Solar Tech Powers the Future: Revolutionising Hydrogen Production
India, Sunday, 22 June 2025.
Scientists have created a solar technology that efficiently splits water to produce green hydrogen, promising a clean energy future. This innovation could power homes and industries sustainably.
A Leap Forward in Green Hydrogen
Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences in Bengaluru have established an innovative solar-powered technology to split water molecules effectively, generating green hydrogen. This groundbreaking advancement leverages a silicon-based photoanode with a clever n-i-p heterojunction, encompassing n-type TiO2, intrinsic Si, and p-type NiO semiconductor layers. This robust setup marks a promising step toward sustainable hydrogen energy systems for use from residential settings to industrial applications [1].
The Global Green Hydrogen Shift
The push for green hydrogen isn’t just local; it’s a global movement. With carbon tax interventions and technological advancements, costs for solar-powered electrolysis to produce hydrogen are dropping. By 2024, the expense of green hydrogen had decreased significantly from being 25 times more costly than its grey counterpart in 2018 to merely threefold [2]. Global innovators like the Hydrogen Council are scaling their electrolyzer pipelines to meet growing demand [2].
Challenges and Potential in the Market
Despite technological advances, the road to a hydrogen-based economy isn’t without obstacles. For instance, large-scale projects often face hurdles, such as project delays or increased operational costs. Regulatory and market dynamics also impact the pace of development. Yet, efforts such as the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center aim to solidify a €100 billion green hydrogen economy by 2025 [3].