---
title: "Smoltek’s groundbreaking technology for green hydrogen earns expert recognition"
canonical_url: "https://www.smoltek.com/smolteks-groundbreaking-technology-for-green-hydrogen-earns-expert-recognition/7969/"
date: 2024-11-07
author: "Fredrik Liljeberg"
featured_image: "https://www.smoltek.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ellinor-2024-06-webb.webp"
categories:
  - name: "News"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/category/news.md"
tags:
  - name: "electrolyzers"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/electrolyzers.md"
  - name: "greenhydrogen"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/greenhydrogen.md"
  - name: "hydrogen"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/hydrogen.md"
  - name: "hydrogen news"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/hydrogen-news.md"
  - name: "nanotechnology"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/nanotechnology.md"
  - name: "news"
    url: "https://www.smoltek.com/topic/news.md"
---

# Smoltek’s groundbreaking technology for green hydrogen earns expert recognition

In the report, Dr Felix N. Büchi – Group Leader of the Elec­tro­chem­istry Lab­o­ra­to­ry at the Paul Scher­rer Insti­tute – con­firms that the elec­trode exhib­it state-of-the-art per­for­mance while using sig­nif­i­cant­ly less of the rare pre­cious met­al irid­i­um, which could lead to more cost-effec­tive pro­duc­tion of green hydrogen.

> Smoltek’s elec­trodes are a very inter­est­ing devel­op­ment for the pro­duc­tion of low irid­i­um load­ing elec­trodes for PEM electrolyzers.
> 
> Dr Felix N. Büchi, writes in the report

In a PEM elec­trol­yser, there is a thin mem­brane between the two elec­trodes. On the side where the oxy­gen is devel­oped (anode side) it is required to use irid­i­um as a cat­a­lyst. Irid­i­um is a rare and very expen­sive pre­cious met­al, and the price is expect­ed to rise to 700,000 euros per kg towards the end of this decade.

With con­ven­tion­al tech­nol­o­gy, up to 2.0 mg of irid­i­um per cm² is used today, which in 2030 cor­re­sponds to a cost of 35 mil­lion euros for a 100 MW elec­trolyz­er with a 2,500 m² mem­brane. Lead­ing com­peti­tors have man­aged to reduce the use to 0.5 mg per cm², which would entail a cost of close to 9 mil­lion euros for a 100 MW elec­trolyz­er at an irid­i­um price of 700,000 euros per kg.

How­ev­er, Smoltek has already reached down to 0.2 mg of irid­i­um per cm² with per­for­mance that Dr. Büchi describes as “match­es the lat­est tech­nol­o­gy” and is aim­ing for 0.1 mg per cm². This would reduce the cost of a 100 MW elec­trolyz­er to below 2 mil­lion euros.

> Doc­tor Büchi’s pos­i­tive eval­u­a­tion con­firms that our tech­nol­o­gy can dras­ti­cal­ly reduce the use of irid­i­um in PEM elec­trolyz­ers. With a rapid­ly ris­ing irid­i­um price, our tech­nol­o­gy will be a key to cost-effec­tive pro­duc­tion of green hydrogen
> 
> Elli­nor Ehrn­berg, Pres­i­dent of Smoltek Hydrogen