SunHydrogen, the developer of a breakthrough technology to produce renewable hydrogen using sunlight and water, shared an update on the company’s progress toward demonstrating its green hydrogen panels at the commercially-relevant 1m² scale.

In July 2024, SunHydrogen announced its technology collaboration agreement with CTF Solar GmbH to integrate CTF’s solar cell modules into SunHydrogen’s technology for green hydrogen production. This approach draws on the core principles of SunHydrogen’s nanoparticle technology while leveraging a mature manufacturing platform, enabling faster market entry.

In collaboration with CTF Solar, SunHydrogen has designed scalable thin-film solar cell module architecture that will form the basis for multiple 1m² hydrogen panel demonstrations. Today, the Company is pleased to share that initial fabrication and testing of these large-scale modules is officially underway. Concurrently, SunHydrogen is working to safeguard the modules from chemical corrosion, ensuring their durability and long-term performance.

Also in July 2024, SunHydrogen announced its joint development agreement with Honda R&D Co., LTD.

At the Honda R&D facility in Japan, SunHydrogen’s initial 100cm² hydrogen modules – designed in collaboration with CTF Solar – have demonstrated 10.8% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. The Honda R&D team is also studying the effects of various hydrodynamic conditions on SunHydrogen’s modules, further optimizing their performance.

“To our knowledge, this efficiency level has not been reached by any other company using cost-effective semiconductor materials immersed in water,” said SunHydrogen’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Syed Mubeen. Working with Honda R&D, the SunHydrogen team is also moving to finalize sites for large-scale pilot plant demonstrations.

Additionally, SunHydrogen’s expert collaborators – Prof. Kazunari Domen, Dr. Hiroshi Nishiyama, Dr. Taro Yamada and Dr. Nirala Singh – are developing innovative membraneless housing units for the Company’s hydrogen panels. These units enable safe separation of hydrogen and oxygen without membranes, significantly reducing cost and eliminating the use of environmentally persistent fluorinated compounds (PFAS).

“Our recent accomplishments demonstrate our team’s commitment to securing our place in the market,” said SunHydrogen’s CEO Tim Young. “We are grateful for the support of our industrial partners as we make strides toward commercial-scale demonstration.”