Record stack durability in industrial solid oxide steam electrolysis through operational control
5 affiliations
- 1DTU Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- 2DynElectro ApS. Syvvejen 10, Viby Sjælland, Denmark
- 3SolydEra SpA, Mezzolombardo, Italy
- 4SolydEra SA, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
- 5Department of Energy, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
Abstract
Solid oxide steam electrolysis offers the highest electrical efficiency for hydrogen production, yet wide-scale deployment remains constrained by durability. Here, we show that long-term stack durability can be strongly influenced by operating strategy, achieving 25,000 h of steam electrolysis operation in a full 70-cell solid oxide electrolysis cell stack under frequency-dependent electrochemical operation (AC:DC). This experiment represents, to our knowledge, the longest and lowest degradation operation reported for a full stack. The stack enters a stabilized regime with an average voltage degradation rate of 0.05 % kh⁻¹ (0.65 mV kh⁻¹ per cell) sustained for 22,000 h after initial conditioning. The behavior is evaluated against initial DC operation, prior full-stack benchmarks, impedance evolution, and post-test microstructural signatures. Periodic polarity inversion between electrolysis and fuel-cell modes modulates electrochemical polarization and heat generation, consistent with mitigating thermal and electrochemical gradients that develop during sustained DC electrolysis. Stack-level impedance evolution and post-mortem microstructural analysis demonstrate stabilization of electrochemical performance and suppression of degradation signatures commonly observed under DC operation, indicating that key degradation pathways are not activated under AC:DC operation. By shifting durability control from materials to operational strategy, AC:DC operation offers a scalable pathway toward long-lived solid oxide electrolysis for economically competitive green hydrogen production.
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BibTeX
@article{bilalis2026record,
title = {{Record stack durability in industrial solid oxide steam electrolysis through operational control}},
author = {Vasileios Bilalis and Olivia Fjord Sloth and Thomas Erik Lyck Smitshuysen and Javid Beyrami and Marie Lund Traulsen and Martin Nørby Nielsen and Dario Montinaro and Jan Pieter Ouweltjes and Henrik Lund Frandsen and Ming Chen and Mogens Bjerg Mogensen and Søren Højgaard Jensen and Vincenzo Esposito},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Record stack durability in industrial solid oxide steam electrolysis through operational control
AU - Vasileios Bilalis
AU - Olivia Fjord Sloth
AU - Thomas Erik Lyck Smitshuysen
AU - Javid Beyrami
AU - Marie Lund Traulsen
AU - Martin Nørby Nielsen
AU - Dario Montinaro
AU - Jan Pieter Ouweltjes
AU - Henrik Lund Frandsen
AU - Ming Chen
AU - Mogens Bjerg Mogensen
AU - Søren Højgaard Jensen
AU - Vincenzo Esposito
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1
AB - Solid oxide steam electrolysis offers the highest electrical efficiency for hydrogen production, yet wide-scale deployment remains constrained by durability. Here, we show that long-term stack durability can be strongly influenced by operating strategy, achieving 25,000 h of steam electrolysis operation in a full 70-cell solid oxide electrolysis cell stack under frequency-dependent electrochemical operation (AC:DC). This experiment represents, to our knowledge, the longest and lowest degradation operation reported for a full stack. The stack enters a stabilized regime with an average voltage degradation rate of 0.05 % kh⁻¹ (0.65 mV kh⁻¹ per cell) sustained for 22,000 h after initial conditioning. The behavior is evaluated against initial DC operation, prior full-stack benchmarks, impedance evolution, and post-test microstructural signatures. Periodic polarity inversion between electrolysis and fuel-cell modes modulates electrochemical polarization and heat generation, consistent with mitigating thermal and electrochemical gradients that develop during sustained DC electrolysis. Stack-level impedance evolution and post-mortem microstructural analysis demonstrate stabilization of electrochemical performance and suppression of degradation signatures commonly observed under DC operation, indicating that key degradation pathways are not activated under AC:DC operation. By shifting durability control from materials to operational strategy, AC:DC operation offers a scalable pathway toward long-lived solid oxide electrolysis for economically competitive green hydrogen production.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -