Panzhihua Photocatalysis Green Hydrogen Pilot Project

operational

A pilot project in Panzhihua, Sichuan province, China, producing green hydrogen from photocatalysis, a water-splitting technology that converts sunlight directly into hydrogen without using an electrolyser. The project uses 144 large mirrors to focus sunlight onto 24 strontium-titanate reactors containing water, producing 200 tonnes of hydrogen annually. The hydrogen is cooled, dried, and stored for use in fuel-cell vehicles. The joint venture behind the project has invested about 60 million yuan and aims to increase output to 300 tonnes annually by expanding the number of heliostats and reactors. They target reducing production costs to 21 yuan per kilogram and eventually to 16 yuan per kilogram with a conversion efficiency of over 20%.