Scalable Photovoltaic-Electrochemical Cells for Hydrogen Production from Water - Recent Advances

Hydrogen is regarded as a very important pillar for the future energy supply because it is readily available from water and can be used for environmentally friendly electricity generation. Hydrogen can be produced in various ways. Water splitting powered by renewable resources (e. g., solar, wind, etc.) can be an ideal way of hydrogen generation in the future since this approach can achieve true net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This review article is aimed at giving an overview of the state-of-the-art hydrogen generation driven by photovoltaics (PVs) on a relatively large-scale (with PV area >50 cm(2)). The basic knowledge/principle of (PV-driven) water splitting is introduced in the beginning part. Then, different types of PV-driven water splitting devices and the recent advances in scalable PV-electrochemical water splitting devices are intensively reviewed in the middle part. Finally, cost predictions and challenges that need to be addressed are presented at the end of this article.