Hydrogen Production via Load-Matched Coupled Solar-Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Using Aqueous Methanol

Hydrogen production via a directly coupled solar-proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis system using aqueous methanol instead of water was investigated. The effect of load matching and methanol concentration on hydrogen production rates, electrolysis efficiency, and solar-hydrogen efficiency was evaluated. The electrolysis efficiencies were subsequently used in simulation studies to estimate production costs in scaled-up systems. The results demonstrate that the added hydrogen production associated with the methanol solutions leads to favorable hydrogen production costs at smaller scales.