Solar water splitting for hydrogen production using Zn electrodes: a green and sustainable approach

The global transition towards clean and sustainable energy sources has led to an increasing interest in green hydrogen production. The present work focuses on the development and assessment of a solar-assisted green hydrogen production system. The basic objective of this work is to investigate the influence of solar radiation to drive the electrolysis process for green hydrogen production. The system design includes photovoltaic solar panel to capture solar radiation and convert it into electrical energy. This energy is further utilized to operate an electrolyzer with zinc electrodes that facilitates the water-splitting reaction resulting in the production of hydrogen gas. The solar panel outputs along with global radiation and other relevant climatic conditions are monitored. The hydrogen production is analyzed at three different voltages, i.e., 11 V, 12 V, and 13 V. After 60 min of operations, the maximum amount of hydrogen (2952 mL) is produced at 13 V. The fabricated electrolyzer has been found suitable and economically feasible.