Photo Courtesy SunHydrogen
Coralville, Iowa-based SunHydrogen developed a photoelectrochemical technology to produce green hydrogen from sunlight and water alone. The company creates solar hydrogen panels, each comprising a hydrogen generator and a device housing that enables perpetual collection of hydrogen and oxygen. Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Syed Mubeen explained, “Just like a solar panel is comprised of multiple cells that generate electricity, our hydrogen panel encases multiple hydrogen generators immersed in water.”
Each hydrogen generator contains a substrate that serves as the foundation for the electroplating of billions of nanoparticles, with ion-transport channels that prevent mixing of hydrogen and oxygen. Semiconducting photovoltaic layers, meanwhile, source energy from sunlight, and catalysts then use that energy to split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. By 2023, in collaboration with Geomatec, InRedox, and the University of Iowa, the company had demonstrated that it could manufacture substrates at 25 square centimeters (cm²) and 100 cm² scales.
The following summer, SunHydrogen entered into a joint development agreement with Honda R&D Co. to apply this technology to cost-effectively produce green hydrogen. By October, at Honda’s research and development facility in Japan, the SunHydrogen 100cm² hydrogen modules achieved 10.8% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. Dr. Mubeen described, “To our knowledge, this efficiency level has not been reached by any other company using cost-effective semiconductor materials immersed in water.” According to the company, “A hydrogen panel installation operating at 10% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency on one football field would have the potential to generate approximately 40 metric tons of hydrogen annually.” Part of this success can be attributed to collaboration between SunHydrogen’s Iowa team and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on generator design. The benefits of such high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, moreover, include lower solar module costs and reduced barriers to scale.
The company had also been working on a 1 square-meter (m²) SunHydrogen Panel, the scale of which, Dr. Mubeen described, “is of the utmost importance as it represents the commercially-relevant dimension at which we intend to introduce and showcase our technology in multiple pilot projects.” At the end of 2024, after integrating CTF Solar solar cell modules, SunHydrogen successfully demonstrated its technology at the 1m² scale in subfreezing temperatures outside its Coralville laboratory.
As Dr. Mubeen described, “Our next steps include continuously improving the technology, incorporating even more cost-effective materials without sacrificing efficiency, and scaling it to 25m² and larger.”
Photo Courtesy SunHydrogen
In August, SunHydrogen posted a video showing the successful operation of a 1.92 m² module in an open prototype housing, which the company said “represents the most advanced version of SunHydrogen’s proprietary hydrogen production technology.” The next step is to test in a closed proprietary housing unit, which will serve as the basis for the company’s first multi-panel solar hydrogen system.
Last summer, the company entered into an agreement with The Process Group to design a hydrogen production pilot plant featuring sixteen 1.92 m² reactor units, totaling 30m² of active area. With support from GTI Energy, the plant will be located at the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Electromechanics’ Hydrogen ProtoHub research facility, where the institution tests hydrogen technologies. With a phased rollout, the first four hydrogen panels were producing hydrogen at the end of last year, with the next set scheduled for commissioning this month.
Already, lessons are emerging from the site, requiring a change in the solar substrate manufacturing process to meet the efficiencies demonstrated in earlier testing. It also supported the company’s decision to move forward with production of 1,000 full-size 1.92 m² hydrogen modules, a production volume that was “intentionally chosen to move beyond single-module optimization and toward statistical validation of yield, efficiency, and repeatability—critical requirements for commercial deployment.”
Photo Courtesy SunHydrogen
As SunHydrogen continues to test and advance its technology, the market opportunity for green hydrogen should not be underestimated. Goldman Sachs expects the hydrogen generation market could reach $1 trillion annually. The Hydrogen Council reported that between 2020 and 2024, the number of clean hydrogen projects that reached final investment decisions exploded from 102 projects totaling $10 billion in committed investment to 434 projects totaling $75 billion in committed investment.
SunHydrogen expects its technology will make green hydrogen “more accessible and affordable worldwide,” with a target cost of $2.50 per kilogram, driven by the ability to mass-produce panels. Because the process is independent of the grid, it is not only immune to grid disruptions but also avoids the expensive power electronics required by conventional electrolyzers. Plus, because hydrogen is produced on-site and distributed locally, it does not require the same high capital investment for transportation infrastructure and delivery services. The company believes its technology “has the potential to clear a path for green hydrogen to compete with natural gas hydrogen and gain mass market acceptance as a true replacement for fossil fuels.”
The process is also environmentally friendly. Unlike traditional methods of hydrogen production, which are powered by oil, coal, or natural gas and result in a high carbon footprint, SunHydrogen’s sunlight-and-water-powered system has a zero carbon footprint. “When hydrogen fuel is used to power transportation and industry, the only byproduct left behind is pure water, unlike hydrocarbon fuels that release carbon dioxide and other contaminants into the atmosphere when used,” the company described. Plus, the water is continuously recirculated in a closed-loop operation. “By developing, acquiring, and partnering with other critical technologies, we intend to enable a future of emission-free vehicles, ships, data centers, aircrafts and more.”
In his January update, CEO Tim Young specifically shouted out the Iowa team. “Most importantly, I want to give special recognition to the SunHydrogen team in Coralville, Iowa,” he wrote. “Their hard work, technical rigor, and dedication are the foundation of our progress whether in development, build execution, testing, or the day-to-day persistence required to translate breakthrough technology into a field-ready system. The milestones we reach are solely a reflection of their commitment and capabilities.”
Photo Courtesy SunHydrogen
SHARE ON SOCIAL
© Copyright 2026 The Business Download | Read our Privacy Policy
