Comparative analysis of photoelectrocatalysis and photovoltaic-electrocatalysis and their applications

Abstract

With the industrial development of mankind, large amounts of greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere, far beyond the limits of what the earth’s ecological cycle can handle. In order to reduce carbon emissions, it needs to find zero-carbon energy technologies to replace existing fossil fuel technologies, in which photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) systems and photovoltaic-electrocatalysis (PV-EC) systems are the backbone of zero-carbon photovoltaic technologies. PV-EC systems and PV-EC systems share the common essence of converting solar energy into hydrogen, but the difference between PV-EC and PEC is that PV-EC can also provide electricity while producing hydrogen, which is an additional energy output option. However, the difference between PV-EC and PEC is that PV-EC can produce hydrogen and provide electricity at the same time, providing an additional energy output option than PEC systems. This research briefly discusses the mechanics and economics of the two systems and analyses the development trends of PV-EC systems in recent years. The author suggests that PV-EC systems take advantage of the diversity and modularity of energy output, break the limits of the earth’s high-quality light source areas through energy conversion, and deploy PV-EC systems in a distributed manner to increase the efficiency of power generation and hydrogen production.