Producing renewable hydrogen using sunlight rather than conventional electrolysis: that is the bet PX Group and SoHHytec are placing. The company based in La Chaux-de-Fonds and the scale-up spun off from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) announced on Monday the launch of a pilot project built around an artificial tree fitted with parabolic reflectors. These reflectors concentrate solar radiation toward a photoelectrochemical reactor capable of producing hydrogen from water. The stated goal of both partners is to produce “green” hydrogen directly at the industrial site where it will be consumed.
A hybrid system, solar and electric
The system does not depend entirely on sunlight. When solar radiation becomes insufficient, the reactor can be powered by renewable electricity to keep hydrogen production running. This flexibility sets the approach taken by PX Group and SoHHytec apart from other initiatives in the sector that rely on dedicated infrastructure: Next Hydrogen’s 10-MW hydrogen fueling station in British Columbia, for instance, draws on conventional grid electricity rather than a direct solar source.
According to the joint statement from both partners, renewable hydrogen represents an important lever for decarbonizing certain industrial uses and hard-to-electrify sectors. The pilot project therefore aims to demonstrate that decentralized production, carried out close to industrial demand, can serve as a credible alternative to more centralized supply models.
Testing the technology under real industrial conditions
The technology developed by SoHHytec has already been tested, but this demonstration is meant to assess its performance under real industrial operating conditions. PX Group and SoHHytec want to measure the system’s reliability, its operational flexibility and its potential for large-scale deployment. This stage is intended to move the solar tree concept from a technological innovation to an industrial application.
PX Group’s Co-CEO, Sylvain Chave, says he wants to put his company’s technological expertise at the service of a promising technology developed in Switzerland alongside SoHHytec. SoHHytec’s CEO, Saurabh Tembhurne, quoted in the statement, says the partnership will help bring forward concrete solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of industry.
