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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/F00270X/1
Title New and Renewable Solar Routes to Hydrogen Energy
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy) 50%;
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells) 25%;
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Hydrogen storage) 25%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 50%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Chemical Engineering) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Professor NP (Nigel ) Brandon
No email address given
Earth Science and Engineering
Imperial College London
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 October 2007
End Date 30 September 2012
Duration 60 months
Total Grant Value £4,106,687
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region London
Programme Energy : Energy
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor NP (Nigel ) Brandon , Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London (99.993%)
  Other Investigator Professor DR Klug , Chemistry, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor J Durrant , Chemistry, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor GC Maitland , Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor GH Kelsall , Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Dr K Hellgardt , Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor PJ Nixon , Biological Sciences, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor J Barber , Biological Sciences, Imperial College London (0.001%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , Hydrogen Solar Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Shell International Ltd (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The UK, together with the international community, is acutely aware of the problems arising from the unsustainable use of fossil fuels, and is increasingly focusing on the development of zero-carbon emission fuels, particularly hydrogen, using renewable energy sources. Of the renewable energy sources under consideration, solar energy is the most abundant and, if harvested efficiently, is capable of meeting global energy needs for the foreseeable future. It is estimated that solar power incidenton the earth is 178,000 TW, approximately 13,500 times greater than the total global power demand (or burn rate) in 2000 (13 TW) and 6400 times greater than recent forecasts of the power demand for 2020 (28 TW). Much solar energy research is focused on its direct conversion to electricity in photovoltaic devices, or on its direct conversion to heat in solar thermal devices. A major barrier to all these 'conventional' routes is their prohibitive cost. Here, we propose to exploitlow temperature natural biological and photocatalytic processes to develop alternative, and cost effective, methods for harvesting solar energy to produce renewable hydrogen fuels directly, and to explore how these could be embedded within novel, integrated energy production systems, incorporating fuel cell and hydrogen storage technology.The successful scale-up of these solar energy-driven renewable hydrogen generation processes would transform the supply of carbon-less fuel and make an enormous impact on the viability of hydrogen as an energy carrier. It will convert the potential to produce hydrogen in a carbon-free, renewable way into a process reality, and is an essential step on the route to fully exploiting fuel cell technology. It will position the UK as a world leader in one of the very few solutions to a truly sustainable energy future. As such, the impact is wide ranging, scientifically, technologically and commercially
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 01/06/07