Improving Green Hydrogen Productivity through Green CHP

Verifiably and commercially viable “Green” Hydrogen is one of the holy grails of a clean energy future. The opportunity represented in developing the green hydrogen ecosystem led to the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Earthshot with the goal to “reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade (“1 1 1”)” from the current $5/kilogram. One path to achieving economic viability is to reduce the power required per kilogram of green hydrogen without sustainability tradeoffs for the improved efficiency. One promising avenue for realizing the potential of green hydrogen lies in the integration of hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels. Unlike conventional solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, PVT panels combine photovoltaic and thermal elements to simultaneously generate electricity and harvest heat. By combining the proven concepts of solar PV and solar thermal collectors in a single module, up to four times the solar energy can be harvested per acre. The thermal energy generated by PVT panels can be utilized to pre-heat the water feedstock for electrolysis, reducing the electrical energy input required. This presentation reviews the concept of PVT fueled electrolysis, application examples, and impacts of combining these proven technologies.