Novel materials and system designs for low cost, efficient and durable PEM electrolysers
Leading the development of new materials and systems designs for low cost, efficient and durable PEM water electrolysis stacks.

Eight European partners are now joining forces to develop and demonstrate novel materials for and design of low cost, efficient and durable proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser technology.

The four year, € 5.7 million NOVEL project is supported by The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) through a € 2.7 million grant. The NOVEL consortium, coordinated by SINTEF, consists of leading R&D organizations and major industrial actors from 6 member states: Helion SAS (FR), Fraunhofer ISE (DE), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (FR), SINTEF (NO), Teer Coatings Limited (UK), Beneq OY (FI), Paul Scherrer Institute (CH) and Johnson Matthey fuel cells Limited (UK).

During the NOVEL project a PEM electrolyser based on the innovations in the NEXPEL project (www.nexpel.eu) will be constructed to demonstrate the functionality of improved materials and stack designs in view of hydrogen production efficiency.

The NOVEL electrolyser will incorporate several technological innovations, such as more adapted membranes, more efficient catalysts, new membrane electrode assemblies, enhanced bipolar plates and current distributors, novel stack design and new AST protocols. To further reduce cost and improve stability, an advanced stack design using components suitable for mass production and highly efficient advanced power electronics will be applied.