Europe still has a strong position in the market and the EU is trying to emphasize its sovereignty in industrial and energy policy. For example, the Green Deal and the European Industrial Strategy call for the creation of strategic value chains around renewable energy technologies. With the Clean Hydrogen Alliance, the EUaims to promote private sector pilot projects and rapidly increase hydrogen production.

The issue of resilient raw material supply chains is also gaining Phone Number List on the Union's agenda. However, current plans hardly seem to consider geopolitics, industrial policy and resource policy, especially regarding electrolysers. In the context of the threatening fragmentation of the world economy and the emergence of globalization characterized by mercantilism, the first thing to do is to identify the possible dependencies and vulnerabilities of the European electrolyzer industry to protect itself from risks (geopolitical ). It is essential to consider the supply chains of raw materials and the sourcing of critical components, as well as the increasing market dominance by competitors in the manufacture of electrolyzers.



Which electrolyzers are suitable for Europe? The various electrolysis technologies differ mainly in the components used and the maturity of the technologies themselves. Currently, only two technologies are sufficiently mature and are likely to account for the majority of electrolysis capacity to be installed in the coming decades: alkaline electrolyzers (ael units) and proton exchange membrane or polymer electrolytic membrane electrolyzers. ( pem , for its acronym in English). AELs are the oldest, most mature and most widespread type of electrolyzer, representing 61% of the world's installed capacity . Its advantages lie in the relative simplicity of the electrolyzer design and, therefore, in a comparatively simple manufacturing process.