IGPT and Uzbekistani colleagues research solar power utilization in petroleum industry

The innovative product is going through the commercialization stage.

IGPT scientists together with colleagues from the Jizzakh Polytechnic Institute have developed an innovative way to produce hydrogen from water using solar energy.

“One of the main challenges in the hydrogen production process is its energy cost. Traditional hydrogen production methods, such as steam reforming of water or gasification of hydrocarbons, require large amounts of energy, often derived from environmentally damaging sources. The use of solar energy for the process of water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen is a promising solution to this problem,” shares Ruslan Kemalov, Associate Professor of the Department of Oil, Gas and Carbon Materials Technology.

Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical methods based on the use of solar panels and specialized catalysts allow to efficiently convert solar energy into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen.

Experiments have shown that the efficiency of converting solar energy into hydrogen using a photoelectrochemical hydrogen cell is about 10-15% – this indicates not only the clear potential of the technological idea, but also the need for further research.

In September 2024, KFU scientists received a patent for this technology.