Tech Talks - Wow! Hystar on PEM Electrolyzer Stack Design to save you Millions - Ellerich Hyfindr

In this episode of Hyfindr Tech Talks, we speak with Max Ellerich from Hystar, to explain what a PEM electrolyzer stack is and why stack efficiency dominates electrolyzer operating cost. Max walks through how conventional PEM stacks feed water on the anode side and how Hystar feeds water from the cathode, using airflow on the anode side to remove oxygen and dilute hydrogen crossover to avoid explosive mixtures. This enables thinner membranes, reduced proton ohmic losses, higher efficiency, and a wider operating range down to near 0% load compared with typical 15–20% minimums. We discuss system components, cooling, degradation drivers, and real operating data, then compare economics showing electricity savings of over €1M per year for a 20 MW reference case. Max closes with Hystar’s scale-up plans, gigafactory production, and partnership opportunities. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome, Max Ellerich 00:25 What Is a Stack 00:55 Efficiency and Opex 01:49 Inside the Stack 03:12 Classic PEM Operation 05:37 Feeding Water Backwards 06:48 Air Sweep Advantage 07:29 Hydrogen Crossover Safety 09:49 Thinner Membranes Efficiency 10:51 Energy Losses Explained 11:41 Losses Inside the Stack 12:20 Ohmic Losses Explained 12:59 Why Efficiency Drops at High Load 13:20 Thinner Membranes Boost Efficiency 14:13 Air Flow System Tradeoffs 14:46 Cooling and Operating Range 15:27 Low Load Without Crossover Limits 16:54 Degradation and Membrane Lifetime 18:06 Real World Performance Snapshot 20:11 Efficiency Economics and Savings 23:40 Scaling Up and Final Wrap Interview Partner: Max Ellerich (Hystar) Topics Discussed in this Tech Talk: green hydrogen,hydrogen production,hydrogen energy,hydrogen technology,hydrogen economy,electrolysis,hydrogen electrolysis,electrolyzer,electrolyzer efficiency,PEM electrolyzer stack,hydrogen electrolyzer stack,hydrogen production technology,hydrogen production efficiency,green hydrogen production,hydrogen industry,electrolyzer stack design,hydrogen cost reduction,hydrogen production cost,industrial hydrogen production,PEM stack technology,Hystar,Hyfindr