Cuprous oxide single-crystal film assisted highly efficient solar hydrogen production on large ships for long-term energy storage and zero-emission power generation

Designing and manufacturing green ships and achieving zero emissions is one of the important trends in modern society for energy conservation and emission reduction. This article explores a novel combined technology of photovoltaic and photoelectrocatalysis to achieve efficient solar hydrogen production, in which the onset voltage for solar water splitting moved from 1.23 V forward to 0.59 V under the assistance of p-Cu2O single-crystal film. After implementing on a 110-m barge for the first time, a solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 9.79% has been achieved, which is state-of-the-art in large practical projects, producing 63 Nm(3) of hydrogen every day accompanied with an outstanding Faraday efficiency higher than 98.2%. The hydrogen has been purified and compressed for storage, then generates 96 kWh of electricity on demand through the fuel cell stack (43% efficiency). The hydrogen-powered ship can reduce 6.1 tons of diesel consumption and 18.9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Automated summary

Designing and manufacturing green ships and achieving zero emissions is an important trend for energy conservation and emission reduction. This article explores a novel technology combining photovoltaic and photoelectrocatalysis to efficiently produce hydrogen using solar power. The technology has been successfully implemented on a 110-meter barge, achieving high conversion efficiency and Faraday efficiency. The hydrogen-powered ship can significantly reduce diesel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions each year.