Solar hydrogen production scaled up in real world test
Pilot plant could be stepping stone to industrial production of green hydrogen by splitting water
A pilot project has succeeded in scaling-up production of hydrogen using solar power, opening the door for the technology to be used in the battle against climate change.
Hydrogen has long been touted as a possible carbon-neutral fuel source that could be used to transition away from more polluting alternatives, such as oil and gas. It can be burned cleanly, and 1kg of hydrogen gas has the same energy as around 2.8kg of petrol, meaning it could be highly efficient. However, scientists have struggled to find a way to produce hydrogen in bulk using technologies that don’t have their own hefty carbon footprint. Currently, most hydrogen is produced via gas or steam reforming – classed as ‘brown’, ‘grey’ or ‘blue’ depending on the method used. A more environmentally friendly way, dubbed ‘green’ hydrogen, is to use electrolysers to split water – effectively carbon-neutral – but this requires a tremendous amount of energy, and previous efforts have struggled to deliver this using renewable sources, such as solar, wind or geothermal power.