(July 1, 2015) Building
on a unique idea, EPFL scientists have developed a cost-effective new method
for converting and storing solar energy into hydrogen.
Storing solar energy as hydrogen is a promising way for
developing comprehensive renewable energy systems. To accomplish this,
traditional solar panels can be used to generate an electrical current that
splits water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, the latter being considered a
form of solar fuel. However, the cost of producing efficient solar panels makes
water-splitting technologies too expensive to commercialize. EPFL scientists
have now developed a simple, unconventional method to fabricate high-quality,
efficient solar panels for direct solar hydrogen production with low cost. The
work is published in Nature Communications.
Many different materials have been considered for use in
direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion technologies but "2-D materials” have
recently been identified as promising candidates. In general these
materials—which famously include graphene—have extraordinary electronic
properties. However, harvesting usable amounts of solar energy requires large
areas of solar panels, and it is notoriously difficult and expensive to
fabricate thin films of 2-D materials at such a scale and maintain good
performance.