen projects commercially viable. 

Innovations like Ready2Stack™ bipolar plates address this by reducing assembly complexity and providing standardised, drop-in components. This allows OEMs to focus on stack design, system integration and accelerating deployment. Paired with advanced solutions such as Resillion™, these scalable solutions transform PEM electrolysers from lab-proven technology into deployable, industrial scale systems.  

1.    Shift focus from efficiency to longevity – stack durability increasingly determines project economics. 

    2.    Treat the supply chain as a performance parameter – Consistency in components and sub-assemblies reduces risk and accelerates deployment. 

    3.    Close the loop between field and lab – Operational data should inform R&D, helping materials innovation meet real-world hydrogen production needs. 

Partnerships across the ecosystem will be key. Working with Hoerbiger, we developed Ready2Stack drop-in bipolar plates, solutions designed to close critical gaps in durability and manufacturability. These advances reduce risk, accelerate deployment and bring Europe’s gigawatt-scale targets closer to reality. 

The task now is to accelerate collaboration, align supply chains and turn proven technology into real-world projects. These themes will be at the centre of our upcoming H2 View webinar ‘Electrolysers: The Road Ahead for Green Hydrogen Production’, where James Cropper and HOERGBIGER will discuss the technical and commercial shifts shaping this next phase.