IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v390y2025ics0306261925005793.html

Advancements in water electrolysis technologies and enhanced storage solutions for green hydrogen using renewable energy sources

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Selvam, D.
  • Devarajan, Yuvarajan
  • Raja, T.
  • Vickram, Sundaram

Abstract

Hydrogen plays a vital role in the low-carbon energy transition due to its versatility as a clean energy carrier. However, scaling green hydrogen production using renewable energy presents challenges. This review examines recent advancements in water electrolysis technologies powered by renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass, focusing on Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs), Solid Oxide Electrolyzers (SOEs), and emerging Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) technologies. Key findings show that combining offshore wind and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) with electrolyzers boosts hydrogen yields while lowering costs. Geothermal and hydropower provide stable power for continuous production, while biomass gasification and pyrolysis, integrated with carbon capture, offer sustainable hydrogen pathways. To meet the International Energy Agency's goal of reducing hydrogen costs to under $2/kg, scaling up electrolysis, improving energy storage, and expanding infrastructure are crucial. The review also highlights the role of digital technologies, such as smart grids and AI-driven systems, in improving efficiency and enabling decentralized hydrogen production. Strong policy support, infrastructure investments, and ongoing innovation are essential for advancing the hydrogen economy and achieving global decarbonization targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Selvam, D. & Devarajan, Yuvarajan & Raja, T. & Vickram, Sundaram, 2025. "Advancements in water electrolysis technologies and enhanced storage solutions for green hydrogen using renewable energy sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 390(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:390:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925005793
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125849
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261925005793
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125849?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jianhua Lei & Hui Ma & Geng Qin & Zhihua Guo & Peizhou Xia & Chuantong Hao, 2024. "A Comprehensive Review on the Power Supply System of Hydrogen Production Electrolyzers for Future Integrated Energy Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-37, February.
    2. Elhambakhsh, Abbas & Van Duc Long, Nguyen & Lamichhane, Pradeep & Hessel, Volker, 2023. "Recent progress and future directions in plasma-assisted biomass conversion to hydrogen," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    3. Kelem, Ummu Rumeysa & Yilmaz, Fatih, 2024. "An innovative geothermal based multigeneration plant: Thermodynamic and economic assessment for sustainable outputs with compressed hydrogen," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
    4. Pengcheng Zhu & Masahiro Mae & Ryuji Matsuhashi, 2024. "Techno-Economic Analysis of Grid-Connected Hydrogen Production via Water Electrolysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Leiming Wang & Wei Liu & Haipeng Sun & Li Yang & Liang Huang, 2024. "Advancements and Policy Implications of Green Hydrogen Production from Renewable Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-14, July.
    6. Ramakrishnan, Shanmugam & Delpisheh, Mostafa & Convery, Caillean & Niblett, Daniel & Vinothkannan, Mohanraj & Mamlouk, Mohamed, 2024. "Offshore green hydrogen production from wind energy: Critical review and perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    7. Meng Niu & Xiangjun Li & Chen Sun & Xiaoqing Xiu & Yue Wang & Mingyue Hu & Haitao Dong, 2023. "Operation Optimization of Wind/Battery Storage/Alkaline Electrolyzer System Considering Dynamic Hydrogen Production Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Mahmoud Kiasari & Mahdi Ghaffari & Hamed H. Aly, 2024. "A Comprehensive Review of the Current Status of Smart Grid Technologies for Renewable Energies Integration and Future Trends: The Role of Machine Learning and Energy Storage Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-38, August.
    9. Pastore, Lorenzo Mario & Lo Basso, Gianluigi & Sforzini, Matteo & de Santoli, Livio, 2022. "Technical, economic and environmental issues related to electrolysers capacity targets according to the Italian Hydrogen Strategy: A critical analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    10. Guccione, Salvatore & Guedez, Rafael, 2023. "Techno-economic optimization of molten salt based CSP plants through integration of supercritical CO2 cycles and hybridization with PV and electric heaters," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    11. Xing Cao & Jingang Wang & Pengcheng Zhao & Haiting Xia & Yun Li & Liming Sun & Wei He, 2023. "Hydrogen Production System Using Alkaline Water Electrolysis Adapting to Fast Fluctuating Photovoltaic Power," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-13, April.
    12. Lena Tholen & Anna Leipprand & Dagmar Kiyar & Sarah Maier & Malte Küper & Thomas Adisorn & Andreas Fischer, 2021. "The Green Hydrogen Puzzle: Towards a German Policy Framework for Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-19, November.
    13. Ruggero Angelico & Ferruccio Giametta & Biagio Bianchi & Pasquale Catalano, 2025. "Green Hydrogen for Energy Transition: A Critical Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-47, January.
    14. Julián Gómez & Rui Castro, 2024. "Green Hydrogen Energy Systems: A Review on Their Contribution to a Renewable Energy System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-41, June.
    15. Glaum, Philipp & Neumann, Fabian & Brown, Tom, 2024. "Offshore power and hydrogen networks for Europe’s North Sea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 369(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fu, Lin & Chen, Yu & Li, Shijuan & Zhang, Mingshun & Jiang, Shan & Chen, Xiaoyuan & Shen, Boyang, 2026. "Hydrogen-electricity hybrid-energy system with superconducting-battery energy storage for urban rail transit: design, case study, and techno-economic analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 405(C).
    2. Reza, M.S. & Fattah, I.M.R. & Wang, Junkai & Hannan, M.A. & Zainal, B.S. & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Mahlia, T.M.I., 2026. "Hydrogen-based hybrid energy system: A review of technologies, optimization approaches, objectives, constraints, applications, and outstanding issues," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PA).
    3. Zhang, Xingyin & Zhang, Huan & Zhang, Libo & Du, Lin & Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Dequn, 2025. "Layout optimization of the hydrogen network orienting towards hydrogen production from offshore wind power," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    4. Cui, Yuelong & Jiang, Kaijun & Wei, Huimin & Xu, Lei & Du, Xiaoze, 2025. "Solid packed bed storage-based flexible retrofit solution for power plants: Novel method for multi-heat source contribution analysis and thermal performance regulation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    5. Yi Yang & Bowen Zhou & Yang Xu & Juan Zhang & Bo Yang & Guiping Zhou & Shunjiang Wang, 2025. "Capacity Optimization for Coordinated Operation of Hybrid Electrolytic Cells Based on Wavelet Packet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-22, July.
    6. He, Mingyue & Liu, Ning & Kong, Guofang, 2025. "Performance evaluation of an SOFC-ICE hybrid system with pre-compressor cooling and dual-fuel injection for enhanced efficiency in renewable energy applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arkadiusz Małek & Andrzej Marciniak, 2025. "Operational Analysis of Power Generation from a Photovoltaic–Wind Mix and Low-Emission Hydrogen Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-25, May.
    2. Rezaei, Mostafa & Akimov, Alexandr & Gray, Evan Mac A., 2024. "Techno-economics of offshore wind-based dynamic hydrogen production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 374(C).
    3. Luciano T. Barbosa & Pedro A. C. Rosas & José F. C. Castro & Samuel D. Vasconcelos & Paulo H. R. P. Gama & Douglas C. P. Barbosa, 2025. "Proposal for an Energy Efficiency Index for Green Hydrogen Production—An Integrated Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-29, June.
    4. Jin, Rongsen & Hou, Peng & Qi, Yuanhang & Huang, Zili & Chen, Yongquan & Li, Hui & Cai, Xiaoqiang, 2025. "Joint planning of distribution and transmission system for offshore wind farms integrated with hydrogen production platforms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 398(C).
    5. Patrizia Ghisellini & Renato Passaro & Sergio Ulgiati, 2025. "Is Green Hydrogen an Environmentally and Socially Sound Solution for Decarbonizing Energy Systems Within a Circular Economy Transition?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-55, May.
    6. Jose Antonio Carballo & Javier Bonilla & Jesús Fernández-Reche & Antonio Luis Avila-Marin & Blas Díaz, 2024. "Modern SCADA for CSP Systems Based on OPC UA, Wi-Fi Mesh Networks, and Open-Source Software," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-17, December.
    7. Travaglini, R. & Frowijn, L.S.F. & Bianchini, A. & Lukszo, Z. & Bruninx, K., 2025. "Offshore or onshore hydrogen production? A critical analysis on costs and operational considerations for the Dutch North Sea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 397(C).
    8. Qing Chang & Xiangbo Fan & Shaohui Zou, 2025. "Threshold Effects of Renewable Energy Investment on the Energy Efficiency–Fossil Fuel Consumption Nexus: Evidence from 71 Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Martins, Flavio Pinheiro & De-León Almaraz, Sofía & Botelho Junior, Amilton Barbosa & Azzaro-Pantel, Catherine & Parikh, Priti, 2024. "Hydrogen and the sustainable development goals: Synergies and trade-offs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    10. Lin, Yaoting & Zhou, Wei & Chauhdary, Sohaib Tahir & Zuo, Wenshuai, 2025. "4E assessment of a geothermal-driven combined power and cooling system coupled with a liquefied natural gas cold energy recovery unit," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    11. Lund, H. & Østergaard, P.A. & Yuan, M. & Sorknæs, P. & Thellufsen, J.Z., 2025. "Energy balancing and storage in climate-neutral smart energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    12. Ana-Maria Chirosca & Eugen Rusu & Viorel Minzu, 2024. "Green Hydrogen—Production and Storage Methods: Current Status and Future Directions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-27, November.
    13. Georgios Giakoumakis & Dimitrios Sidiras, 2025. "Production and Storage of Hydrogen from Biomass and Other Sources: Technologies and Policies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-41, January.
    14. Monika Bortnowska & Arkadiusz Zmuda, 2024. "The Possibility of Using Hydrogen as a Green Alternative to Traditional Marine Fuels on an Offshore Vessel Serving Wind Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-35, November.
    15. Liu, Hongtao & Zhai, Rongrong & Patchigolla, Kumar & Turner, Peter & Yu, Xiaohan & Wang, Peng, 2023. "Multi-objective optimisation of a thermal-storage PV-CSP-wind hybrid power system in three operation modes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    16. Barberis, Stefano & Shamsi, Syed Safeer Mehdi & Traverso, Alberto, 2025. "sCO2-based thermally integrated-pumped thermal energy storage (TI-PTES) integrating freely available heat sources in both charging and discharging cycles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    17. Arkadiusz Małek, 2025. "Low-Emission Hydrogen for Transport—A Technology Overview from Hydrogen Production to Its Use to Power Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-32, August.
    18. Tai Zhang & Goran Strbac, 2025. "Artificial Intelligence Applications for Energy Storage: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-44, September.
    19. Balali, Adel & Raji Asadabadi, Mohammad Javad & Lotfollahi, Amirhosein & Moghimi, Mahdi, 2025. "Machine learning-based optimization of a waste-to-energy power plant with CAES for peak load management: Feasibility and a case study in Tehran," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    20. Kathleen Araújo & Edward Potter & Anna Kouts & Oliver Newman & Max Milarvie & Fred Carcas & Cassie Koerner & Jacob Placido, 2025. "An International Review of Hydrogen Technology and Policy Developments, with a Focus on Wind- and Nuclear Power-Produced Hydrogen and Natural Hydrogen," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-35, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:390:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925005793. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.