Solar power systems cannot consistently produce adequate energy due to intermittency but a solution to this problem is a device that can store energy in the form of hydrogen.
One of the most sustainable methods of producing hydrogen is photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting, a process where solar energy is used to break water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen through a process called hydrogen evolution reaction.
This reaction requires a catalyst and in PEC water-splitting devices platinum is commonly used for the job: it is deposited on the surface of the solar panel’s photocathode, which is the solar panel’s electrode that converts light into electric current.
A research team at EPFL in Switzerland has now found a way to make efficient solar-powered water splitting devices using abundant and cheap materials.
According to EPFL, the group of Xile Hu developed a molybdenum-sulphide catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, and the group of Michael Grätzel developed copper(I) oxide as a photocathode.
The researchers found that the molybdenum sulphide can be deposited on the copper(I) oxide photocathode for use in PEC water splitting through a simple deposition process that can be easily expanded onto a large scale.
In a statement EPFL said the technique shows comparable efficiency to other hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts like platinum, it preserves the optical transparency for the light-harvesting surface and it shows improved stability under acidic conditions, which could translate into lower maintenance.
Both the catalyst and the photocathode are made with cheap, earth-abundant materials that could greatly reduce the cost of PEC water-splitting devices in the future.
Details of the research have been published in Nature Communications.
Onshore wind and grid queue targeted in 2030 energy plan
NESO is expecting the gas powered turbines (all of them) to run for 5% of the time!. I did not realise that this was in the actual plan - but not...