The not-so-special solar panel is actually capable of producing hydrogen. A Belgium team has developed a hydrogen panel that produces 250L of hydrogen each day at an efficiency of 15%, which is expected to enter commercialization in 2026.
The hydrogen panel researched and developed by the Catholic University of Leuven is able to decompose water vapor into hydrogen after insolation. The program is currently ongoing under the Solhyd project, and sits at the transitional phase between research and spin-off. The panel produces 250L of hydrogen each day at an efficiency of 15%, and is expected to enter commercialization in 2026.
As reported, the hydrogen panel is similar to a solar panel, though it comes with pipelines instead of wires at the bottom that extract air moisture after solar panels at the top generate electricity, and then generate hydrogen after decomposing air moisture. The team claims that the hydrogen panel would only be ineffective in an excessively dry environment.
KU Leuven researcher Jan Rongé commented that the Solyhyd hydrogen panel is compatible with most commercial solar panels, which can be directly installed onto the hydrogen system. As a result, the team would also be benefitted by the solar industry that continues to drop in cost.
The team believes that hydrogen panels are the optimal choices for small-scale, modularized, and scattered production. An installation of 20 panels would provide excellent heat and power for houses during wintertime, where a simultaneous installation of hydrogen panels with solar collectors and panels will provide heat and power for houses throughout the entire year.
However, taking into account safety and cost, the hydrogen panel is not capable of storing hydrogen, and continues to operate under low pressure. The hydrogen panel would only suppress hydrogen when it is required during the collection of hydrogen. Rongé commented that the hydrogen panels will be targeted on medium-scale applications such as reserve power, logistics, and heavy transportation, before moving onto extensive hydrogen production and small offgrid systems.
The price curve of the hydrogen panel will be similar to that of solar panels in the future. In order to avoid exorbitant prices, the hydrogen panel will be adopted with cheaper materials, and had been tested with many prototypes after the launching of the project in 2011. The Solhyd project had transcended from the laboratory in September, and several dozens of hydrogen panels were first manufactured at the 350m2 space in the Leuven plant. 5K panels are expected to be made each year by 2026, and commercialization is also scheduled for the same year, where prices would approach that of existing solar panels then.
(Cover photo source: Solhyd)