Due to the ever-increasing consumption of electricity, the production and disposal of it are of key importance. As humanity strives to reduce carbon emissions, modern hydrogen technology is at the forefront of traditional methods. Hydrogen is a promising energy store, that can be produced with the help of electrolyzers, stored and then used again for the generation of electrical energy in fuel cells. However, since sustainable development also includes the long and efficient operation of the components of the mentioned systems, a good analysis and determination of operating conditions is necessary to achieve this. In the assignment, we examined in more detail the operation and composition of electrolyzers with a proton exchange membrane and the degradation mechanisms that dictate their lifetime. Based on the previously established thermodynamically consistent electrochemical model of the fuel cell, extended to the operating regime of the electrolyzer, we analyzed experimental data from the literature. Due to the good breakdown of individual losses and the display of changes in intrinsic calibration parameters, we have shown the connection between the aging of the electrolyzer and the subsequent degradation of individual components, the associated increasing losses and the drop in efficiency.
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