Solar Hydrogen via Water Splitting in Advanced Monolithic Reactors for Future Solar Power plants.

Objective

Building on the results of FP5 project HYDROSOL the present proposal concerns the technical realisation and evaluation of a directly solar heated process for two-step thermo-chemical water splitting using an innovative solar thermochemical reactor as the core of a volumetric receiver. The reactor is based on ceramic honeycombs incorporating active metal oxide redox pair systems. This method provides two major advantages: Hence no transportation/recycling of vast amounts of solid materials is needed and Hydrogen product separation is straightforward. As a central result of HYDROSOL, the feasibility of solar hydrogen production and the capability for multi-cycling of the thermo-chemical process developed was applied and proven. The results of the experimental and conceptual investigation show that a scale- up is possible and worthwhile and that the technology applied is a promising method for mass production of renewable hydrogen. Cost analyses indicate that technical improvements of the HYDROSOL process provide the potential to reduce by the production costs of hydrogen from 18 to 10-12 Eurocent/kWh (LHV) in the medium-term and by ongoing commercialisation to 6 Eurocent/kWh (LHV) in the long-term. In the present Proposal, a pilot reactor for solar thermo-chemical hydrogen production will be designed, constructed, installed and operated. The tasks of the Project include the enhancement of long-term stability of the thermochemical reactor, the development of operation/control strategy for continuous production of hydrogen, the design and development of a 100 kWth pilot reactor, the installation and test operation of the pilot reactor and all necessary peripheral components at a solar platform. Finally a detailed technical and economic evaluation of the entire process and its integration in future solar power plants will be performed.

Fields of science

• engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
• engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
• natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
• engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
• engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyhydrogen energy

Programme(s)

• FP6-SUSTDEV - Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems: thematic priority 6 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

• SUSTDEV-1.2.6 - New and advanced concepts in renewable energy technologies - Other RES

Call for proposal

FP6-2004-ENERGY-3
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Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (4)