Development of China¡äs First Decoupled Square-Meter-Scale Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production Device
2025-10-11
Recently, PetroChina Shenzhen New Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Shenzhen Institute") has successfully developed China¡äs first decoupled square-meter-scale photoelectrochemical hydrogen production device, which has achieved continuous and stable operation in an outdoor environment. This achievement marks a major breakthrough for PetroChina in the engineering application of solar energy direct hydrogen production technology.
Currently, China¡äs hydrogen energy development faces dual challenges of structure and cost. For green hydrogen, calculated at an electricity price of RMB 0.3 per kilowatt-hour, the cost of hydrogen production by water electrolysis is relatively high, resulting in significant insufficient economic viability. Therefore, the development of new hydrogen production technologies featuring short process, high integration, and fast response has become an urgent need of the industry.
Against this backdrop, the Shenzhen Institute has intensified its research efforts and developed a solar energy direct hydrogen production device. This device adopts a self-developed new square-meter-scale array-type integrated photoelectrochemical hydrogen production structure and high-performance photoelectrode materials. It not only significantly reduces the manufacturing cost but also greatly improves the maintainability and expandability of the system. In outdoor tests, the device operated stably under natural light conditions. Test data shows that under an average of 7 hours of daily sunlight, the device can produce approximately 30 liters of green hydrogen per square meter, and its photohydrogen conversion efficiency has reached the international advanced level.
This device boasts prominent features such as controllable cost, strong adaptability, and environmental friendliness, and has broad application prospects. At present, the research team is conducting research and development work on larger-scale devices, striving to realize the demonstration application of 100-square-meter-scale devices within the next 5 years.
Currently, China¡äs hydrogen energy development faces dual challenges of structure and cost. For green hydrogen, calculated at an electricity price of RMB 0.3 per kilowatt-hour, the cost of hydrogen production by water electrolysis is relatively high, resulting in significant insufficient economic viability. Therefore, the development of new hydrogen production technologies featuring short process, high integration, and fast response has become an urgent need of the industry.
Against this backdrop, the Shenzhen Institute has intensified its research efforts and developed a solar energy direct hydrogen production device. This device adopts a self-developed new square-meter-scale array-type integrated photoelectrochemical hydrogen production structure and high-performance photoelectrode materials. It not only significantly reduces the manufacturing cost but also greatly improves the maintainability and expandability of the system. In outdoor tests, the device operated stably under natural light conditions. Test data shows that under an average of 7 hours of daily sunlight, the device can produce approximately 30 liters of green hydrogen per square meter, and its photohydrogen conversion efficiency has reached the international advanced level.
This device boasts prominent features such as controllable cost, strong adaptability, and environmental friendliness, and has broad application prospects. At present, the research team is conducting research and development work on larger-scale devices, striving to realize the demonstration application of 100-square-meter-scale devices within the next 5 years.