The development of water electrolysis based on polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology is of high importance for the advancement of hydrogen based energy solutions. To facilitate rapid improvement in material performance and durability, domestic and international collaboration is essential. A successful exchange however requires a meaningful comparison of data across laboratories. The establishment of such a meaningful comparison is a challenging undertaking that requires attention to detail with respect to operating conditions, protocols, test hardware, and instrument calibration. Members of the Annex 30 Electrolysis working group (The IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells), focusing on the progress of water electrolysis and the alignment of test procedures on an international basis, have recently started an effort to address these challenges for PEM water electrolysis cells.

This presentation will focus on the challenges encountered and solutions found when developing benchmarking procedures and performing round robin testing across laboratories. The effort targets to harmonize testing procedures and enable benchmarking of PEM water electrolysis performance via in-situ performance testing using single cells.