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President Biden's visit prompts the question: What are electrolyzers?

Dr. Vincent Winstead helped break down the topic for KARE 11's Meghan Reistad.

FRIDLEY, Minn. — Cummins Power Generation facility is set to begin manufacturing electrolyzers in Fridley, Minnesota, as hydrogen power gains popularity across the world.

Many companies and countries are now getting on board, but with the development of the hydrogen industry, critics also have their concerns.

"Electrolyzer technology actually has been around for hundreds of years so this is not new science, in a sense," said Dr. Vincent Winstead. Winstead researches renewable energy as a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

Winstead helped break down what exactly an electrolyzer is:

"Electrolyzers basically are a device that uses electricity to break water. So water is a chemical composition of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, and you use electricity to break that chemical bond to generate hydrogen and oxygen in its pure form," Winstead said. "We use hydrogen in lots of different industries, from pharmaceutical to transportation to space travel."

The White House shared the following information in a press release on March 31, 2023: 

Electrolyzers help produce clean hydrogen that is essential for reducing emissions and creating good-paying jobs in manufacturing and industrial sectors, and play a critical role in clean energy supply chains that until now have largely been produced overseas.

While hydrogen power is a growing industry across the world, there are still criticisms.

"Basically, it's expensive, and it's also difficult to argue that you're getting clean energy when you're getting energy when you're using electricity that's generated from let's say, 'non-clean sources,'" Winstead said. "Hydrogen is a little bit scary because it can combust and it's sort of invisible flames. So, if it's in large quantities, it can be hazardous. But under the right conditions, storage of hydrogen can be made perfectly safe." 

Ultimately, Winstead said he's happy to be having this conversation.

"Our economy, our society, really is driven by energy and how we use energy," Winstead said. "It touches everybody, to an extent, and so I think it's good to talk about things that have a global impact."

If you'd like to learn more about renewable energy, Winstead recommended the following websites:

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

National Science Foundation (NSF)  

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