2.3.2. Oxygen

Non-energetic gas demands are an important component of energy transitions [46,47]. Oxygen is critical for health care and has been in short supply in some regions during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 [48]. Hospitals commonly procure oxygen in bulk from suppliers as a compressed gas or as a cryogenic liquid, which is produced on a commercial scale through liquefaction and distillation. Oxygen is sold at a premium to the health sector, so generating it locally could save costs [49]. On-site production using compressed air with pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen concentrators (OCs) has been found to reduce costs for hospitals [50]. High-quality medical grade 99.5% purity oxygen can be supplied from water as a by-product of producing hydrogen with electrolysis. Using this oxygen stream from renewable hydrogen in a multi-generation system can help support a new hydrogen economy.
