Levelized cost and carbon intensity of solar hydrogen production from water electrolysis using a scalable and intrinsically safe photocatalytic Z-scheme electrochemical raceway system

Generating hydrogen from renewable resources would unlock a low-carbon energy carrier that could be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sectors such as industry and transportation. Yet, the allocation of new or existing renewable electricity generation solely to hydrogen production remains contentious due to disputes regarding emissions accounting. Photocatalytic (PC) hydrogen production technologies offer a unique solution, as hydrogen is produced directly from solar energy and water, without the need for electricity generation. However, cost projections for all photocatalytic designs to date have suggested that they are not cost competitive compared to conventional electrolysis systems manufactured at scale. Herein, we offer the first illustrative benchmark of cost and carbon intensity of hydrogen produced in a Type 2 “Z-scheme” photocatalytic reactor design, which employs suspended semiconducting nanoconductor particles organized into two stacked volumes in a raceway design. The “Z-scheme” system utilizes two separate photoabsorber particles, tuned to drive either the hydrogen evolution reaction or the oxygen evolution reaction individually, connected via a reversible, charge transfer redox couple in solution. The results suggest a highly competitive and scalable technology, that justifies further experimental validation and prototyping in the field.