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Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) in Germany have developed a photovoltaic water electrolysis system, as reported by pv magazine. The system combines micro-concentrator photovoltaics with proton exchange membrane electrolysis.
Outdoor testing of the setup achieved a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 31.3%, which the team describes as a record. This result was obtained using a four-junction concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system driving two proton exchange membrane (PEM) cells in series under real operating conditions.
Prior approaches using dual- and triple-junction III-V concentrator cells had reached up to 19.8% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency outdoors and around 30% indoors, according to the researchers. The new system, called HyCon, uses Fresnel lens arrays to focus light onto four parallel-connected 4-junction CPV cells, each with an area of 7 mm². These cells are electrically and thermally linked to two series-connected PEM electrolyzer cells.
The CPV solar cells are constructed by wafer-bonding two dual-junction structures: gallium indium phosphide/gallium arsenide and gallium indium arsenide phosphide/gallium indium arsenide. The scientists noted that this four-junction solar cell technology has demonstrated world-record solar-to-electricity conversion efficiencies of up to 47.6% under concentrated standard test conditions.
Field testing was conducted over 13 summer days in Freiburg, Germany, using a dual-axis solar tracker. At the peak operating point, the CPV array achieved 34.7% efficiency and the PEM electrolysis stack reached 91.1% efficiency, with a current density of 368 mA/cm² and a cell voltage of 3.25 V. The researchers reported no degradation during 107 hours of operation across 13 dynamic cycles.
The system is currently at technology readiness level 3, described as a proof of concept by Fraunhofer ISE researcher Frank Dimroth. He stated that the team needs partners to fully develop the system and mentioned efforts to create a startup called Clearsun Energy to commercialize concentrating photovoltaics, noting the solar hydrogen module could be a future generation product.
The scientists aim to improve thermal coupling between the CPV and electrolysis cells in a future design to eliminate the need for active water heating. They also indicated that increasing the capacity factor of the HyCon technology to 35% could enable a levelized cost of hydrogen below $3 per kilogram.
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