Solar-Based Technology for Green Hydrogen Generation

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Overview

Why in the News?

Scientists have developed a scalable next-generation device that produces green hydrogen by splitting water molecules using only solar energy.

The work has been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The researchers believe this is just the beginning.
With further development, the technology could fuel hydrogen-based energy systems, from homes to factories, all powered by the sun.

Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, are an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
They developed a next-generation device that produces green hydrogen by splitting water molecules using only solar energy and earth-abundant materials.
This is without relying on fossil fuels or expensive resources.
State-of-the-art silicon-based photoanode using an innovative n-i-p heterojunction architecture, consisting of stacked n-type TiO2, intrinsic (undoped) Si, and p-type NiO semiconductor layers, which work together to enhance charge separation and transport efficiency.
The materials were deposited using magnetron sputtering, a scalable and industry-ready technique that ensures precision and efficiency.
This approach allowed better light absorption, faster charge transport, and reduced recombination loss, key ingredients for efficient solar-to-hydrogen conversion.
The device achieved an excellent surface photovoltage of 600 mV and a low onset potential of around 0.11 VRHE, making it highly effective at generating hydrogen under solar energy.

Green hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels known, capable of decarbonising industries, powering vehicles, and storing renewable energy.
Production: The hydrogen produced via electrolysis, the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen with electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as solar or wind, is known as Green hydrogen.

What is Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the lightest element and the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, constituting roughly 75% of all normal matter.
It is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and highly combustible.
Hydrogen is an element with the symbol H and atomic number 1.

Importance of Green Hydrogen?

Hydrogen will help reduce the dependence on crude oil
Advancement of green energy will help to use it as a fuel.
It is a key solution for sectors like heavy industry (steel, chemicals), long-haul transportation (shipping, aviation), and high-temperature processes, which are difficult to electrify directly.
As Green Hydrogen is a Renewable energy, it results in zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Economic growth in the renewable energy and manufacturing sectors.

What are the challenges?

Until now, scalable and affordable production methods remained elusive.
Production Costs: The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and electrolyser costs are major factors driving up the overall production costs.
The adoption rates and risk factors associated with futuristic technologies pose challenges for financing and scaling up production.
Storage and Transportation: Hydrogen in gaseous form is highly inflammable and difficult to transport, thereby making safety a primary concern.

National Green Hydrogen Mission
- US$2.1 billion is allocated to the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) scheme.
- It provides incentives for the production of green hydrogen.
- The mission aims to produce 5 MMTPA of green hydrogen by 2030.
- The mission is to position India as the leading global hub for production.
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Initiatives
- NTPC’s Hydrogen-based Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) buses in Leh and Greater Noida.
- Oil India Limited’s development of a 60 kW capacity hydrogen fuel cell bus, featuring a hybrid of electric drive and fuel cell technologies.
- Indian Oil’s demonstration pilot plants for green hydrogen production through water electrolysis using solar power, biomass oxy steam gasification, and CBG reforming.

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