New power source trialled by scientists

A new power source combining solar power and hydrogen fuel is being trialled by US researchers.

Dubbed ‘hydricity’, the technology generates electricity through photovoltaic cells from solar energy but also produces and stores hydrogen from superheated water.

Rakesh Agrawal, from Purdue University, said: “The proposed hydricity concept represents a potential breakthrough solution for continuous and efficient power generation. The concept provides an exciting opportunity to envision and create a sustainable economy to meet all the human needs including food, chemicals, transportation, heating and electricity.

“If you can borrow carbon from sustainably available biomass you can produce anything: electricity, chemicals, heating, food and fuel,” he added.

Solar concentrators focus sunlight, resulting in superheated water – temperatures between 1000°C-1300°C - operating a series of electricity generated steam turbines as well as reactors to split water into its elements.

Usually electricity and hydrogen production have been researched separately and this is the first time the processes have been integrated together.

Mohit Tawarmalani, a professor also from Purdue, said: “In the round-the-clock process we produce hydrogen and electricity during daylight, store hydrogen and oxygen, and then when solar energy is not available we use hydrogen to produce electricity using a turbine-based hydrogen-power cycle.

“As we can operate around the clock, the steam turbines run continuously and shutdowns and restarts are not required. Furthermore, our combined process is more efficient than the standalone process that produces electricity and the one that produces and stores hydrogen."

The system has been simulated using models but the next step is to experiment in real life.

The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.