Photovoltaic water electrolysis using the sputter-deposited a-Si/c-Si solar cells

The solar cell which is employed for photovoltaic water electrolysis was fabricated by sputter-depositing a-Si:H on Si wafer. The electrolysis was conducted by connecting the series-connected solar cell externally to the hydrogen and the oxygen evolution electrodes. The conversion efficiency of 3.0% from the solar to hydrogen chemical energy was obtained and can be expected to be improved further by optimizing the system. (C) 2001 international Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.