Publication date: 28th August 2024
The advancement of cost-effective water-splitting systems for hydrogen production has emerged as a strategic focus to mitigate climate change and energy crisis. This prioritization follows the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) set cost targets of 2$/kgH2 in 2026 and 1$/kgH2 in 2031. Photovoltaic systems integrated with electrolyzers, and photoelectrocatalytic water-splitting techniques, are sustainable approaches for harnessing renewable energy to produce hydrogen. Nevertheless, the projected levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) from PEC systems (6.32 $/kgH2) or PV-EC integrated systems (3.86 $/kgH2) [1] remains uncompetitive compared to the 1.06- 1.64$/kgH2 via traditional steam methane reforming (SMR) [2] and is far away from DOE cost targets.
Supported by the HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium, established under the U.S. DOE’s Energy Materials Network through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, we have developed a robust set of device- and system-level performance metrics to effectively compare the level of PEC and PV+EC development between lab-scale experiments and larger demonstration systems. We found that although numerous studies reported promising solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies (e.g. >10%), none come withing an order of magnitude of projected lifetime metrics. Clearly, durability of photoelectrochemical systems has become the main barrier to meeting the DOE's target for hydrogen production.
Motivated by the durability challenge, we have been operating a long-term outdoor PV-EC system, assembled from commercially available and scalable components, to study the effects of environmental parameters on the performance and the system durability of hydrogen generation. This system consists of a silicon minimodule with illuminated area of 69.3 cm2 coupled with a proton-exchange-membrane Pt/C-based electrolyzer with initial current of 491 mA at 1.86 V and active area of 2.9 cm². Initial performance results from 18-day continuous outdoor operation reflecting PV-EC water-splitting activity will be presented. Additionally, an initial diagnosis and modeling analysis of effects of environmental factors, corrosion resistance and electrolyte circulation on hydrogen generation performance, will be discussed.
[1] Energy Fuels 2024, 38, 13, 12058–12077
[2] Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2024, 63, 16, 7258–7270
This work was supported by the HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Consortium, established under the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and funded under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
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