Electrolysis: a Norwegian Success Story

After a 20-plus year career in the hydrogen industry, Pietro d’Erasmo seemingly moved on from renewable energy's purple shores. But, just when d'Erasmo thought he was out, Nel pulled him back in.

The rapid advancements and renewed global interest in hydrogen energy solutions were just too significant a calling for d’Erasmo to deny. He rejoined Nel in 2016 as a technical consultant in Nel’s electrolyzer division. 

With so many new and exciting challenges occurring in the hydrogen industry as a whole, d’Erasmo said this is an exciting time to be involved with electrolyzers.

“When I first started in the hydrogen industry, all we had were industrial customers. Now we can see that hydrogen is becoming an important element in the energy sector,” d’Erasmo said.

The next step, d’Erasmo said, is to adapt and weave hydrogen solutions into the public area. 

For almost 100 years, electrolyzers have been an important tool for efficient fertilizer production. But now, d’Erasmo said some of the projects he’s involved with employ high-pressure electrolyzers to fuel renewable energy efforts.

“We need to have more efficient and more flexible electrolyzers,” d’Erasmo said.

That flexibility is essential for the fast-load requirements of wind and solar. And, when it comes to large hydrogen plants, d’Erasmo believes alkaline electrolyzers' flexibility and sustainability will play an essential role in the coming years.