Introduction – The floating of solar fuels rig makes use of solar energy for the splitting of seawater and generation of hydrogen fuel. A scaled up version of the prototype helps in the floating of open sea that can also produce renewable fuel from seawater and sunlight.
Methods – There are different methods which can harness the sunlight in the production of storable fuels when the sun doesn’t shine. The strategy aims at using solar generated technology that drives the electrolysis of water by splitting the water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen is considered as clean fuel that allows the burning with the generation of water as its byproduct.
When electrolyzers helps in water splitting by relying on various membranes that can separate the results of various oxygen and hydrogen gases. The mixtures of these gases are very explosive. But these membranes are very expensive and prone to failure and degradation. Solar power hydrogen fuel helps in the production of abundant and cheap seawater. But commercial electrolyzers require pure water because seawater contains various impurities and microbes that can be destroyed easily through their membranes.
Composition – There are various electrolyzers that do not require membranes. These electrolyzers are using the flow of electrode fluids that helps in the separation of oxygen and hydrogen. It also requires the pumping and addition of layer which defines the complexity of these devices. For this, new technologies have been invented that defines the floating of new photovoltaic driven electrolysis device that is free of membrane and pumping.
Usage – Most of the students envisioned the platform of solar powered electrolyzer that can be float on the sea for making use of abundant sunlight and water for the generation of hydrogen fuel. These solar fuel rigs are reminiscent in respect to the deep sea rigs that are using the harvesting of fossil fuels, as most of the surface of the earth is covered with water.
Conclusion – These new electrolyzers make use of various sheets of titanium mesh that can be suspended into the water. The coating of platinum catalyst covers one side of the sheet. These electrodes are exactly similar with the screen of metal windows that also allows the desirable exchange of air between outdoor and indoor both.
