A team of researchers in South Korea has just taken a massive step toward a cleaner, more efficient energy future, and it could transform how the world produces hydrogen.
Scientists at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) have developed and successfully tested the country’s first 20-kilowatt-class solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) system, achieving over 3,000 hours of continuous operation with an 83% electrical efficiency, as reported by Tech Xplore.
The breakthrough is a leap forward for hydrogen energy — a fuel that burns cleanly, leaving only water vapor behind. Producing hydrogen efficiently has long been a challenge, since traditional electrolysis requires large amounts of electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. KIMM’s new system solves that problem by tapping into waste heat from nearby industrial sources like steel or chemical plants.
By converting that heat into steam, the SOEC system cuts electricity use by 15% compared to existing technologies and lowers hydrogen production costs by roughly 25%. The system’s reliability under real-world conditions — including power fluctuations and interruptions to the steam supply — shows it’s nearly ready for scaling to the big leagues.
KIMM’s next goal is to push efficiency past 85% and drive hydrogen production costs down to about $2.20 per kilogram, which could make it one of the world’s most affordable clean hydrogen technologies.
If successful, this innovation could reshape the global energy game. Hydrogen is key to decarbonizing heavy industries and powering next-generation fuel cells, while reducing our dependence on dirty energy sources such as oil and gas.
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Clean hydrogen made using renewable or nuclear power could one day supply everything from steel manufacturing to long-haul transport without adding planet-overheating carbon pollution to the atmosphere.
Similar breakthroughs in energy efficiency are helping communities worldwide transition toward a greener future. From creating hydrogen from seawater to producing hydrogen from natural sunlight, new technologies are making sustainable energy more accessible and more affordable than ever before.
Innovations like these, from advanced hydrogen systems to everyday solar solutions, are paving the way toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future for us all.
“By integrating underutilized energy sources such as industrial waste heat, this technology enables high-efficiency, low-cost clean hydrogen production, which will play a vital role in achieving carbon neutrality and advancing the hydrogen economy,” Dr. Young Sang Kim, Principal Researcher at KIMM, said in a news release.
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