Standardizing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency calculations for the evaluation of new water splitting materials

Technical Report · Mon Sep 03 04:00:00 EDT 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1468385· OSTI ID:1468385

Battraw, Marcus ^[1]; Albrecht, Kevin J. ^[2]; McDaniel, Anthony H. ^[3]

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1. California State University Chico, CA (United States)
2. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
3. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

Solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production is one avenue for converting sunlight into hydrogen through concentrating solar thermal technology. STCH is a two-step redox process that begins with concentrated sunlight to thermally reduce a metal oxide around 1500 °C leaving it in an oxygen deficient form. Subsequent exposure of the reduced metal oxide to steam at lower temperature reoxidizes the material and produces hydrogen. The efficiency of this process is dependent on the metal oxide material thermodynamic properties and cycle operating conditions.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1468385
• Report Number(s): SAND--2018-9496R; 667448
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
14 SOLAR ENERGY