Green hydrogen from small power plant

Individual elements can be interconnected without any problems

However, the dimensions of the tandem cell are still limited by the fact that the module does indeed split water directly, but electricity must therefore also flow from one side to the other. As the module area increases, the increasing resistances then have an unfavorable effect on the system. At the current stage, however, the existing format has proven to be optimal. It is stable and significantly larger than any comparable variants that exist so far, the IKTS researchers emphasize. The compact elements could be interconnected as needed without negative side effects, which works from a single module to large areas—a major advantage of this Fraunhofer development, according to the researchers.

This is how it should continue with the compact hydrogen extraction module...

The project partners have already proven in numerous field trials that the module and interconnection work stably and smoothly. But the Fraunhofer teams, who successfully presented their reactor for the first time at the Achema 2024 trade fair in Frankfurt in June, are already planning the next steps. On the one hand, they aim to continue their successful institute cooperation via a follow-up project, on the other hand, they plan to further develop their invention in different directions in cooperation with companies. This could play a major role for direct, safe and more efficient decentralized hydrogen production and supply.

The project is therefore also seen as a successful example of cross-institute cooperation and combination of complementary Fraunhofer competencies. As part of the project that has now been completed, the Fraunhofer-IKTS researched the materials and the processing for the photoactive layer. The colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute for Layer and Surface Technology (IST) contributed their experience in large-area coating using physical vapor deposition. The reactor design, the cost-effective and reliable manufacturing and subsequent evaluation of the modules were in the hands of the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP), as we further learn.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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Compact energy generator