Canadian Group Produces Hydrogen from Water Using Solar Energy

Engineers examine and confirm hydrogen production from solar catalytic process. Estimated arrival in market: one year or less.

The ideal temperature for the SHEC reaction is 850 degrees Celsius, which is what the present array is designed to deliver. However, the process will separate hydrogen at temperatures as low as 400 degrees Celsius.

Another facet of this design that impresses Stegeman is the receiver design. A typical problem in solar designs similar to this one is that the receiver re-radiates much of the heat away. The patent pending design that SHEC labs has produced reduces such emissions by an estimated 30 to 40 percent, thus increasing the net absorption.

The present design prevents the receiving head from overheating by incrementally closing a camera-like shutter in front of the receiver. In future designs, that will be regulated by increasing or decreasing the flow of water and gasses to the reactor, increasing or decreasing the rate of hydrogen production.