[congoe]

Enzymes are much too unstable and expensive to ever make sense in electricity production, especially when compared to inorganic solutions like PV.

The other way around is more sensible though, using electricity to produce hydrogen (Enzymatic electrolysis cells, EFCs), for example from distillery wastewater.

[gmt2027]

If the enzyme is produced by genetically altered microbes like bacteria or yeast, wouldn't that make it practically useful on some scale?

[congoe]

Yes, that drives cost down but even on the biggest scale, like insulin, enzymes are still orders of magnitude more expensive than inorganic catalysts (e.g. platinum for hydrogen fuel cells)

[messe]

Not necessarily. Where do they get the energy to produce that enzyme?

Is it more efficient than having them convert sugars to alcohol and burning it?

[burnished]

Why one way but not the other - just that pouring power onto the grid requires cooperation but producing hydrogen doesn't, or is there something more fundamental at play?

[congoe]

The fundamental principle would be that enzymes have an comparative advantage when utilising and producing complex organic molecules as fuel for hydrogen production (such as glucose in wastewater) while inorganic catalysts are cheaper, more stable but limited to simple reactions

[burnished]

Thank you!