Abstract
Hydrogen produced from water by concentrated solar power (CSP) is a clean and renewable energy carrier, free of greenhouse emission offering the potential to fully replace fossil fuels. Today’s benchmark water-splitting process is the alkaline electrolysis, which, however, has a relatively low overall efficiency limited by the efficiency of power generation. In comparison, solar thermal processes have the potential to significantly increase the hydrogen yield by about 50%. Direct water splitting can theoretically be driven by CSP but requires technically unfeasible temperatures. Thermochemical cycles separate the water-splitting step into two or more reactions significantly reduce the temperature level and, by this, achieve high thermal efficiencies. High-temperature electrolysis of water is a promising technology for solar thermal water splitting due to its reduced electricity demand and, therefore, higher efficiency compared to room-temperature alkaline or PEM electrolysis. Such processes promise a huge potential for carbon-free and sustainable hydrogen production on large scale, but still major effort is needed to enhance the stability and thus suitability of the materials involved and used at high operating temperature.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
