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Seawater Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production: A Solution Looking for a Problem?

As the price of renewable
electricity continues to plummet, hydrogen (H2) production via water
electrolysis is gaining momentum globally as a route to
decarbonize our energy systems. The requirement of
high purity water for electrolysis as well as the widespread availability of
seawater have led significant research efforts in developing direct seawater
electrolysis technology for H2 production. In
this Perspective, we critically assess the broad-brush arguments on the research and
development (R&D) needs for direct seawater electrolysis from energy, cost
and environmental aspects. We focus in particular on a process consisting of
sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) coupled to proton exchange membrane (PEM)
electrolysis. Our analysis reveals there are limited economic and environmental
incentives of pursuing R&D on today’s nascent direct seawater electrolysis
technology. As commercial water electrolysis requires significant amount of
energy compared to SWRO, the capital and operating costs of SWRO are found to
be negligible. This leads to an insignificant increase in levelized cost of H2
(<0.1 $/kg H2) and CO2 emissions (<0.1%) from a
SWRO-PEM coupled process. Our analysis poses the questions: what is the future
promise of direct seawater electrolysis? With an urgent need to decarbonize our
energy systems, should we consider realigning our research investments? We
conclude with a forward-looking perspective on future R&D priorities in
desalination and electrolysis technologies.