Apparatus for integrated water deionization, electrolytic hydrogen production, and electrochemical power generation

A power generation apparatus having a fuel generation mode for generating hydrogen fuel, and a power generation mode for generating electrical energy, comprising:

• a water deionizer that receives electrical current from an electrical energy source and water from a water source to produce deionized water;
• an electrolyzer in fluid communication with the water deionizer that receives the deionized water from the deionizer and electrical current from the electrical energy source to decompose the deionized water into hydrogen and oxygen while operating in the fuel generation mode, the deionizer substantially abutting the electrolyzer to form a single unitary assembly;
• a hydrogen storage system in fluid communication with the electrolyzer that fluidly receives the hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer while operating in the fuel generation mode;
• and
• a fuel cell assembly that is in fluid communication with a source of an oxidizer and in fluid communication with the storage system that fluidly receives the hydrogen from the storage system and fluidly receives the oxidizer from the oxidizer source and combines the hydrogen and the oxidizer to produce electrical energy while operating in the power generation mode.