Charging A Vanadium Redox Battery With A Photo(Catalytic) Fuel Cell

A Photo(catalytic) Fuel Cell based on a CdS/TiO2 photoanode and using ethanol as model fuel has been studied as an electric power source to charge a vanadium redox battery. The Photo Fuel Cell was tested under various current production conditions in terms of stability and power output capacity. The cell was functional and produced substantial electric power by consuming an organic fuel under simulated solar energy irradiation. However, it has been found that CdS sensitizer may undergo a self-oxidation process which is relatively fast when the current output is large but is much slower when the current production is low. The conditions for slow self-oxidation have thus been delimited and this allowed determining the conditions for charging the vanadium redox battery using electricity produced by the Photo Fuel Cell. These findings set the basis for production of sustainable electricity and for its storage in a vanadium redox battery.