This final report demonstrates a stand-alone, scalable, prototype PVE system that is able to generate green hydrogen from sunlight through PV electricity powered water electrolysis.
Report extract
This document corresponds to the “End of Activity” report for the University of New South Wales Photovoltaic Electrolysis Research and Development Project: Photovoltaic Electrolysis to Generate Hydrogen. The project aimed to use photovoltaic electrolysis coupled with thermal energy obtained from concentrated photovoltaic devices to effectively improve the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency.
The key thesis was to develop high-performance electrocatalysts that can catalyse the water electrolysis process efficiently. Moreover, the waste thermal energy generated by the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cells can also be harvested to heat the electrolyte to improve the sluggish water splitting kinetics. By using thermal and electrical energy obtained from sunlight, two state-of-the-art integrated photovoltaic-electrolysis (PVE) systems are established, showing a record-breaking solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency around 30% (excluding the lead losses) in a prototype 20 W system
![Hydrogen energy icon](/assets/2019/04/Hydrogen.svg" "Hydrogen energy icon")
