Solid oxide electrolysis: Techno-Economic assessment and impact of modularity under intermittent operation

Vito Verde; Ersan Gürbüz; Martin Khamphasith; Assia Saker; Fausto Gallucci; Pierre Olivier

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.154144

Solid oxide electrolysis: Techno-Economic assessment and impact of modularity under intermittent operation

Vito Verde
, Ersan Gürbüz (Corresponding author)
, Martin Khamphasith
, Assia Saker
, Fausto Gallucci
, Pierre Olivier

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Green hydrogen is a key enabler of climate neutrality. Among its production pathways, Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) offers greater efficiency advantages, though less mature than low temperature electrolysis technologies. Renewable intermittency and limited SOE flexibility underscore the importance of studying SOE modularity for performance and cost evaluation. Thus, this techno-economic analysis of SOE systems brings novelty with the consideration of modularity with renewable input. To carry out the study, a multi-module SOE process model is developed and experimentally validated at stack level. For a reference system of 15 MW electrolysis power, LCOH ranges from 2.5 to 5.3 €/kgH₂ for electricity costs of 25–100 €/MWh, 60% capacity factor and steam integration, highlighting potential competitiveness compared to low temperature electrolysis. The trade-off between electrolyser operational flexibility and scale is assessed to identify optimal module sizes of 1.75 MW and 2.5 MW considering wind-only or PV/wind scenarios, underlining the need to adapt electrolyser design to energy availability.

Original language	English
Article number	154144
Number of pages	19
Journal	International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Volume	221
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.154144
Publication status	Published - 27 Mar 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the ARENHA consortium and the European Union for their support and funding, which made the development of the Multi-Module Solid Oxide Electrolysis Process model possible. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862482. Image 1

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Solid oxide electrolysis
SOE
Intermittent operation
Modular
Techno-economics

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10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.154144

pdfFinal published version, 9 MBLicence: CC BY

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abstract = "Green hydrogen is a key enabler of climate neutrality. Among its production pathways, Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) offers greater efficiency advantages, though less mature than low temperature electrolysis technologies. Renewable intermittency and limited SOE flexibility underscore the importance of studying SOE modularity for performance and cost evaluation. Thus, this techno-economic analysis of SOE systems brings novelty with the consideration of modularity with renewable input. To carry out the study, a multi-module SOE process model is developed and experimentally validated at stack level. For a reference system of 15 MW electrolysis power, LCOH ranges from 2.5 to 5.3 €/kgH2 for electricity costs of 25–100 €/MWh, 60\% capacity factor and steam integration, highlighting potential competitiveness compared to low temperature electrolysis. The trade-off between electrolyser operational flexibility and scale is assessed to identify optimal module sizes of 1.75 MW and 2.5 MW considering wind-only or PV/wind scenarios, underlining the need to adapt electrolyser design to energy availability.",

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AU - Saker, Assia

AU - Gallucci, Fausto

AU - Olivier, Pierre

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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N2 - Green hydrogen is a key enabler of climate neutrality. Among its production pathways, Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) offers greater efficiency advantages, though less mature than low temperature electrolysis technologies. Renewable intermittency and limited SOE flexibility underscore the importance of studying SOE modularity for performance and cost evaluation. Thus, this techno-economic analysis of SOE systems brings novelty with the consideration of modularity with renewable input. To carry out the study, a multi-module SOE process model is developed and experimentally validated at stack level. For a reference system of 15 MW electrolysis power, LCOH ranges from 2.5 to 5.3 €/kgH2 for electricity costs of 25–100 €/MWh, 60% capacity factor and steam integration, highlighting potential competitiveness compared to low temperature electrolysis. The trade-off between electrolyser operational flexibility and scale is assessed to identify optimal module sizes of 1.75 MW and 2.5 MW considering wind-only or PV/wind scenarios, underlining the need to adapt electrolyser design to energy availability.

AB - Green hydrogen is a key enabler of climate neutrality. Among its production pathways, Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) offers greater efficiency advantages, though less mature than low temperature electrolysis technologies. Renewable intermittency and limited SOE flexibility underscore the importance of studying SOE modularity for performance and cost evaluation. Thus, this techno-economic analysis of SOE systems brings novelty with the consideration of modularity with renewable input. To carry out the study, a multi-module SOE process model is developed and experimentally validated at stack level. For a reference system of 15 MW electrolysis power, LCOH ranges from 2.5 to 5.3 €/kgH2 for electricity costs of 25–100 €/MWh, 60% capacity factor and steam integration, highlighting potential competitiveness compared to low temperature electrolysis. The trade-off between electrolyser operational flexibility and scale is assessed to identify optimal module sizes of 1.75 MW and 2.5 MW considering wind-only or PV/wind scenarios, underlining the need to adapt electrolyser design to energy availability.

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Solid oxide electrolysis: Techno-Economic assessment and impact of modularity under intermittent operation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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