More advances in generating hydrogen production with solar energy

More efficient hydrogen production on the way: A team of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has developed a prototype of electrolyzer-packed solar cells to produce green hydrogen more efficiently, according to research published by Nature. Green hydrogen production typically involves channeling solar and wind power to electrolyzers to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, but the new Swiss prototype comes equipped with its own solar heat-powered electrolyzers. Although this solar-to-hydrogen generation technique is not novel, the researchers say their prototype successfully converted more than 20% of the solar energy it stored into green fuels at a rate of 2 kilowatts, “which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than previous results and puts the world one step closer to sustainable fuels,” according to the study’s authors. Bottlenecks facing researchers developing similar solar-to-hydrogen PV cells include difficulties maintaining consistent efficiency and stability rates, and high hydrogen production costs associated with the method of green fuel generation, according to the study.

REMEMBER- Increasing the efficiency of green hydrogen is crucial for the energy transition: The global and regional hydrogen economy have both been riddled with technological and infrastructure barriers. A study published last December found that steam methane reforming and coal continue to dominate the supply side of hydrogen given their low production costs which stand at under USD 3.50 per kg compared to USD 10 per kg for solar-powered hydrogen production. This leaves little room for economic incentive to transition to a cleaner fuel supply. According to the International Energy Agency, hydrogen demand in 2021 was almost entirely met by “unabated fossil fuel-based hydrogen” — producing CO2 emissions over 900 mega tons — while low-emission hydrogen production represented less than 1% of global hydrogen production.

Cheaper production methods are in high demand: Green hydrogen is gaining traction as fossil-fuel-based hydrogen prices surge by 70% on the back of soaring natural gas prices though, and MENA already has ambitious hydrogen development plans. MEED estimated in November that the 50 signed projects in the region would net over USD 150 bn in investments. With the increasing interest in hydrogen production in the region, new tech advancement in hydrogen production could help in improving the feasibility of mega projects. Surging demand and accelerated generation of renewable energy powering hydrogen production could see green hydrogen priced at under USD 2 per kilogram by 2030. From our neck of the woods, Egypt expects the cost of its green hydrogen production to be at USD 2.68 per kilogram in 2025, while solar and wind energy deployments could push down the cost of green hydrogen per kg in Morocco to USD 2.54.