Source: PIB
Context: Indian scientists at Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru have developed a scalable solar-driven device for affordable green hydrogen production — a potential game-changer for clean energy.
About Scalable Solar-Driven Device for Affordable Green Hydrogen Production:
- What Is the Innovation?
- Developed a next-gen device that splits water molecules to produce green hydrogen using only solar energy.
- Uses earth-abundant, low-cost materials, avoiding fossil fuels and rare expensive components.
- Employs silicon-based photoanode with advanced n-i-p heterojunction architecture.
- Technical Highlights:
- Architecture: n-type TiO₂ / intrinsic Si / p-type NiO layers — enabling efficient charge separation & transport.
- Fabrication: Using magnetron sputtering, an industry-scalable technique.
- Achieved 600 mV surface photovoltage, low onset potential (11 VRHE).
- Demonstrated long-term stability – 10 hours continuous operation with <4% performance drop.
- Successfully scaled to 25 cm² photoanode size — effective for large-scale hydrogen production.
- Advantages of the Device:
- High efficiency conversion: Achieves superior solar-to-hydrogen conversion, maximizing energy output from sunlight.
- Purely solar-driven: Operates entirely on solar energy, eliminating the need for external power inputs or fossil fuels.
- Durable and stable: Maintains long-term stability even under alkaline conditions, essential for practical, continuous use.
- Cost-effective materials: Built with earth-abundant, low-cost materials, making large-scale production economically viable.
- Scalable design: Successfully demonstrated on a 25 cm² photoanode, proving feasibility for mass industrial adoption.
- Significance:
- Decarbonizing industries: Enables green hydrogen production to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate industrial sectors.
- Advances India’s hydrogen mission: Aligns with India’s vision for a hydrogen-driven economy under its energy transition goals.
- Supports net-zero targets: Contributes to national and global net-zero emission commitments by offering a clean fuel alternative.
- Global energy transition: Facilitates a shift towards sustainable and renewable energy systems across sectors.
- Versatile applications: Powers future hydrogen-based solutions—from home energy storage to transport and industrial use.
