Development of a Concentrating Optics System for a Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Reactor
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2291Keywords:
Concentrating Solar Optics, Linear Fresnel Lens Array, Green Hydrogen, Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production, Water SplittingAbstract
Green hydrogen is expected to play a crucial role in achieving net-zero carbon emissions. By supporting the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production, the technology’s advantages in terms of scalability, low-cost materials, and reduced transmission losses can be utilised. This study presents the design, construction and characterisation of concentrating optics for on-sun testing with a PEC reactor. The optical design incorporates refractive primary optics (linear Fresnel lenses) and reflective secondary optics (stepped lightguide) to produce a scalable line-concentrating system. Ray tracing simulations predicted an optical concentration ratio (OCR) and optical efficiency of 12.5 and 51.3%, respectively. However, experimental testing revealed lower performance, with maximum OCR and optical efficiency of 5.8 and 23.8%, respectively. The greatest contributor to the discrepancy is found to be heightened stray losses in the demonstrated system. The results highlight the importance of precise manufacturing to reliably produce superior optical performance. Despite high losses and sensitivity to misalignment, the optics were successfully coupled with the PEC reactor to produce hydrogen in subsequent on-sun tests, the results contributing to an extended study investigating the up scaling of PEC reactor technology.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Arend Moelich, George Creasey, John Willman Rodriguez-Acosta, Anna Hankin, Craig McGregor
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-06-30
Published 2025-11-28