Abstract Anode catalysts synthesized by the thermal decomposition method were used for splitting water in PEM electrolysis cells. Although the area resistance of the ternary anode materials increased, the Ti content in the ruthenium and iridium based catalysts have led to an energy consumption of 4.5 kWh/Nm3(H2) at 60 °C. The Membrane Electrode Assemblies have given information on the strong dependence of the membrane thickness. The crossover of hydrogen through Nafion®117 is two-fold lower than that measured in the presence of Nafion®115. Life testing was attempted with supplying the electrolyzer by solar power source. Importantly, the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) cell has involved a constant cell voltage at 1 A cm−2 over 800 h durability tests.