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Low-Cost PV Cells Produce 1.2V OCV for Artificial Photosynthesis

February 11, 2014 by Jeff Shepard

HyperSolar, Inc. today announced that its artificial photosynthesis technology is now capable of producing 1.2-Volt open circuit voltage (OCV) for use in direct solar hydrogen production. This achievement represents another 10% increase over the previous 1.1-Volt reached late last year, a significant step towards renewable low-cost hydrogen.

“We now see a path to production of hydrogen through immersion of low cost semiconductor materials in water,” stated Tim Young. “Our approach uses only one type of inexpensive semiconducting material and reduces manufacturing complexity. Use of low cost materials with an industrial-scaleable process and may even make it a viable approach for fabricating low-cost photovoltaic modules for other applications beyond water splitting.”

“With the recent announcements of Hyundai, Honda, Toyota and other major auto manufacturers to begin shipping hydrogen fuel cell cars next year, there will be increased demand in the near future for clean hydrogen,” continued Mr. Young. “We believe our technology can address two serious drawbacks impeding major adoption of hydrogen automobiles: First, the lack of hydrogen production infrastructure near the point of distribution or the fueling stations is addressed by our solar hydrogen production process. Second, hydrogen is currently produced from a fossil fuel—natural gas—in a process that releases substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”

It is well known that the theoretical voltage for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is 1.23V, and approximately 1.5V in real-world systems. Achieving 1.5V using inexpensive solar cells has eluded the world. For example, silicon solar cells are the most inexpensive and abundant, but their 0.7V open circuit voltage is not enough to split water. Commercially available high voltage solar cells are considered to be far too expensive for use in hydrogen production.

HyperSolar’s research is centered on developing a low-cost and submersible hydrogen production particle that can split water molecules under the sun, emulating the core functions of photosynthesis. Each particle is a complete hydrogen generator that contains a novel high voltage solar cell bonded to chemical catalysts by a proprietary encapsulation coating. A video of an early proof-of-concept prototype can be viewed here.