Air Products has selected Proton, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp., as the preferred supplier for its electrolysis-based hydrogen energy stations.

Under the supply agreement, Proton’s HOGEN hydrogen generators, which produce hydrogen from electricity and water using its proprietary PEM water electrolysis technology, will initially be used at three previously announced Air Products fueling stations to be placed in California in 2005.

PEM water electrolysis uses electricity, a catalyst and a proton exchange membrane (PEM) to split water (H₂O) into molecules of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O). PEM electrolysis is essentially the reverse of a PEM fuel cell operation, in which hydrogen is the input and water and electricity the outputs.

California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) recently selected Air Products for fueling stations to be placed in Burbank, Riverside and Santa Monica.  Air Products and Proton have also collaborated on fueling stations to be located in Vermont (earlier post), and at a station soon to be dispensing hydrogen for bus transportation at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.