SunHydrogen, Inc., the developer of innovative technologies for producing renewable hydrogen using sunlight and water, has contracted The Process Group, LLC (TPG Engineers) for front-end engineering design of a > 25-square-meter proof-of-concept hydrogen production pilot plant.

Building on SunHydrogen’s earlier multi-module 1m2 demonstration, this pilot facility will deploy the company’s proprietary photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen panel technology at a significantly larger scale, marking its first pilot-scale hydrogen production system. The engineering design phase with TPG is expected to conclude by July 2025, with construction to commence shortly thereafter and the pilot plant targeted to be fully operational by the late Q4 2025. The demonstration plant will comprise approximately 15 or more interconnected PEC reactors, each with an active area of 1.92 m2 and will serve as a critical test of SunHydrogen’s technology in real-world conditions.

The Process Group, a specialized engineering firm with deep expertise in chemical process design and mechanical systems, will support SunHydrogen with a comprehensive scope of work that includes:

• Integration of PEC modules with full balance-of-system infrastructure
• Design and management of fluid systems for electrolyte circulation
• Mechanical interconnections of system components
• Mechanisms for safe and effective gas handling of hydrogen and oxygen
• Completion of a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study to ensure compliance with all relevant safety protocols and engineering standards.

“We are excited to partner with The Process Group as we move toward building our first large-area, pilot-scale PEC-based hydrogen production system,” said Tim Young, CEO of SunHydrogen. “While this engineering work is focused on our first pilot plant, its design will serve as the foundation for much larger hydrogen farms in the future. This collaboration brings us closer to realizing our vision of producing truly green hydrogen directly from sunlight and water, with minimal environmental impact and maximum efficiency.” Following this proof-of-concept, SunHydrogen envisions expanding to installations on the order of hundreds of square meters, consisting of many more PEC panels – effectively modular hydrogen panel farms.

“We at The Process Group are thrilled to collaborate with SunHydrogen on this groundbreaking project,” said John Reardon, CEO of The Process Group, LLC. “Our team is eager to apply our process design and integration expertise to SunHydrogen’s cutting-edge PEC technology. We are excited to help demonstrate a scalable, high-impact solution that paves the way for future large-scale renewable hydrogen production.”