December 20, 2024
Sergio Matalucci

Hamad Ben Khalifa University Researchers have proposed a self-sustaining solar-powered freezing desalination and electrolysis system to produce fresh water and green hydrogen from brackish groundwater in remote desert regions. They used a 10,456 m² system featuring an air conditioning system with ice storage, metal hydride cartridges for hydrogen storage, and a fuel cell to manage fluctuations in solar irradiation. They said PV review that the “system features a unique integration of bifacial photovoltaics, brackish groundwater production, gel desalination with air conditioning, ice storage, green hydrogen production, storage and fuel cell, thermally coupled to hydrogen storage cartridges,” to support agricultural activities in the hot desert. environments. Researcher Nurettin Sezer said the system uses LaNi5 as a storage medium. They deployed bifacial modules with an efficiency of 23.6%, a PEM water electrolyzer with a voltaic and energy efficiency of 74.5% and 58.8%, and a fuel cell with a voltaic and energy efficiency of 64.6% and 62.5%. They said in a recent study In Desalination that the system generates 2.4 MWh/day of electricity, 52.8 m³/day of fresh water, 6.3 MWh/day of air conditioning and 177 kg/day of hydrogen for nighttime energy storage. It achieved 17.8% energy efficiency and 13.5% exergy efficiency during the day, and 56% energy efficiency and 34.9% exergy efficiency at night. Sezer said that although groundwater production, desalination and ice storage operate continuously, the electrolyzer only operates during the day and the fuel cell at night, with additional techno-economic studies still needed.

P.A. has made a final investment decision (FID) for the “Lingen Green Hydrogen” project in Lower Saxony, Germany, which will be supported by funding from the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) programme. He said The 100 MW plant, located next to its Lingen refinery, is expected to produce up to 11,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year and will be directly connected to the central hydrogen network. It plans for the facility to be its largest industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant to date and the first that it will fully own and operate.

SunHydrogen carried out a demonstration of its green hydrogen technology on a scale of 1 m². In October 2024, it affirmed that its 100 cm² hydrogen modules, manufactured in collaboration with CTF Solar, demonstrated 10.8% solar/hydrogen efficiency at Honda’s research and development facility in Japan. “With this 1m² demonstration under our belt, we can begin the site selection process for larger pilot demonstrations.” said Syed Mubeen, Scientific Director of SunHydrogen.

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