Haussener | December 1/8

Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering

-Large-scale solar fuel processing plant

Prof. Sophia Haussener

Institute of Mechanical Engineering, EPFL, Switzerland

Haussener | December 2/8

LRESE• Project d’ingénierie simultanée

• Large-scale solar fuel processing plant

• The objective of the project is the design

of a sustainable (concentrating) solar

facility for thermochemical or photo-

electrochemical processing of solar fuels

(hydrogen and/or synthesis gas) and the

prediction of the solar fuel’s cost.

Haussener | December 3/8

• Solar irradiation:

LRESE

Solar energy

Source: NASA

- Earth’s ultimate recoverable oil resource delivered in 1.5 days- Global annual energy need delivered in 1 hour- 0.1% of earth surface covered (20% efficient) delivers global annual energy

Haussener | December 4/8

LRESE• But solar energy is:

– Dilute

– Unequally distributed

– Intermittent

• Storage (e.g. as fuel)!

Haussener | December 5/8

• Photoelectrochemical fuel production

• Solar thermochemical fuel production (temperatures > 1400°C)

LRESE

1/2O2

2H++2e-↔ H2

2H++2e-+1/2O2↔ H2O

H2/CO

H2O/CO2

Haussener et al., EES, 2012.

H+

H2O

h+

e-

O2

H2

CO/H2

MeO↔ Me+1/2O2

MeO+H2↔ Me+H2O

1/2O2

H2O/CO2 Hausseneret al., JSEE, 2009. MeO+CO↔ Me+CO2

CO2+2H++2e-↔ CO+H2O

Haussener | December 6/8

LRESE• Possible plant design - photoelectrochemical:

greendiary.com

Pinaud et al., EES, 2013.

Haussener | December 7/8

LRESE

reactant

HTF

Source: DOE

product

• Possible plant design – solar thermochemical:

Romero et al., JSEE, 2002.

Haussener | December 8/8

LRESE• Project d’ingénierie simultanée

• Large-scale solar fuel processing plant

• The objective of the project is the design of a sustainable (concentrating) solar facility for thermochemical or photoelectrochemical processing of solar fuels (hydrogen and/or synthesis gas) and the prediction of the solar fuel’s cost.

• Choice of chemistry: thermodynamics, kinetics …

• Reactor design: modeling (heat and mass transport) …

• Plant design: external components, concentration, interfaces …

• Economics: prices of materials, components …

• Life cycle assessment: energy requirements of materials and components …

• 2 teams of 2 students