• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.595-603
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• 2010

This paper deals with an economic evaluation of domestic window type photoelectrochemical hydrogen production utilizing solar cells. We make some sensitivity analysis of hydrogen production prices by changing the values of input factors such as the initial capital cost, the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency, and the system duration time. The hydrogen production price of the window type photoelectrochemical system was estimated as 1,168,972 won/$kgH_2$. It is expected that hydrogen production cost can be reduced to 47,601 won/$kgH_2$ if the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency is increased to 14%, the system duration time is increased to 20,000 hours, and the initial capital cost is decreased to 25% of the current level. We also evaluate the hydrogen production cost of the water electrolysis using the electricity produced by solar cells. The corresponding hydrogen production cost was estimated as 37,838 won/$kgH_2$. The photoelectrochemical hydrogen production is evaluated as uneconomical at this time, and we need to enhance the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency and the system duration time as well as to reduce prices of the system facilities.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2024

Global sustainable energy needs and carbon neutrality goals make hydrogen a key future energy source. South Korea and Japan lead with proactive hydrogen policies, including South Korea's Hydrogen Law and Japan's strategy updates aiming for a hydrogen-centric society by 2050. A notable advance is the solar thermal chemical water-splitting cycle for green hydrogen production, spotlighted by Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Niigata University's joint initiative. This method uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a carbon-neutral hydrogen production route. The study focuses on international collaboration in solar energy for thermochemical water-splitting and E-fuel production, highlighting breakthroughs in catalyst and reactor design to enhance solar thermal technology's commercial viability for sustainable fuel production. Collaborations, like ARENA in Australia, target global carbon emission reduction and energy system sustainability, contributing to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers B
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.116-121
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• 2006

This paper presents an effective modeling and simulation scheme of solar-powered hydrogen production system (PV-SPE: Photovoltaic Solid Polymer Electrolyte). Existing Hydrogen production technologies can produce vast amounts of hydrogen from hydrocarbons but emit large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Advanced hydrogen production methods need development. Renewable technologies such as solar and wind need further development for hydrogen production to be more cost-competitive from other resources. In this paper, authors have focused on a renewable technology to move one step further toward commercial readiness of solar-powered hydrogen production system. Software (PSCAD/EMTDC) based model of PV-SPE system is studied for an effective simulation of hydrogen production system. Using the simulation results, an actual PV-SPE system is implemented to verify the simulation results by comparing them with actual values obtained from the data acquisition system.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.179-205
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• 2017

This research presents an in-depth analysis of location planning of the solar-hydrogen power plants for electricity production in different cities situated in Kerman province of Iran. Ten cities were analyzed in order to select the most suitable location for the construction of a solar-hydrogen power plant utilizing photovoltaic panels. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology was applied to prioritize cities for installing the solar-hydrogen power plant so that one candidate location was selected for each city. Different criteria including population, distance to main road, flood risk, wind speed, sunshine hours, air temperature, humidity, horizontal solar irradiation, dust, and land costare used for the analysis. From the analysis, it is found that among the candidates' cities, the site of Lalezar is ranked as the first priority for the solar-hydrogen system development. A measure of validity is obtained when results of the DEA method are compared with the results of the technique for ordering preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Applying TOPSIS model, it was found that city of Lalezar ranked first, and Rafsanjan gained last priority for installing the solar-hydrogen power plants. Cities of Baft, Sirjan, Kerman, Shahrbabak, Kahnouj, Shahdad, Bam, and Jiroft ranked second to ninth, respectively. The validity of the DEA model is compared with the results of TOPSIS and it is demonstrated that the two methods produced similar results. The solar-hydrogen power plant is considered for installation in the city of Lalezar. It is demonstrated that installation of the proposed solar-hydrogen system in Lalezar can lead to yearly yield of 129 ton-H2 which covers 4.3% of total annual energy demands of the city.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.282-287
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• 2013

Hydrogen production from water using solar energy is attractive way to obtain clean energy resource. Among the various solar-to-hydrogen production techniques, a combination of a photovoltaic and an electrolytic cell is one of the most promising techniques in term of stability and efficiency. In this study, we show successful fabrication of precursor solution processed CIGS thin film solar cells which can generate high voltage. In addition, CIGS thin film solar cell modules producing over 2V of open circuit voltage were fabricated by connecting three single cells in series, which are applicable to water electrolysis. The operating current and voltage during water electrolysis was measured to be 4.23mA and 1.59V, respectively, and solar to hydrogen efficiency was estimated to be 3.9%.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.27-37
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• 2017

In this study, an artificial solar simulator composed of a 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector was used to carry out the solar thermal two step thermochemical water decomposition cycle which can produce high efficiency continuous hydrogen production. Through various operating conditions, the change of hydrogen production due to the possibility of a dual-zone reactor and heat recovery were experimentally analyzed. Based on the reaction temperature of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step at $1,400^{\circ}C$ and $1,000^{\circ}C$ respectively, the hydrogen production decreased by 23.2% under the power off condition, and as a result of experiments using heat recovery technology, the hydrogen production increased by 33.8%. Therefore, when a thermochemical two-step water decomposition cycle is conducted using a dual-zone reactor with heat recovery, it is expected that the cycle can be operated twice over a certain period of time and the hydrogen production amount is increased by at least 53.5% compared to a single reactor.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2010

This paper deals with an economic evaluation of domestic immersing type photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. We also make some sensitivity analysis of hydrogen production prices by changing the values of input factors such as the initial capital cost, the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency, and the system duration time. The hydrogen production price of the immersing type photoelectrochemical system was estimated as 8,264,324 won/$kgH_2$. It is expected that the production cost by photoelectrochemical hydrogen production can be reduced to 26,961 won/$kgH_2$ if the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency is increased to 14%, the system duration time is increased to 20,000 hours, and the initial capital cost is decreased to 10% of the current level. The photoelectrochemical hydrogen production is evaluated as uneconomical at this time, and we need to enhance the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency and the system duration time as well as to reduce prices of the system facilities.

• Solar Energy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 1992

• Solar Energy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.89-95
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• 1991

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 2017

Two-step water splitting thermochemical cycle with $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device was investigated by using a solar simulator composed of 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector. The hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device depending on heat recovery of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step was analyzed, and the hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ and $NiFe_2O_4/ZrO_2$ foam devices was compared. Resultantly, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 52.02% when the carrier gas of Thermal-Reduction step is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ and, when the $N_2/steam$ is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ in the Water-Decomposition step, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 35.85%. Therefore, it is important to retrieve the heat from the highly heated gases discharged from each of the reaction spaces in order to increase the reaction temperature of each of the stages and thereby increasing the quantity of hydrogen generated through this.