Big achievement in green hydrogen production from solar energy

Context-

Recently India has achieved a major breakthrough in the field of green energy. Scientists have developed a next-generation device that splits water molecules and produces green hydrogen using only solar energy. This research has been published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. This achievement not only reflects India's scientific capability but is also a revolutionary step towards global climate goals.

Highlights of the research:

Making progress in the field of green energy, scientists at the Center for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have developed a state-of-the-art photoelectrochemical (PEC) device.
The most prominent feature of this device is that it uses solar energy and renewable energy available in abundance on earth.
It uses a silicon-based photoanode based on N-i-P heterojunction architecture.
These architectures together provide a better separation and transfer of charge from the photo-current.
The material is prepared using magnetron sputtering technology which is a process that can be repeated at industrial scale.
The experiment demonstrated high efficiency in producing hydrogen directly from solar energy. Most notably, the device showed only 4% performance degradation over 10 hours of continuous operation which is exceptional for silicon-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems.

What is Green Hydrogen?

Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas obtained by breaking down water (H₂O) through electrolysis, and the electricity used in the process comes entirely from renewable energy sources (such as solar or wind power). Since no carbon dioxide (CO₂) or greenhouse gases are emitted in this production process, it is called “Green”.

Key Benefits of Green Hydrogen:

Benefits	Description
Zero carbon emissions	It does not pollute like fossil fuels, which helps in fighting climate change.
De-carbonisation of industries	It can be used in heavy industries like steel, fertilizers, chemicals, etc. to reduce carbon emissions.
Clean transport fuel	Hydrogen-powered vehicles are more environmentally friendly than conventional vehicles.
Capable of energy storage	Green hydrogen can be stored and converted into energy as required.
Step towards energy self-sufficiency	India can produce hydrogen from its domestic renewable resources, reducing dependence on imports.

Conclusion-

This achievement in the field of green energy not only reflects India's scientific capability but is also a revolutionary step towards global climate goals. Scientists believe that in the coming years, this technology can make hydrogen-based energy systems, from domestic use to industrial plants, completely based on solar energy. This achievement of India is not only a step towards self-reliance in the energy sector but also creates a clean, sustainable and innovative future.